Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Germany vs. Spain; Liverpool looking to swipe Bayern Munich target Dayot Upamecano; RB Salzburg star Dominik Szoboszlai keeping options open; Phillipe Coutinho eyeing Barca extension; and MORE!

Die Folgen: Germany’s embarrassing 6-0 loss to Spain (Bavarian Football Works)

What do you get when you mix an indifferent, laconic, and unmotivated squad with a confused manager and an extended international break during a pandemic? A complete and utter debacle. Germany got smoked 6-0 by Spain and looked every bit terrible in doing so. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• While Philipp Max might be a good wing back in a back-three formation, he was awful operating out of a back-four. Often out of position and incredibly confused, Max is still the type of player Germany could use — just as a reserve. In his opportunity to prove he could pivot to being a straight left-back, Max failed. It is a shame because he brings an element of attacking and vision that no other candidates really offer for Germany at that spot.
• It is time for Toni Kroos to take a seat on the pine. I feel stronger than ever in this particular take. In a difficult match, Kroos exhibited Mesut Özil-levels of lethargy and his inability to sure up the midfield was one of the key components to Spain utterly dismantling the Germans.
• Kroos and İlkay Gündoğan combined to make a toothless midfield. There is nothing threatening about either player.
• Serge Gnabry...Niklas Sule...Leon Goretzka...boys, that was not good.
• As ineffective as the Bayern Munich trio above was, Leroy Sane was worse. Since his move to Bavaria, Sane has been very good with only a few glimpses of the lackadaisical play that was rumored to drive Pep Guardiola crazy. Against Spain, Sane showed that some old habits are hard to break.
• Jonathan Tah is not good and Robin Koch is not yet at this level. He has potential, but his ceiling might be at “above average” — which won’t get the job done for Die Mannschaft.
• This is typically the spot where I roast Joachim Löw, but the manager’s ineptitude, horrid personnel management, poor strategy, and overall loss of feel for how to coach and develop this group is old news at this point. He refuses to change, he refuses to admit his mistakes, and he looks utterly hapless. The onus is now on the DFB to make a decision — a hard decision. At one point Löw was a genius...he was a manager capable of extract greatness from players and one who was seemingly able to push all the right buttons. Now, he’s just a lost and confused old-timer, who increasingly looks like the game has passed him by. The DFB needs to do the right thing and start over. They were all too eager to follow Löw’s plan to push aside veteran stars, but now they need to take the reins and let the manager go. Well...

If you missed our Match Awards or Observations, give them a look:

Klopp looking to swipe Leipzig defender from Bayern (Tz)

Liverpool is linked to David Alaba, but it might also be checking in on a newer model of center-back in the form of RB Leipzig defender — and rumored Bayern Munich target — Dayot Upamecano:

Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig is at the top of Bayern’s wish list. The two central defenders David Alaba and Jerome Boateng will leave the club in the summer. Now Bayern are getting competition in courting the talented Frenchman.

As The Athletic reports, Liverpool are considering signing Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano. After the Reds had to cope with the long-term losses of Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, Jürgen Klopp has now cast an eye on Dayot Upamecano. Liverpool will probably sign Upamecano in winter. The rumored transfer fee for the defender is around 42 million euros, which is set out in his working paper as an exit clause for the summer.

Szoboszlai’s agent won’t commit (Transfer Market Web)

RB Salzburg star Dominik Szoboszlai is one of the most coveted youngsters in all of Europe. His agent, Matys Esterhazy, is clearly ready to seize this opportunity to get his client paid:

Asked by La Gazzetta dello Sport about the future ahead of Hungarian international midfielder and Red Bull Salzburg prominent playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai (20), his agent, Matys Esterhazy, addressed with AC Milan move-in rumours, stated: “His future is still open to any possible scenario. We haven’t committed to anyone yet.” As reported more than once on our columns, the 2000-born is being heavily linked to a RB Leipzig trade.

Coutinho likely extending stay with Barca (Sport Bild)

Bayern Munich treble-winner Philippe Coutinho is looking closely at signing a contract extension with FC Barcelona:

Now Barça even wants to extend the offensive star’s contract, which runs until 2023, ahead of time. But Coutinho hesitates. Mundo Deportivo reports. Most recently, ex-Barça president Josep Maria Bartomeu (57, resigned at the end of October) pushed for a contract extension. He also tried to convince Coutinho of a voluntary partial waiver of the salary that should be paid after the end of the Corona crisis. The pandemic has hit the Spaniards hard financially. According to the report, Coutinho declined an extension on the advice of his lawyers.

His legal representatives are of the opinion that the negotiated key points regarding the contract extension and the subsequent payment of the salary due to Bartomeu’s resignation could now be considered invalid. Therefore, Coutinho is urged not to extend it until Barça gets a new president elected on January 24th. Basically, the Brazilian international can imagine an extension.

Man City eyeing Thuram (Transfer Market Web)

Borussia Mönchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl was a little miffed about reports stating that midfielder Florian Neuhaus was linked to a move to Bayern Munich, but maybe he should look closer at Manchester City’s alleged pursuit of forward Marcus Thuram:

While in early talks with AC Milan, French international forward Marcus Thuram (23) has reportedly been targeted by Manchester City as well. Borussia Monchengladbach powerhouse has meanwhile been inquired about by Barcelona and Juventus as well.

PSG planning move for Ramos (Sport Bild)

Real Madrid star defender Sergio Ramos is deep into contract negotiations with the club and the two sides cannot seem to agree on how to best extend the 34-year-old center-back’s deal.

Well, if Real Madrid cannot figure out a way to make Ramos happy, it appears that Paris Saint Germain is ready to throw a load of cash at the veteran:

As the Spanish sports newspaper “As” reports, the Parisians plan to lure the captain of the Spanish national team with a three-year contract and an annual salary of 20 million euros net! So, Ramos would collect at least 60 million euros in Paris. According to the report, the Parisians plan to make this offer to him on January 1st.

The negotiations between Ramos and Real had recently stalled. According to Spanish media, the superstar is demanding a two-year contract from the Royals that guarantees him 12 million euros annually. Real should meanwhile only offered a contract for one year, plus the option for another. This is not acceptable for Ramos at the moment.