Weekend Warm-up: Will we see the best of Thomas Müller at Bayern Munich this season? If not, who will step up?; Throwing it back to Prong; A DFL-Supercup prediction; Peaky Blinders reviewed; and MORE!

When Robert Lewandowski left Bayern Munich in favor of FC Barcelona, the reality of having to replace his production — along with all of the other finer points of the game he was great at — hit the club’s fanbase like a ton of bricks.

Simply put, there is no way to replace Lewandowski. In fact, short of getting Erling Haaland, Bayern Munich was always facing a losing proposition when looking at Lewandowski’s exit.

The club will now try to put a dent in Lewandowski’s missing presence by throwing a ton of talent onto the pitch in hopes of finding a good enough XI to lead it back to European glory.

One X-factor, however, is potentially seeing a player rise to the occasion when his club needs him the most. This particular player sacrificed his own game time and time again to help Lewandowski achieve his personal excellence and now it could be the time for him to re-take the crown as King of Bavaria: Thomas Müller.

It’s true that Müller is getting older and yes, he could be headed into the twilight of his career, but if have learned anything about the Raumdeueter, it is that he still has a whole hell of a lot to offer.

If Müller can assert himself, become the offensive focal point of the squad, and emerge as the player who other teams need to fear, it will, indeed, make life easier for the likes of Sadio Mané, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala, Paul Wanner, Gabriel Vidovic, and anyone else Julian Nagelsmann throws out on the attack.

More than ever, this is the time Bayern Munich needs Müller to be “The Man”...and it would be great for fans to see the noted horseman grab the reins one more time. If you ask me, Müller is the key to whatever happens with Bayern Munich this season.

Who do you think holds the most weight in Bayern Munich’s quest for success during the 2022/23 campaign?

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Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 2, Episode 4

Hey, hey! I’m back and ready to chat all things Bayern Munich!

Apparently, I missed A LOT last week, but big thanks to Samrin for filling in. That said, I am ready to get yapping. Let’s take a quick look at the explosive talking points for this week’s show:

• Recapping all of the craziness that happened on the one freaking week I was on vacation and unavailable.
• Assessing what moves could still happen.
• Winners and losers from the U.S. tour.
• Potential red flags for this season.
• Reasons to be optimistic for this season.

Help support BFW’s quest to be the best, by checking out this link and giving us a vote: World Soccer Talk Awards — Best Club Podcast

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Doing Disney

As some of you know, I hit Disney World with my family for a vacation stint (at the absolute craziest time for Bayern Munich news...the BFW staff loves me after that I’m sure), but for any of you thinking of making that trek, here is a guide to the top rides at each Disney Park:

Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom is still mostly geared for the young-ins, which my kids are not any longer, but it’s still worthwhile.

• Splash Mountain: Perhaps the GOAT of Disney rides. A log flume at heart, the setting and animatronics are good and it represents a good way to cool off in the hot Florida sun.
• Space Mountain: This indoor roller coaster still packs a punch despite being around seemingly for forever.
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: A speedy, outdoor roller coaster, this is a good ride. I wouldn’t classify this as a “thrill ride” type of coaster, but it’s fast and delivers on the hype.
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: A good, fun roller coaster, this one is not a crazy thrill ride, but a lot of fun.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: A classic that you need to hit. While it’s not a “thrill ride”, it is always a good way to spent 10 minutes or so — and it is in air conditioning, which is always nice.
• The Haunted Mansion: There is nothing special to this, but is another classic you have to hit then you are there.

Hollywood Studios

I think this is the best Disney Park. There are excellent rides, a lot of stuff to do, and a great spot to go chill out and drink coffee in the shade when you need it!

• Star Wars — Rise of the Resistance: This is what I would call an experience ride. Part walking to set up the story, part in a driverless car, this ride is awesome, even if you are not a Star Wars nerd (like me!). For as much as I had heard about this, it lived up to the lofty billing.
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith: Still one of the great rides at a Disney park. This incredibly fast, indoor roller coaster still hits the mark after all of these years.
• Star Wars — Smuggler’s Run: I am sucker for Star Wars rides and this was a fun simulator.
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: One of the park’s seminal rides, the Tower of Terror has a fun story and a better experience for “drop ride.”
• Slinky Dogg Dash: From Toy Story, this was an unexpected treat. I expected more of a ride geared toward little kids, but it was fast, windy, and fun.
• Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway: A driverless car car adventure through a new age Mickey and Minnie Mouse cartoon, this was a a nice, new experience.

Epcot

Admittedly, I love Epcot because I like walking around the different countries and drinking beers. Epcot has not become THE drinking spot for struggling parents and just about any adult who goes to Disney.

• Guardians of the Galaxy — Cosmic Rewind: This ride lived up to the massive hype. An indoor, rotation cart roller coaster, this hits top speeds, makes you spin and is a rip-roaring good time. If I had to pick my favorite ride from all of the parks, this might be it. If you have been to Hershey Park, this is like the Laff Trak ride...only on steroids.
• Soarin’ Around the World: Another classic, this suspended, virtual ride always hits the mark.
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure: Another driverless car-type ride, this likely represents the new era of rides.

*We were not able to get on Test Track, which was somewhat disappointing.

Animal Kingdom

There is a ton of walking at Animal Kingdom, but I always have enjoyed the scenery and what the park has to offer.

• Avatar — Flight of Passage: A 3-D simulator, this is absolutely fantastic. If you are familiar with Avatar, this ride has you simulate riding a banshee from the movie and it hits the mark on every level. This is a must-do ride if you are at Animal Kingdom.
• Expedition Everest: A fun rollercoaster, you go both forward and backward on this one, which is a whole hell of a lot of fun.
• Jungle Safari: A low-key fun look at animals on Disney’s wildlife reserve.

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Song of the Week: “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” by Prong

Okay, I am admittedly getting excited for the Bayern Munich match and I wanted to get tuned up with something a little intense, so “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” by Prong fit the bill in a nice way (well, as nice a way as a song about snapping necks can be).

Somehow, this was released back in 1994 and I did not catch on to it until four or five years later, but once I heard it, I immediately made it a part of my iTunes rotation. Get your blood pumping and enjoy it:

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Entertainment Rundown

Peaky Blinders

Okay, so I finally finished up Peaky Blinders and here are some quick hit style thoughts on the season and series as a whole:

• When I started watching Peaky Blinders, I had high hopes and the show absolutely delivered. Admittedly, I did not feel like the final season was going to have a good payoff, though. I do, however, cut the showrunners a significant amount of slack given the untimely death of a main character. That is an impossible situation to work through. The cast and crew should be commended for how they were able to persevere.
• Cillian Murphy’s character of Tommy Shelby was the perfect type of leading man for this type of show. Grizzled, smart, ruthless...in many ways he was a more polished, but just as vulnerable Tony Soprano.
• The final season felt a bit rushed at times and pushed into a storyline that seemed a little off the beaten path, but it ultimately worked. For whatever reason, relatively small-time English gangsters being involved what would be a worldwide conflict seemed like a...stretch, but the writers and actors were able to seamlessly tie it all together. Regardless, because of the condensed season, some storylines were just jammed into too small of a space.
• The series finale absolutely delivered and was sensational, though. It is also left room for the long-rumored Peaky Blinders movie to occur, which should put a final bow on the whole series.
• Anyway, the show still offered a fruitful finish to its run as a series. I’d recommend it to anyone who has yet to give it a try. Overall, it was a great show and would be worth the investment of your time.

Better Call Saul

The “Nippy” episode has spark controversy as it spent time in the world we have not seen that much of — Saul Goodman’s Gene Takovic’s modern life in hiding while being a store manager for Cinnabon. I was not among the folks, who hated or even disliked the episode because I have been dying to see what happens.

The series appears to be heading toward a satisfying and seamless conclusion that leads right into the world of Breaking Bad as we know it.

My prediction is that the last time we see Gene Takovic, he will be meeting up with his estranged wife Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) to start a new life in hiding (potentially leading to a sequel series).

The Boys

If you know how much I love The Boys series, you’ll appreciate this:

I still say Antony Starr’s run as Homelander is one of the great prestige television performances of all time. He is getting a lot of credit, but it still is not nearly enough.

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Bavarian Podcast Works Preview Show: Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig (DFL-Supercup)

In this episode, Schnitzel is joined by BFW’s Muller_Era aka ‘Swaz’ on what is her first podcast. Excited much? Here are the topics that the two mulled over:

• Thoughts on the preseason tour and the latest signing, Mathys Tel
• Overall expectations from the squad
• Some shade thrown at Teddy and INNN (those pessimists, ugh!)
• An analysis of the Leipzig squad, and a recap of their most recent game
• Bayern lineup discussion + team news
• An overall analysis, plus some final scoreline predictions

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Prediction

If you listened to the latest Weekend Warm-up Podcast (why wouldn’t you?), you’ll know that I am entering this season full of optimism, even if I am a little wary of certain things about this season’s edition of Bayern Munich.

While Bayern Munich has undergone a series of changes, RB Leipzig is still adjusting to some personnel losses of its own. In addition, the team’s second season under Domenico Tedesco should be telling. Will he still be effective or will he grind away at the squad and lose the good impact he made last season?

With players like Josko Gvardiol and Konrad Laimer still potentially leaving the club, RB Leipzig is not exactly sitting comfortably at this point, despite a very strong cast of returnees,

Make no mistake, this is a good Die Roten Bullen team, but it is not quite ready for this match-up at this stage of the season. Overall, Bayern Munich’s superior talent and depth should be the key to victory. It will not be easy, but there is enough speed and skill to win an early season game like this — even if the squad is not fully in sync just yet.

Prediction: RB Leipzig 1-3 Bayern Munich