Weekend Warmup: Bayern Munich won’t die without Robert Lewandowski, but it wouldn’t be easy to compete in Europe without him; Throwing it back to Filter; Bundesliga predictions; and MORE!

If you have been reading BFW this week, you saw plenty of stories detailing the uncertain future of Robert Lewandowski with Bayern Munich.

While it seems like both sides want to reach an accord on a contract extension, there are some obstacles along the path to making that happen:

• The Bayern Munich front office has been slow to initiate talks with Lewandowski and his agent Pini Zahavi. There could be many reasons for that, but the feeling here is that the club knows that Lewandowski wants more money than it is willing to pay (under its own self-imposed salary cap of not exceeding €25 million on a single player).
• Zahavi currently has a frosty relationship with the Bavarians after negotiations got contentious with one of his other clients, Kingsley Coman.
• Other — richer — clubs are getting interested in Lewandowski and can certainly pay what the Poland international wants. FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, and Paris Saint-Germain are just some clubs who are rumored to want to bring Lewandowski in to jumpstart their respective offenses.

With Erling Haaland closing in on a deal with Manchester City, the only viable contingency plan on the market could be gone before there is a verdict on Lewandowski at Bayern Munich as well.

At this point, all of Bayern Munich’s eggs are in Lewandowski’s basket — a player who reportedly feels underappreciated by his bosses.

Should Lewandowski leave it would be absolutely crippling. There is no one on the roster or on campus who can replace him and there is just not enough collective greatness on the squad to compensate for everything that Lewandowski brings to the table.

Sure, there will be a day where Bayern Munich will have to face the reality of a future without Lewandowski, but it should not be just yet. With Haaland’s immediate future looking like it will be in England, Bayern Munich must do everything in its power to secure at least another two years of Lewandowski.

It would seem that even Bayern Munich, however, does not believe Lewandowski moving on is close to being a reality, though. Why else would the club leave itself in a position to look so vulnerable without him? A club like Bayern Munich does not become a world power by being reactionary. The feeling here is that the Bavarians are extremely confident in their ability to lock down Lewandowski for another two-to-three season.

Believe it or not, there is a reason to trust that the Bayern Munich brass will not only get a deal done with the 33-year-old, but will also immediately begin its planning for the “next one.”

Still, the Polish Hitman’s importance to the squad cannot be debated. With Lewandowski, the Bundesliga is almost a foregone conclusion and the Champions League is at least a possibility every...single...season.

To lose him this summer would be devastating on every level — especially to fans. Bayern Munich will always be juggernaut, but without its Polish hammer, the squad just won’t pack the same punch — and all of Europe will be waiting to exact a little payback for years of beatdowns.

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Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 41

Bayern Munich had an absolutely crazy week off of the pitch.

Aside of another frustrating Bundesliga effort against Hoffenheim, the major storylines were flowing for Bayern Munich. There was no shortage of things to talk about and this is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Niklas Süle’s injury, why it is a massive loss, and how this will give fans a preview for what life on the backline will look like next season.
• The lack of movement on Bayern Munich’s list of transfer targets.
• Understanding why Julian Nagelsmann might be unhappy with his roster and why there is a reason for concern that a gap exists between the coaching staff and front office.
• Erling Haaland’s rumored move to Manchester City appears to be getting closer.
• Why Robert Lewandowski feels disrespected and how re-upping him holds a key to the future.

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Song of the Week: “Hey Man, Nice Shot” by Filter

Released in 1995, I was 100% into this song in the biggest way.

Hot off of the heels of grunge, this industrial-sounding alt rock song was a phenomenon if you were lucky enough to live in an area that had a station dedicated to alternative music. As part of the album titled “Short Bus”, “Hey Man, Nice Shot” starts out with a mysterious sounding beginning that leads into a massive build-up and pay off.

While some people assumed this song was written about the suicide of Kurt Cobain, it was really about an event that burned a hole into my memory as a kid: The on-air suicide of Pennsylvania state treasurer Budd Dwyer (if you really want to read about that event from my childhood, here you go).

Anyway, maybe we should focus on the awesome sound of the song rather than its morbid origins. Filter captured a sound that fell into a void that was in between industrial, alternative rock, and metal — and it works just as much now as it did then.

The band, though, definitely had more of an alternative sound than anything else throughout its career and has went on to achieve success and notoriety commercially. Enjoy the song:

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Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs. Union Berlin

After a disappointing draw against Hoffenheim, Bayern Munich will host Union Berlin in another Bundesliga tilt where the Bavarians will seek to get back on track.

While Union Berlin had a very strong start to the season, Die Eisernen have faded after losing Max Kruse during the winter transfer window. Everything about this match seems to show Bayern Munich should be able to dig up three points, but focus and consistency have not exactly been assets for the squad this season.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at where both teams sit in the Bundesliga table.
• Why Union Berlin has fallen off.
• A hope that Bayern Munich has greater attention to detail this week.
• A guess on Julian Nagelsmann’s lineup — we are expecting Robert Lewandowski to play despite his injury.
• A prediction on the match.

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Predictions

Admittedly, I picked this score before everyone on the backline was felled by the “Flying Fickle Finger of Fate”, but live by the sword, die by the sword I guess. I’ll stick with the prediction, but only because Union Berlin seems to be hapless these days.

Hopefully Robert Lewandowski plays because the Bavarians might have to have to have a high octane offense to help compensate for what could he a shaky backline.

• Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-0 Union Berlin

Other Bundesliga predictions include:

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

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Prediction Records

Okay, I’m back on track!

Last Bundesliga Match Day record: 7-2*

Overall Bundesliga record: 124-109

DFB-Pokal record: 1-1

DFL-Supercup record: 1-0

Champions League record: 7-1

Overall record: 133-111

*Includes Borussia Dortmund’s win over Mainz, which was previously postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Also, we picked FC Augsburg 1-0 over Mainz, which will be played on April 6th.