Weekend Warm-up: Jamal Musiala’s curious lack of playing time with Bayern Munich; Throwing it back to Arcade Fire’s “Intervention”; Bundesliga predictions; and MORE!

Over the course of any season, there are always storylines that never see the light of day.

Good, bad, ugly…there are only so many stories that the media can uncover — and so much players, coaches, and front office personnel are willing to discuss.

One such story that I would personally love a look into is what exactly is going on with Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala.

Musiala did play 70 minutes against Hoffenheim last wekeend, but did not play in the DFB-Pokal loss to Gladbach and only tallied a total of 53 minutes in appearances against Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, and SpVgg Greuther Fürth.

After turning in amazing performances going back almost a calendar year, Musiala is suddenly on the outside looking in for playing time. Moreover, we recently saw the news that Julian Nagelsmann does not necessarily view Musiala as a winger, but as a back-up to Thomas Müller. Considering that Müller is still playing at a high level and rarely sits out a match, Musiala’s roster de-evolution from consistent contributor to bench warmer is a little concerning.

Sure, the wing corps is finally at a point where Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, and Kingsley Coman are all healthy and playing well, but to proactively take Musiala out of the mix seems like a mistake.

That is a not a knock to the talents or merit of Sane, Gnabry, or Coman, but Musiala is a player, who just impacts games. It really might not matter what position he plays, Musiala just seems to have that innate ability to make things happen.

There is some talk that the recent lack of playing time is due to Musiala dealing with a couple of minor knocks, which is fine. His alleged removal from the wing rotation, however is what is more concerning.

While you could make a strong argument that Musiala has been the best, most impactful, and consistent winger since January, it would even be okay to see the youngster take a little step back from the rotation given that the other wingers are healthy and playing well. A full removal from the rotation, though, seems drastic and unnecessary.

Perhaps we will see Musiala back on the pitch against Union Berlin and do what he does best — creating havoc. This would seem like a great spot for a players like Musiala to step into the lineup and provide some energy to a lineup that sorely needs it.

Given the collective injury history of Sane, Gnabry, and Coman, it would seem that Musiala should at least be in line for a start once every three or four games just for the sake of keeping the other wingers fresh as well.

That does not seem to be the case, however, and we might not ever really know why.

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Song of the Week: “Intervention” by Arcade Fire

No, I did not pick this because it is what half of the Bayern Munich fanbase needed after Wednesday.

A little over a decade ago Arcade Fire was HUGE. The Canadian indie rock band had stormed on to the scene with the album “Funeral”, but it was the follow-up studio album “Neon Bible” where many people sat up nd took notice.

Released in 2007, “Intervention” strikes you right from the beginning with an absolutely unique sound. The first time you hear it, you are completely unsure where the song is going, but it assuredly lands in a great spot.

Take a look and listen...I hope you enjoy it:

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Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 23

As Bayern Munich prepares to try and knock off the cobwebs, we at BFW are looking to get our weekend started right — with an episode of the Weekend Warm-up!

Here is what we have on tap:

• A look at the risk that comes with being on the wrong side of a devastating blowout.
• The most recent news on what might happen with Red Bull Salzburg’s Karim Adeyemi, along with the Bayern Munich tandem of Niklas Süle and Kingsley Coman.
• Yes, I am watching Squid Game and no, I have not seen the new episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm yet.
• Are you into sports gambling? I can’t get into the new school version of it and you won’t want to miss an old war story on gambling, covering high school ice hockey, and how bad things can get when your picture is in the newspaper.

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Predictions

Bayern Munich is on the road to mental recovery after suffering a massive beatdown at the hands of Gladbach, but now it is time to get back on the pitch. Union Berlin awaits...and won’t make things easy for the Bavarians.

The biggest questions affecting how Bayern Munich will perform revolve around the following things:

1 — Can the team mentally refocus?

Answer: Sure, this is not the first bad loss these players have experienced. The loss surely had its effects on players and it would be easy for the finger-pointing to start (at the coaching staff or each other), but it won’t happen.

2 — Will the coaching staff rotate effectively?

Answer: This is unclear. This is a big game (in some ways), but this roster is tired. With heavy legs, a match against a pesky Union Berlin team will not be easy.

3 — Cn the team rebound quickly and get back on track?

Answer Yes! This is a great team with a winning mentality.

Prediction: Union Berlin 0-3 Bayern Munich

Other Bundesliga predictions include:

• Hoffenheim 2-1 Hertha Berlin
• Arminia Bielefeld 1-2 Mainz 05
• Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Wolfsburg
• Borussia Dortmund 3-1 FC Köln
• SC Freiburg 3-1 SpVgg Greuther Fürth
• Eintracht Frankfurt 1-2 RB Leipzig
• FC Augsburg 2-1 VfB Stuttgart
• Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 VfL Bochum

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Prediction Records

Last Bundesliga Match Day record: 4-5

Overall Bundesliga record: 39-34

DFB-Pokal record: 1-1

DFL-Supercup record: 1-0

Champions League record: 3-0

Overall record: 47-35 (last week’s loss total was off — stupid counting)

Guest prognosticator record: 0-1 (Cowards)