Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. FC Augsburg; Robert Lewandowski talks Bayern return; FC Barcelona’s Xavi still fuming over Champions League loss; Chelsea wants BVB’s Jude Bellingham; Manchester United to spend £100M?; and MORE!

Die Folgen: Bayern’s shocking 1-0 loss to Augsburg (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich once again failed to get three points as the Bavarians were defeated 1-0 by FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga.

It was a very incomplete effort for Bayern Munich and one that will leave coaches, players, and fans all a bit irritated...and all grasping to find solutions.

Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• Julian Nagelsmann’s starting XI featured no big surprises. There was some thought that Thomas Müller would get a rest or that Benjamin Pavard might be healthy enough to start, but Nagelsmann rode Müller and opted to call Noussair Mazraoui’s number rather than risk further injury to Pavard.

• The lineup graphic had Bayern Munich playing a 4-4-2, which is not all that different than what Nagelsmann’s 4-2-2-2 looks like. Müller and Jamal Musiala were listed as being atop the formation, but how the Bayern Munich attackers interchange almost makes it “position-less football” for those top four positions.
• Matthijs de Ligt likely saved a goal with a big block in just the 2nd minute of the match. It was pretty clear from the outset that FC Augsburg was going to at least start the game by challenging the Bavarians.
• FC Augsburg had a ton of energy to start. It was an inspired effort for Die Fuggerstädter.
• Bayern Munich seemed to have a little trouble matching FC Augsburg’s desire and urgency early in the match. Augsburg was physical, fast, and playing like it was a World Cup final.
• FC Augsburg goalkeeper Rafał Gikiewicz made an absolutely incredible play to stop Sadio Mané in the 13th minute. There was no in-between once Gikiewicz made the decision rush off his line and challenge Mané. If he didn’t make the play, Mané would have scored.
• Gikiewicz was throwing out some Yan Sommer vibes, as he had another massive save when he stopped Leroy Sane in the 16th minute.
• One thing that stood out for Bayern Munich was how quickly it transitioned the ball up the pitch. Nothing was slow…it wasn’t always clean or pretty, but Bayern Munich was attempting to push its pace at FC Augsburg.
• Florian Niederlechner was a handful for Bayern Munich and ripped a laser at Manuel Neuer, who had to make a tremendous save in the 24th minute.
• Alphonso Davies was very sloppy when possessing the ball at times and made a few poor decisions.
• FC Augsburg was relentless in its pursuit of winning balls.
• There have been games where Bayern Munich’s opponents were mentally defeated prior to taking the pitch. These days, however, it does not seem like Bayern Munich is instill much fear into its Bundesliga opposition.
• Müller still seems reluctant to shoot.
• Bayern Munich’s best opportunity of the first half came in the 33rd minute after some great interplay from Müller and Musiala, but the youngster fired wide of the net.
• Maximilian Bauer nearly headed a ball past Neuer but it barely sailed over the crossbar in the 38th minute, but the play’s genesis started with a poor defensive effort from Musiala on a free kick. That will surely be something the coaches address during film study.
• To be clear, FC Augsburg absolutely played it’s ass off in the first half. Just a stunningly energetic and passionate effort. The game meant something to them.
• FC Augsburg looked as if its energy level dropped or it had made the conscientious decision to slow things down after halftime.
• Regardless of that above, FC Augsburg was still more physical than Bayern Munich.
• FC Augsburg finally opened the scoring in the match in the 59th minute on a free kick that found Iago who centered a pass in toward Mergim Berisha, who finished chance. It was a well-deserved goal for FC Augsburg, who simply played like the game was more important to them. If Berisha’s name sounds familiar, it is because he once gave the Bavarians some trouble in the Champions League as a member of Red Bull Salzburg.
• It should be noted that Berisha was allowed to essentially run free on that goal and Sané gave little-to-no effort to fight off Iago on the play. Joshua Kimmich did not follow Berisha there at all and let him waltz freely into the box. Really poor defending there as a team.

• After the goal, Nagelsmann went heavy on offense and subbed in Serge Gnabry for Noussair Mazraoui (62nd minute). Marcel Sabitzer entered the match in the 69th minute for Leon Goretzka, who I though had a good shift. To me, the substitution indicated that Nagelsmann wanted to put Kimmich into a more attacking role and that Sabitzer was going to be needed to provide additional stability.
• Sané had a chance to knot the match, but Gikiewicz came up huge again. At some point, Bayern Munich’s attackers simply have to make plays.
• Mané had another lackluster effort before being subbed off for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the 78th minute. It is hard to tell if he is just slumping or just not fully comfortable with how he is being used at this stage, but something is off.
• Josip Stanišić also came in for Musiala in the 78th minute as well.
• Bayern Munich never appeared to get fully in sync offensively, despite creating a handful of good opportunities.
• Sabitzer nearly tied the match in the 89th minute after a ball squirted free to him, but his attempt went wide.
• Gikiewicz came up HUGE again in extra time as he thwarted a last second attempt from Neuer (!?). The Polish goalkeeper had no right in stopping Neuer’s attempt, but he did anyway. What a performance from Gikiewicz.

• Overall, it just was not good enough (again) from Bayern Munich. There is not a whole lot else to say about a match where FC Augsburg was the better team and played as if they wanted those three points a lot more than Bayern Munich did.

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

Xavi still bitter about Bayern defeat (90min.com)

FC Barcelona coach Xavi is still a little angry about how his team lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier in the week.

“I’m still upset because when you look at the game and how we played, we need to win that game. It’s a shame. What we did in their stadium was to pick up the three points, not even a draw,” Xavi said. “When you look at what we missed, efficiency, it came down to details. Football is decided on details. We must learn from these mistakes. I’m still upset about it but that’s it.”

Haaland is killing everyone (@FabrizioRomano)

Erling Haaland is pushing Manchester City to greater heights:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast — Season 2, Episode 11 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich will soon set off for an international break, but there is a ton to talk about. We had some mini-controversies emerge this week, plus a HUGE Champions League win over FC Barcelona as the big happenings, but there was plenty more to discuss as well.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Checking on where we think Bayern Munich stands entering the final week of the Bundesliga before the international break.
• Germany’s latest round of call-ups.
• Re-upping Benjamin Pavard and Alexander Nübel might not be easy.
• Why Bayern Munich could really have something in Paul Wanner and Arijon Ibrahimović — and what that could mean moving forward.
• Some Bayern Munich players probably are unhappy, but it’s fine for now.
• House of the Dragon got icky.

Chelsea eyeing Bellingham, too (Sport1)

Liverpool has long been an admirer of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, but Chelsea FC might also be willing to buck up for the midfielder in the summer of 2023:

The list of clubs interested in Jude Bellingham is apparently getting longer and longer. According to a report by the Sun , Chelsea are planning to sign the BVB star and are ready to pay up to £100m. That would be around 115 million euros.

New coach Graham Potter is said to be a big Bellingham fan, according to the newspaper. So far, Liverpool FC has been the favorite when it comes to courting the Englishman. Football Insider even reported an oral agreement.

According to SPORT1 information , there is no such agreement . Rather, according to SPORT1 information, the midfielder currently has no intention of changing and wants to stay at BVB. At least Liverpool has approached advisor dad Mark and agent Mark Bennett in the past few weeks. Will Chelsea follow with the contact?

Lewy grateful for fan reception at the Allianz Arena (Barca Universal)

FC Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski was pleased that he was welcomed so warmly by Bayern Munich fans before his squad dropped a 2-0 decision to the Bavarians.

“I’m very grateful to the fans in Munich for the way they welcomed me. That was respectful, nice and important to me. I was in Munich for eight years, not two or three. You cannot throw that away or forget it,” Lewandowski said.

United to give new boss £100M to spend in January (Sky)

Manchester United will reportedly give manager Erik ten Hag a £100 million jolt in January to target players that he needs:

Manchester United will back new manager Erik ten Hag with a January budget of £100m to continue improving his squad at Old Trafford, according to reports in the Daily Express.

The Red Devils have already splashed out £211.5m on new players this summer, with the likes of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Casemiro.