Daily Schmankerl: We all knew Erling Haaland would kill the Premier League; A host of Bayern Munich players recognized for efforts; The Dream Team of Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala; A Champions League prediction; and MORE!

Haaland’s success should surprise no one (Bavarian Football Works)

Manchester City star Erling Haaland has taken England by storm.

And this is exactly why I was so adamant that Bayern Munich should go after him if there was, indeed, an actual chance to get him. How much of a real chance there actually was is up for debate.

The two sides had a talk, but most assume that the Norwegian’s mind — and wallet — had already been convinced that Manchester City should be the 22-year-old’s next stop. There does at least appear to be a mutual fondness between Haaland and Bayern Munich, which could be a great thing for the future...or it might never amount to anything. Either way, Haaland is an absolute monster.

As of now, Haaland has 14 goals and three assists in eight games in the Premier League for Manchester City and 17 goals and three assists in 11 games across all competitions as well.

Anyway...who knew Haaland would be this dominant in the Premier League?

We did...all of us. Every Bundesliga fan, who saw Haaland unique blend of speed, size, skill, and scoring ability victimize everyone in both the German and Austrian Bundesligas.

Maybe the most impressive thing about Haaland is that — despite all of this success — he has remained pretty humble. This statement below is about as “controversial” regarding his ability as he will get:

With the way that Haaland has performed and also how FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski has throttled La Liga, it is pretty safe to say that maybe Germany’s top flight is not so much of a farmers league after all.

Musiala, Davies recognized for weekend effort (@WhoScored)

Bayern Munich stars Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies were named to WhoScored.com’s “Bundesliga Team of the Week”:

Meanwhile, Bild selected Musiala, Thomas Müller, and Matthijs de Ligt were picked by Bild for its “Bundesliga Team of the Week”:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 13 (Bavarian Football Works)

Between Germany and Bayern Munich, there is no shortage of discussion points for fans to talk about and debate.

For those looking forward to the World Cup, we got a sneak peek on what things could look like for Germany in Qatar. For Bayern Munich fans, it is time to re-boot and start over after a tough run in the Bundesliga.

Let’s take a gander at what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at Germany’s international break and what we might have learned ahead of the World Cup.
• What to look for in Bayern Munich’s games.
• Jamal Musiala’s star is beginning to explode.
• Bayern Munich might already be planning for life after Benjamin Pavard.
• Is Bayern Munich interested in Chelsea FC’s Kai Havertz?

Champions League Prediction (Bavarian Football Works)

Because I was doing some traveling late last week, I did not put in my prediction for the Champions League match between Bayern Munich and FC Viktoria Plzeň in the Weekend Warm-up...so here you go:

Bayern Munich is not healthy, they are probably a little tired, and they are about to face an opponent who will likely park a nice bus in their own end in hopes of slowing down the Bavarians’ blazing attack.

Even with that type of approach, FC Viktoria Plzeň will have a tough time keeping Bayern Munich off of the scoreboard. It is not impossible to think that FC Viktoria Plzeň will make this a battle or even steal some points, but Bayern Munich’s mindset has to be focused on avoiding getting caught up in a muckfest.

The feeling here is that this won’t be a cakewalk, but Bayern Munich’s overall talent will eventually wear down FC Viktoria Plzeň and lead to a few goals.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-0 FC Viktoria Plzeň

Another bear emerges at Bayern (Instagram — fcbayernbasketball)

You already know New Coke refurbished Berni and the recently unveiled Mia, but now you have to meet Ben, the FC Bayern Basketball mascot:

Three bears, eh? Can we cue up Matthijs de Ligt for a Goldilocks and Three Bears remake, where the Dutch Goldilocks wrecks all three bears and steals ALL of their porridge?

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Bayern Munich 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Bavarian Football Works)

After four consecutive Bundesliga games without a win, Bayern Munich have responded in solid fashion with a 4-0 win over a struggling Bayer Leverkusen side. The entire front four managed to score as Julian Nagelsmann’s system shone in its ability to create chances and suffocate the opposition with a high press. Even so, after all these poor performances, we have to be wary about declaring the crisis over after a single win.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• A quick recap of how the game went down.
• How Sadio Mane playing on the left might be a move to optimize his role.
• Leroy Sane’s excellent performance, overshadowed by the even better Jamal Musiala.
• Why a “quiet game” from Thomas Müller is a myth.
• A quick review of the midfield partnership (not much to say here) and Sabitzer’s Kante-esque role.
• Does Matthijs de Ligt look a little ... large?
• Countering the confusing narratives about Alphonso Davies.
• Interesting moves by Nagelsmann on set pieces.
• Criticism of the substitutions.

This could be a bit awkward for a while (@brfootball)

As we reported on yesterday (you should really check this out here), Chelsea FC looks like it is nearing a deal with RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku. If true, this could put Nkunku in a bit of limbo with Die Roten Bullen.

The early agreement is not exactly abnormal (after all, RB Leipzig has an agreement in place with Red Bull Salzburg for Benjamin Šeško), but it certainly puts the Leipzig executives in a tough spot when it comes to playing time. Sure, Nkunku is a huge asset to the squad, but RB Leipzig also has plenty of attacking options it can use. How will RB Leipzig handle it?

There is still some disagreement on where this all stands as Sky’s Florian Plettenberg points out:

Müller and Musiala are perfect together per Neppe (Sky Sport via @iMiaSanMia)

Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala are certainly quite a tandem. Seeing the two work together has impressed Bayern Munich technical director Marco Neppe.

“FC Bayern is very lucky that the two play together and that Jamal can learn a lot from Thomas. To have a player with so much experience and intelligence at your side is a gift for a young player like Jamal. I’m glad we have both,” Neppe told Sky Sport’s Florian Plettenberg (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).