Leon Goretzka was not seriously injured (@FCBayernEN)
In what is shocking news (given Bayern Munich’s luck), Leon Goretzka did not sustain any major damage in the club’s Bastian Schweinsteiger testimonial match against the Chicago Fire yesterday. It was just a sprain for the midfielder, who will work to make it back for the weekend.
Good news for Leon #Goretzka - our no.18 only suffered a sprain last night and will do some light training in the fitness centre today pic.twitter.com/jcVYzlFMIB
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) August 29, 2018
Niko Kovac named Coach of the Year by Sport Bild (Eintracht.de)
Niko Kovac may be the man at Bayern Munich now, but last year his performance at Eintracht Frankfurt was truly award winning.
Kovac was all smiles as he accepted the accolade in Hamburg on Monday evening. After acknowledging the applause of the assembled guests, the former Eagles coach conceded that he could not have won the award without the help of his former colleagues. “I’m standing here on behalf of many people,” he said. “I didn’t earn this award by myself. It also belongs to my coaching staff, who put in so much effort, and the players, who did everything to achieve success. I thank you all.”
Eintracht’s victory over Bayern Munich - Kovac’s current employers - in the final of the 2018 DFB Cup was “the biggest upset of the season”, according to the award panel. The 46-year-old’s achievements during his final season in Frankfurt are testament to what can be achieved through hard work.
Carlo Ancelotti discusses what went wrong with Bayern (Football Italia)
It’s not really a secret that Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern career was mostly a letdown. In an interview with DAZN that was captured by Football Italia, Ancelotti spoke about what he thought the primary issues were:
The experience at Bayern was a bit unusual. Things weren’t going badly, we’d won almost all of the games in September. I think there was more of a philosophy problem: they didn’t want to change things. I did. You always have to take into account what has been done, as well as the level of the players, then of course every Coach has his own ideas. You need to try to implement them gradually, without throwing away the good things that were done in the past. The most important thing is to consider the characteristics of the players: that’s what you model the system on, not vice-versa.
Ancelotti indicated that with his new club, Napoli, implementing the same philosophy is key: Respecting the old way, but integrating some new tactics to ensure the team is evolving.
The first thing I wanted to work on here at Napoli was exactly that: not to take away all that was good about this team. We’re trying to add a few twists, like how to play more directly and more open. I don’t know how long it’ll take, we hope to do well quickly.
Why not relive that Bastian Schweinsteiger goal from yesterday one more time? (@FCBayernUS)
A perfect end to a perfect night. #ServusBastipic.twitter.com/sSqSuM0g2t
— FC Bayern US (@FCBayernUS) August 29, 2018
DANKE BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER!#ServusBasti #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/4MDeIXHCtC
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) August 28, 2018
Benjamin Henrichs leaves Bayer Leverkusen for AS Monaco (ASMonaco.com)
As expected, Benjamin Henrichs has left Die Werkself and is now plying his trade for AS Monaco. AS Monaco Vice President and CEO, Vadim Vasilyev, had this to say on the club’s new acquisition:
Benjamin Henrichs is a talented defender with solid national experience and experience at the very highest international level. His arrival reinforces the quality of our workforce. I am sure he will contribute to the good results of the team.
ICYMI: The Computer Generated Bundesliga (BavarianFootballWorks.com)
We’ve got a few entries to date, if you missed them, give them a look!
A call for fan groups (BavarianFootballWorks.com)
We are trying something here at the Daily Schmankerl and need YOUR help. If you read my man Tommy Adams’ piece about his experience with the FCBNYC Fan Club (if you haven’t, SHAME ON YOU!), you could see how great the event was. So we want to highlight some of these wonderful groups that are out there globally and this is what we need from you:
- Name of the group
- Location
- Year founded
- Leadership (if you have people are kind of running the show)
- Meeting place
- Social media handles
- Pictures
We have 5 clubs onboard so far, including FC Bayern Munich Fan Club - St. Petersburg, Florida, who we profiled last Friday on Match Day 1.
I’d LOVE to be able to feature a different fan group every week this season. Maybe we can do it, maybe not...but only YOU can help decide the fate of this idea. Send your info to: barrelsportsblog@gmail.com.