Weekend Warm-up: Has Bayern Munich created a monster?; A throwback to “C’est la Vie” by Stereophonics; Bundesliga predictions; A quick look at that Timo Werner story; and MORE!

The results are in and it is true, Bayern Munich is pretty spectacular. And while some fans are waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop, the Bavarians look extremely dominant — so much so that it is fair to start wondering if this squad is set up to make another run at a treble.

We know…we know…you can tell us to cool our jets a bit, but it is becoming increasingly hard to dispute the fact that Bayern Munich could be the deepest, most talented, and best equipped squad to wrangle home the Champions League title.

Manager Julian Nagelsmann has pushed all of the right buttons and sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic has worked consultatively with Nagelsmann to ensure the “right” player have been added to the roster.

Marcel Sabitzer was incredible depth piece, as was the currently injured Sven Ulreich. More, the youth players look to be better suited to fill in when necessary. Armindo Sieb and Taylor Booth are already practicing regularly with the team and Josip Stanisic effectively graduated to the first-team roster on a permanent basis.

Every area of the roster is completely stacked.

But is this sustainable?

The answer is…probably.

As of now, there are only a few potential roster-altering moves that could causes ripples on the depth chart. Let’s take a look at them:

• Niklas Süle: The defender is in the last year of his deal and losing the Germany international would be a huge blow. If the big fella does leave, though, Bayern Munich has a few internal options (Benjamin Pavard, Chris Richards, Tanguy Nianzou), who could grow into the role.
• Benjamin Pavard: The current starting right-back wants to play center-back. With Süle, Dayot Upmecano, and Lucas Hernandez already in tow, it is hard to see that happening if the club retains its current top-three.
• Robert Lewandowski: After months (years?) of speculation, the Polish Hitman revealed that the rumors that he is ready to seek another challenge are bogus Still, if Lewandowski does eventually want to move on — or the club thinks it is ready to part ways with him — filling that void would be tough.

Everything else, it seems, has deftly fallen into place. This Bayern Munich squad might not just be a great team…it could be a historic squad.

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Front Office Dysfunction Was No Joke

The biggest takeaway from the news that Bayern Munich and Timo Werner had a deal in place is that there was, indeed, a lot of misalignment in the Bayern Munich front office in recent years.

The nuts and bolts of the story are here:

• According to court documents, Spiegel’s reporting, and Bild’s reporting, former club president Uli Hoeneß agreed to a deal with then-RB Leipzig player Timo Werner.
• Coach Niko Kovac and sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic objected to the deal.
• Werner got word that he would not have the full support of two very important people within the organization and bailed on the move.

Oddly, this all kind of aligns with that has been reported in the past in some ways:

• Kovac was never given any input on moves and his requests were ignored (rightfully or wrongfully).
• Brazzo operated in a silo for a while and apparently so did others.
• There might not have been a mutually-agreed upon roadmap for roster planning during that period.

After an even more tumultuous time under Hansi Flick, the front office seems to have settle into a more collaborative arrangement. Hopefully, things remain that way.

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Song of the Week: “C’est la Vie” by Stereophonics

This one is probably off of most people’s radar, but it is outstanding nonetheless. Just stick with the video through the first 60 seconds or so before the music hits:

“C’est la Vie” is the opening track on Stereophonics’ 2015 album “Keep the Village Alive” and was released as the album’s lead single on May 12th, 2015.

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ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 18 (Bavarian Football Works)

The Bayern Munich machine is rolling along and plowing through any team that gets in its way. Last week, it was VfL Bochum and over the next few days we will see the Bavarians take on SpVgg Greuther Fürth and FC Dynamo Kyiv.

Given its recent strength, Bayern Munich should add two more wins to its already stellar record.

Regardless, there was still a lot to talk about off the pitch this week with Bayern Munich. Let’s take a look at some of the big stories from this week, including:

• The squad’s incredible depth.
• Benjamin Pavard’s desire to move to center-back and what that means for the squad’s future roster planning.
• The recent rumors surrounding Antonio Rüdiger.
• Robert Lewandowski’s commitment to Bayern Munich.

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Predictions

Bayern Munich might be slightly banged up, but it will not matter in this one. SpVgg Greuther Fürth probably learned a lot about how to combat Bayern Munich last week, but even an expected deep-sitting formation will be tested mightily against the Rekordmeister. This one should not be close:

Prediction: SpVgg Greuther Fürth 0-6 Bayern Munich

Other Bundesliga predictions include:

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

In addition to the Bundesliga tilt, Bayern Munich will take on Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League. This one should not be all that competitive, either:

Bonus prediction: Bayern Munich 3-0 Dynamo Kyiv

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Prediction Records

I was all over the place last week. I either picked the score exactly right or lost:

Last Bundesliga Match Day record: 4-5

Overall Bundesliga record: 24-21

DFB-Pokal record: 1-0

DFL-Supercup record: 1-0

Champions League record: 1-0

Overall record: 27-21

Guest prognosticator record: 0-1