Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Hertha Berlin; Bayern, Real Madrid battling over Erling Haaland; Bayern in contact with Florian Wirtz; The latest on Dusan Vlahovic; and MORE!

Die Folgen: Bayern’s 4-1 victory over Hertha (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich was thoroughly dominant in its 4-1 victory over Hertha Berlin.

The Bavarians were never seriously threatened, though Hertha Berlin did botch a few good opportunities. Regardless, Bayern Munich did exactly what it needed to do to pick up three points. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• Bayern Munich was overwhelming early on.
• Corentin Tolisso’s early goal was disallowed because of offside, but man, what an effort — and what a ticky-tack offside call.
• Robert Lewandowski refusal to quit on a play is why Bayern Munich scored its first goal. Lewandowski won the ball back, found Kingsley Coman, who sent a perfect cross in that found Tolisso’s head for sharp deposit into the net.
• That play is a great example of why Lewandowski is so great of a player. He’s not just some tap-in merchant that his detractors would lead you to believe.
• Tolisso’s career arc at Bayern Munich has been crazy. He is Michael Corleone in Godfather III at this point:

• I’ve always felt Tolisso had too much natural talent to be a back-up and mentally I think the injuries and his lack of a starting position wore him down. Maybe he just likes playing for Bayern Munich, though, and will consider a contract extension?
• A half hour into the game, it felt like Bayern Munich could have been up 4-0 or 5-0.
• Thomas Müller did well to get his foot on Joshua Kimmich’s set piece for Bayern Munich’s second goal.
• Bayern Munich was absolutely dominant in the first half.
• Serge Gnabry seemed off...again, but would later make up for some lackluster play early on.
• I have no idea what Kingsley Coman was doing in the 54th minute, but that was a letdown. He had about six good options for what he could do — but he ended up picking one of the bad options: holding the ball too long and then falling.
• Alexander Schwolow was pretty good all game, but his pass that led to Leroy Sane’s goal was awful. It was easy pickings for Sane.
• Joshua Kimmich was fantastic on the day — as was the Bayern Munich backline of Niklas Süle, Benjamin Pavard, and Lucas Hernandez.
• Manuel Neuer’s collision with Hernandez could have been bad.
• Gnabry’s goal was easy to see coming and it preceded a complete defensive breakdown (right after Dayot Upamecano subbed in). It was a good shot by Gnabry, but a better response from Hertha Berlin’s Jurgen Ekkelenkamp. Upamecano just made an absolutely terrible play with his back pass and Hertha Berlin took advantage of it to ruin Neuer’s clean sheet.
• Leroy Sane hit an absolute beauty, but it was ruled out by a handball on Sane himself.
• What is up with Jan Aage Fjortoft backdrop for ESPN? He grabbed some coat hangers and threw some old jerseys on them and hung them over pictures. I liked his commentary, now we need to work on that setting.
• Overall, Bayern Munich was thoroughly dominant and just played a terrific match.

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:

Bayern, Madrid top contenders for Haaland? (The Hard Tackle)

Could there be a heavyweight showdown brewing between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid for Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland:

Real Madrid will reportedly need to fend off competition from Bayern Munich in the race to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Real Madrid could have Bayern Munich as their rivals in the race to sign Erling Haaland in the summer transfer window. The Borussia Dortmund goal machine, also a target for Real Madrid, could be the long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

The interest from Bayern Munich stems from the uncertainties surrounding the future of Robert Lewandowski. The Polish international has entered the final 18 months of his contract with the club, with developments on the renewal front being slow. The veteran striker has also been heavily linked with Real Madrid, who view him as an alternative to Haaland.

Moreover, Manchester United has reportedly bowed out of the race for the Norwegian (per ESPN):

Manchester United are out of the race to sign Erling Haaland, sources told ESPN, with the club ready to focus on alternative attacking options having been made aware the Borussia Dortmund forward favours a summer move to Real Madrid.

Bayern still in contact with Wirtz (Christian Falk via @iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich is reportedly still in contact with the family of Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. While a move is not imminent, it appears that the Bavarians are laying the groundwork for the future:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 34 (Bavarian Football Works)

It was a big week in the world of Bayern Munich as Robert Lewandowski received a big honor and we received contract news on Serge Gnabry and sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic — along with a potential move for Denis Zakaria.

This is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Why Lewandowski deserved better from Lionel Messi.
• The latest on a potential contract extension for Gnabry.
• Somewhat begrudgingly giving Brazzo respect and acknowledging he deserves a contract extension (even if he royally botched the Hansi Flick ordeal last season).
• The potential transfer of Zakaria, what it might cost, when it could happen, and who might be affected on the roster.
• How far along I am in with the Bayern documentary and where I stand on the other shows I’m watching.

The latest on Vlahovic (ESPN)

Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic might be on the radar of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, but he also has Juventus, Arsenal FC, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain all keeping an eye on him:

Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and Tottenham’s Harry Kane are likely to be the most sought-after centre-forwards in the transfer market this summer. Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski would potentially be available if the Bundesliga club decide to offload the 33-year-old should he reject the opportunity to extend his contract beyond its June 2023 expiry date.

But with several top clubs needing to recruit a centre-forward, sources said that Vlahovic is likely to move to a team that misses out on Haaland and Kane. Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona are all in the market for a striker this summer, with Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain also likely to be in the hunt if Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe leave the Allianz Arena and Parc des Princes, respectively. Sources said that Atletico Madrid and Juventus are also potential options for Vlahovic, although the deep-rooted rivalry between Juve and Fiorentina could prove problematic even if Juventus are able to fund a bid for the former Partizan Belgrade striker.

All of Robben’s UCL goals (You Tube — FC Bayern Munich)

Just in case you are in need of an Arjen Robben fix, here you go:

This is so cool (@FOXSoccer)

Atletico’s Virginia Torrecilla underwent surgery for a brain tumor in 2020 and in her first game back, she earned a nice celebration after the game from both Atletico and FC Barcelona:

An outfield in net? THE HUMANITY! (The Athletic)

Check this out:

Comoros will have to play an outfield player in goal for their Africa Cup of Nations knockout game against Cameroon on Monday after all three of their goalkeepers are unavailable.

There are 12 cases of COVID-19 within the squad, with two of Comoros’ three goalkeepers testing positive. Moyadh Ousseini and Ali Ahamada are self-isolating, and will miss the round of 16 match.

Their third keeper, Salim Ben Boina, is out injured. Head coach, Amir Abdou, has also tested positive for the virus.

Comoros’ assistant coach Daniel Padovanni confirmed: “We’ve already chosen an outfield player who will start as keeper. It’s a player who during training sessions has shown that he can play as a keeper.”

This is crazy...especially in COVID-19 times. I feel like there should be some sort of exemption built in, but what do I know?