Daily Schmankerl: Former Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski raves over chemistry with FC Barcelona’s Xavi; Manchester City’s Erling Haaland headed to Real Madrid soon...or will PSG’s Kylian Mbappe beat him to Spain?; and MORE!

Lewy claims better chemistry with Xavi than Nags (Barca Universal)

Former Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski seems to be going over-the-top to make sure everyone knows how much more he likes this season at FC Barcelona over last season in Bavaria:

At Barcelona, things have been pretty straightforward. The 34-year-old is being idolized by his teammates and his relationship with his manager, Xavi, is also greater than ever. These claims come from journalist Toni Juanmarti, who also states that Lewandowski enjoys better chemistry with Xavi than he did with Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich. This is mainly because of the Barcelona manager and legend’s career as a footballer and the freedom he has received from him.

Being one of the team’s senior-most personnel, Lewandowski has total freedom of movement and the forward is appreciating the approach. Now, the striker has indeed played under some big names like Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti but as it seems, Nagelsmann interfered in his processes more than he should have. With Xavi, it is no longer the case.

“Having him with us is a privilege. We have gone from choosing him on the ‘Play Station’ to playing with him,” a locker room source from FC Barcelona was quoted as saying.

Lewandowski reeks of a guy who just needs to try to make it clear that where he is now or what he is doing now is the best. We all know that guy.

We might have played a sport with that person (“My new team is awesome! We have the best fields and the best equipment!”) or worked with that person (“My new job is awesome! We have the best lunchroom and the cleanest bathrooms!”) or whatever.

We get it Robbo...you like Barca.

Anyway, this is not exactly the first time we have heard that things were not always peachy between Lewandowski and Julian Nagelsmann. It is not shocking by any means. Lewandowski is know to be a bit high-maintenance and Nagelsmann is known to be a bit stubborn.

Maybe the chemistry just was not ever going to work on a long-term basis — and if Semisonic taught us anything aside of what it’s like at “Closing Time”, it is that it’s all about “Chemistry”:

Haaland’s release clause favored to Madrid? (Daily Mail)

Details have emerged regarding the release clause that Erling Haaland has with Manchester City:

Erling Haaland has a £175million release clause which only applies to teams outside of the Premier League, reports have claimed.

Sportsmail exclusively revealed last week that the Manchester City superstar, who has made an explosive start to life at the club since his £51m move from Borussia Dortmund, is earning £865,000-per-week at the Etihad.

The Athletic have now reported that his five-year deal includes a release clause, one which will alert Europe’s giants but also make it impossible for the Norwegian to move to a Premier League rival.

It’s said that Haaland’s £175m release clause is only available to teams outside of the Premier League and starts in the summer of 2024. The clause then decreases near the end of his contract which is set to expire in the summer of 2027.

Sky journalist Florian Plettenberg noted that Karim Benzema wants an extension at Real Madrid, so there could eventually be some conflict within the club:

How good has Haaland been with City? Even Pep Guardiola is having a little fun with how terrific Haaland has been:

Haaland has 20 goals and three assists in 13 games across all competitions this season.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 14

Bayern Munich had a good week in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

The squad is getting healthy after a string of injuries and a couple of bouts with COVID-19.

Things are looking decidedly good...right?

Hell yeah, they are!

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the recent developments with the Bavarians and a whole lot to talk about in the great world of football. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at Bayern Munich’s bounce-back week that might have cost Gerardo Seoane his job (Welcome Xabi Alonso!).
• Some thoughts on Der Klassiker.
• Transfer updates on Christopher Nkunku and Alexander Nübel.
• Erling Haaland is throttling the Premier League and EPL elitists don’t know how to handle it.
• Bayern Munich is at its best with Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala working together...for now. Liverpool is among the clubs yearning for a player like Moose.

Champions League Prediction — Bayern vs. FC Viktoria Plzeň (Bavarian Football Works)

Because I am a dope, I forgot to add this prediction to the Weekend Warm-up, but here you go (with updated injury news):

Bayern Munich is banged up. Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Matthijs de Ligt and Serge Gnabry could all miss the match, while Lucas Hernandez and Bouna Sarr (who?) will miss the match. Even with the absences, there is still plenty of talent to go around.

It would seem that Julian Nagelsmann will compensate for those losses with a backline of Josip Stanišić. Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard, and Noussair Mazraoui and that should be good enough to stave off Plzeň.

Losing Gnabry would not be an absolute killer, simply because of the depth Bayern Munich has in the attack.

As bad as it might have looked at times over the past six-to-eight weeks, Bayern Munich is still a powerhouse and will win.

Prediction: FC Viktoria Plzeň 0-4 Bayern Munich

This is awesome (@dw_sports)

The Bayern Munich Frauen will host FC Barcelona at the Allianz Arena on November 24th in UEFA Women’s Champions League action:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 15 (Bavarian Football Works)

So that resurgence didn’t last. After big wins vs Leverkusen and Plzen, Bayern Munich have gone and conceded a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 vs Borussia Dortmund. Once again we’re back to debating Julian Nagelsmann and the crisis that the team finds itself in. With the specter of poor results hanging over Bayern, where do we go next?

In this episode, INNN and Tom discuss:

• The complete lack of any pattern to Bayern Munich’s draws/losses this season.
• What exactly can Julian Nagelsmann do to fix these errant results?
• Is there a mentality problem with the players?
• A quick look at the next three games coming up — Plzen, Freiburg, and Augsburg.
• Why Bayern Munich CANNOT afford to lose to Plzen no matter what. Implications for the Champions League group.
• Musings about Oliver Kahn’s potential reaction to a loss to Augsburg.
• Why Thomas Tuchel being available casts a shadow over Julian Nagelsmann’s future at the club.
• INNN tries to crush Tom’s dreams of being a professional footballer.
• Rapidly ending the pod with an appeal to Hansi Flick. Come baaaaack.

Kruse on his way out? (@Plettigoal)

The rumored exit for Max Kruse from Wolfsburg seems to be close to happening:

Update Max #Kruse : Topic should definitely be resolved in the winter transfer window. A termination of the contract has not yet been discussed. Further talks are to take place soon. @SkySportDE

Would Bayern Munich have interest in Kruse? It is unclear at this point, but Kruse has been linked to other clubs in Germany, as well as MLS.

Mbappe asking out of PSG? (@brfootball)

I got hammered for insinuation that Kylian Mbappe was a bit of a baby a few weeks ago. Now, it looks like he is asking to leave Paris Saint-Germain:

I’ll say it again...Mbappe is a fantastic talent, but is a huge malcontent and immature. Anyway, Fabrizio Romano has chimed in as well, so you know it’s serious:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Sooooo ... Bayern Munich went to the Signal Iduna Park and came out with a draw. Under normal circumstances you’d take that result, but when the team were leading Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at one point, a draw leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Once again, Bayern have dropped points where they shouldn’t have, meaning that the club is back in crisis again. When will it end?

Here are our talking points from the game:

• Our impressions of the result overall. What does this mean for Bayern Munich?
• Is Sadio Mane becoming a problem?
• Would the presence of Thomas Muller have prevented a collapse like this from happening?
• Did Bayern Munich get unlucky in this game?
• Is it time to ask questions about Julian Nagelsmann? What is going on?