Bavarian Podcast Works S4E19: Rating Nagelsmann’s first Hinrunde at Bayern Munich, the decline of the Bundesliga and BVB, winter transfers, and more!

The Hinrunde is over and Bayern Munich are officially the winter champions! Borussia Dortmund’s loss to Hertha Berlin means that Julian Nagelsmann is officially 9 points clear at the top of the table after his first half-season in charge of the club — one of the best starts to a new season since Pep Guardiola. Still, there’s plenty to address regarding the circumstances of this Hinrunde, which we took the liberty of doing.

In this episode, Ineednoname and Samrin discuss:

• What the hell happened to Borussia Dortmund this season?
• The general decline in the quality of the Bundesliga this season.
• Why losing great coaching talent has cost the league dearly.
• We start talking about Nagelsmann 10 minutes in if you can’t listen to discussion about other teams.
• What grade do we give Nagelsmann?
• Samrin explains her reasoning first.
• Can Bayern Munich compete with the top teams in the Champions League right now?
• Should Nagelsmann have been given a 5-year contract?
• How the coach is finding a better balance in recent games.
• Similarities between Nagelsmann and Pep Guardiola, especially with regard to Thomas Muller.
• Should Bayern make January transfers? (Includes a healthy dose of clowning on Cuisance.)
• INNN explains his reasoning for Nagelsmann’s rating.
• Final comments: Being fair to Nagelsmann and why we will keep backing him despite criticism.

As always, thanks for your support and let us know what you think!

Be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @jeffersonfenner, @TheBarrelBlog, @tommyadams71, @bfwinnn, and more.