Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich is a target of criticism; Jamal Musiala wants to separate himself; Chelsea plotting to out-pace Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United for Jude Bellingham; Lothar Matthäus wants Moose unleashed; & MORE!

Kimmich draws ire (Sport Bild)

If there is any player on Bayern Munich who usually skirts by any criticism it is Joshua Kimmich.

The 27-year-old midfielder has earned a reputation as a standout player and a diligent worker and is genuinely one of the most popular players on the squad. Rarely has Kimmich every really been put under the microscope — even when he performs poorly.

Markus Babbel, however, does not quite see Kimmich as Mr. Perfect. Babbel’s big issue with Kimmich is his positional discipline.

“Joshua Kimmich has earned a standing in recent years, so we all said: world class, outstanding. But I noticed last season that he no longer has the discipline to play in his position. Kimmich sometimes plays on the No. 6, then on the No. 8, as a No. 10 or left winger. He’s circling everywhere except where he’s supposed to be playing,” Babbel said. “Now I have the feeling that he wants to shine and that because of his status you can’t attack him, let alone touch him. As if he were wearing ballerina shoes, all of a sudden he just falls down.”

Yikes.

Sure, Kimmich seemed to have a tough time coming back from COVID-19 last season and yes, he has often pushed up into the offense more than some other defensive midfielders would, but Babbel thinks a little more discipline could go a long way for Kimmich.

“I expect that he will fight back more. That’s what distinguished him so much before. If Kimmich plays disciplined in his position, FC Bayern is outstanding. If he does that again in the future, I’m convinced that Bayern will soon be doing better than it is now,” said Babbel.

But what happens if Kimmich does not buy into sitting a little deeper to help stabilize the club’s defense? Babbel has a solution: “Then you have to put Kimmich on the bench and send a signal if he doesn’t do what is required.”

Babbel’s comments are not all that different than what Philipp Lahm recently said as well.

Musiala seeking to differentiate himself from competitors at Bayern (Sport Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich attacker Jamal Musiala is coming off a solid turn for Germany in the UEFA Nations League, but wants to ensure that he is on Julian Nagelsmann’s line-up sheet permanently.

“Competition in our team is big, especially in attack. I want to perform and convince every time I’m on the pitch to make it difficult for the coach to leave me out of starting lineup. I want to show that to the coach in every game and every training session,” Musiala said.

Musiala competition on the squad is steep (Thomas Müller, Sadio Mané, Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Mathys Tel, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting), but the youngster is making it extremely difficult to keep him on the bench (for both club and country).

Lothar wants the Moose set loose (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

Speaking of Jamal Musiala, if Lothar Matthäus has his way, the youngster would always be in the lineup — for club and country:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — England 3-3 Germany (Bavarian Football Works)

Former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick must have been run through the gamut of emotions in this one.

Germany and England hooked up for a boring, lifeless, and uninspired first half before teaming up to put together a wild, rollicking second half that featured six goals and ended in a 3-3 draw. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A rundown of the scoring.
• The boring first half that has me reaching for booze.
• The incredible emotional roller coaster that was the second half.
• Hansi Flick’s subs did make an impact (whether fans want to admit it or not).
• What we can take away from the the UEFA Nations League as we near the World Cup.

Chelsea plotting Bellingham move (Sport Bild)

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is expected to be one of Europe’s most sought-after talents next summer...and Chelsea FC is reportedly putting together a plan to beat Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester United to the punch in getting the 19-year-old:

Who will win the transfer race for BVB’s biggest jewel at the moment? Jude Bellingham (19) is one of the most sought-after soccer players in the world. In addition to teams like Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United, a club from London is also in the running for the Englishman’s services.

This is how Chelsea wants to outdo the competition at Bellingham!

According to information from the “Sun”, Chelsea hopes to have a chance in courting the midfielder. The club, like other clubs, is preparing an offer of at least £100m, which is around €114m. New owner Todd Boehly is keen to bring Bellingham to London. Chelsea’s new coach Graham Potter (47) is said to be a big fan of the highly talented BVB star. Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel (49) as Chelsea coach in early September.

Messi touts Neymar, Mbappé (Sky Sport)

Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi took some time to speak to Mexican television channel TUDN and used the opportunity to heap some praise on teammates Neymar and Kylian Mbappé:

“Kylian is a completely different player, a beast who is very strong in one-on-one, who goes into space, is very fast, creates a lot of goal opportunities,” Messi said of Mbappe in an interview with Mexican TV channel TUDN .

Despite his young age, the Frenchman is “a very complete player.” The 23-year-old has been proving that for a long time and “in the next few years he will definitely be among the best,” said the 35-year-old Argentinian.

The seven-time world footballer also raved about Neymar, with whom Messi had already played at FC Barcelona. “We know each other inside out, spent a lot of time together in Barcelona. I would have liked to have had more time in Barcelona but life brought us together in Paris. We are happy to be together, I love being with him to play, to be with him every day,” Messi said of the Brazilian.

Bavarian Podcast Works Season 5, Episode 13 (Bavarian Football Works)

Germany failed to impress against Hungary in what can be summed up as a disappointing showing overall, particularly from the attack. If Hansi Flick’s side is to have any shot at going deep in the competition, they simply cannot look so toothless up front. Also, is Germany’s poor form coinciding with Bayern Munich’s poor showings of late mere happenstance, or are the two related?

Coming to the situation at Bayern, does Julian Nagelsmann show a preference for more senior players? Is the 4-2-2-2 getting exposed, or does the drop-in form have nothing to do with Nagelsmann’s preferred setup?

Loads of questions out there, sure, and that is precisely what Schnitzel, Samrin, and Tom are here to dissect in this podcast. The following is a list of the major talking points:

• What Tom thinks the issue is with Germany at the moment.
• Schnitzel’s scathing views on Timo Werner starting upfront for Germany.
• Is Jonas Hofmann at RB actually a bad idea?
• What the go-to attack should be for Germany in the World Cup.
• The underperforming midfield.
• Bayern Munich’s poor form coinciding with Germany’s... bad luck or something more?
• Nagelsmann’s ‘alleged’ penchant for picking senior players.
• The 4-2-2-2 formation... the real deal or a hindrance?