Weekend Warm-up: Bayern Munich should extend Niklas Süle; Are we sleeping on Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel?; Metallica...and Alanis Morrisette (!?); Bundesliga predictions; and MORE!

By virtue of his soon-to-be expired contract, Bayern Munich center-back Niklas Süle is a lame duck and it could be the Bavarians who regret letting that label be slapped on the defender.

With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, Süle looks to have settled in quite nicely under Julian Nagelsmann and also seems to have regained full confidence — and form — after suffering a torn ACL during the 2019/2020 season.

With each stellar performance, Süle will not only be making his list of potential suitors longer, but will also be making his potential contract value escalate as well. As a free transfer, some clubs could overpay his salary in an effort to bring him in.

There were many hoping that Süle would develop into a foundational defender for this generation for Bayern Munich...and it looks like it could be happening. To me, some schlub behind a keyboard, extending Süle is a must for the Bavarians.

That talk, however, will probably have to wait until the winter break or even next summer. Right now, though, Süle is one of member of what has been an extremely staunch defensive unit.

Teaming with Lucas Hernandez and Dayot Upamecano, Nagelsmann has three top-flight center-backs he can roll out in his starting XI. That depth should — theoretically — allow Nagelsmann to create a rotation that should help keep all three players fresh.

It might be an embarrassment of riches, but one that could pay nice dividends for the coach and the club for years to come.

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Are we all sleeping on Tuchel?

I don’t know why it took so long to register, but for as much as we’ve praised Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann around these parts, we’ve all just kind of let it slip by that Thomas Tuchel has really built himself into one of the world’s premier coaches.

After stints with FC Augsburg II and Mainz 05, Tuchel broke into the big time with Borussia Dortmund. And while he might have worn out his welcome with the Black and Yellows, Tuchel subsequently moved on to lead Paris Saint-Germain to a Champions League final (before his style eventually wore thin on that roster as well).

Upon moving to Chelsea last season, Tuchel turned that club’s season around and won the Champions League crown over Premier League rival Manchester City.

I’m not asking if we are sleeping on Tuchel in the sense that we didn’t know he was a talented manager, but it looks like he is setting himself up for a really strong three season stretch (even with his sacking at PSG sandwiched between UCL final appearances) that I am not sure anyone saw coming.

Whatever the case, Tuchel seems to be able to make an immediate impact on whatever team he coaches before his style eventually grinds away at a team. As for his stint at Chelsea, it still seems like it is still going swimmingly.

And while he might not always mesh with his players, he actually seems like a genuinely good guy as well:

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Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 17

Bayern Munich is set to take on VfL Bochum this weekend after dismantling both RB Leipzig and FC Barcelona during the last week.

We are set to find out a lot about how Julian Nagelsmann intends to rotate his squad in the coming weeks, but there are several other hot topics on the agenda. Bayern Munich also inked Leon Goretzka to a new deal, which will keep him at the club through 2026.

Clearly, there is a lot to discuss. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Bayern Munich’s crazy strength defensively and why the club must sign Niklas Süle.
• Bayern Munich’s dominance over RB Leipzig and FC Barcelona.
• Leon Goretzka’s contract extension and what it means for the future of the midfield moving forward.
• Why it might be time to rest Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala.

Find any of the contributors on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @jeffersonfenner, @TheBarrelBlog, @TommyAdams71, and @bfwinnn.

For the latest and greatest in football news, Bayern news, Germany news, and transfer rumors, be sure to visit www.bavarianfootballworks.com!

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Song of the Week: “Battery” by Metallica

It has been a bit too long since I put some good metal in the Weekend Warm-up and since I’m feeling a little rundown, I needed a jolt of Metallica to get me going.

“Battery”, of course, is from the mid 80s era of Metallica and was on the “Master of Puppets” album, which is fantastic.

“Battery” firmly resides on the approved, “no new sh*t” list for Metallica fans, who often cajoled the band to refrain from playing their new releases during concerts in the late 90s/early 00s. “Battery” came from the time period where fans essentially loved everything the band produced. Enjoy it:

Bonus song!

There is an HBO documentary about Alanis Morrissette coming out and it is steeped in controversy, which we won’t delve into here, but I think I have admitted this before — my dark secret is that, yes, I like Alanis.

I celebrate her entire, fine Canadian collection. So, here is an underrated Alanis song:

True story, when I used to make those insane morning drives to work I’ve often written about, there was a local college radio station I could pick up that just played a mixed CD over night.

The same CD.

Every...single...night.

As I was driving, “Hands Clean” would come on somewhere around 5:45AM, so I would flip over to that station, listen, and then flip back off.

I know...I am a weirdo.

Anyway, you can now all shred me in the comments...but Alanis is cool!

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Predictions

Bayern Munich looks like a juggernaut at this stage and while this might seem like the perfect time for the team to experience a letdown, it does not feel like that will be the case — no matter who Nagelsmann rolls out as part of his starting XI.

Right now, the defense is too strong and the offense is too relentless for a team like VfL Bochum to come into the Allianz Arena and pull off an upset.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 4-0 VfL Bochum

Other Bundesliga predictions include:

• Hertha Berlin 2-1 SpVgg Greuther Fürth
• Arminia Bielefeld 1-2 Hoffenheim
• FC Augsburg 1-3 Borussia Mönchengladbach
• Mainz 05 1-2 SC Freiburg
• FC Köln 1-3 RB Leipzig
• VfB Stuttgart 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
• Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Union Berlin
• Wolfsburg 3-2 Eintracht Frankfurt

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Prediction Records

I’m still chugging along with an okay season. It needs to be better:

Last Bundesliga Match Day record: 5-4

Overall Bundesliga record: 20-16

DFB-Pokal record: 1-0

DFL-Supercup record: 1-0

Champions League record: 1-0

Overall record: 23-16

Guest prognosticator record: 0-1