Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Union Berlin; Konrad Laimer talks failed Bayern move; How serious was Bayern about Borna Sosa?; Christian Pulisic-Thomas Tuchel a bad fit?; Joshua Kimmich, Benjamin Pavard recognized; and MORE!

Die Folgen: Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Union (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich succumbed to a trap game in a 1-1 draw with Union Berlin, but many fans aren’t sympathetic to the team possibly having looked past an opponent. In fact, the draw left many fans quite unsatisfied with the result.

Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• Julian Nagelsmann changed up his starting lineup and left Thomas Müller and Lucas Hernandez on the bench. Of course, the omission of Müller left Nagelsmann open for criticism from many fans (cough*#MüllerMafia*cough) and seemed to take something out of the offense:

• Early in the match, Bayern Munich’s speed advantage was evident, but it was also clear that Union Berlin was not exactly going to play a swashbuckling style. Union Berlin was going to get compact and play to try and least get one point in the game.
• Bayern Munich was crisp in moving the ball, but could not really find a way to solve the puzzle that Union Berlin was presenting. In addition, Bayern Munich got out-toughed at times as well.
• Matthijs de Ligt looked extremely comfortable in a starting role. On the day, I thought he did a pretty terrific job and was active as hell as a center-back.
• As far as the rest of the backline goes, Benjamin Pavard was very good (once again), Dayot Upamecano was decent, and Alphonso Davies was not great.
• Sheraldo Becker’s goal was fantastic, but no Bayern Munich player marked him to start the play. Sadio Mané tried to get there, but was too late. Leaving Becker all alone was really unacceptable and Nagelsmann will surely be looking to sort out how exactly that happened. That small detail was the difference between one point and three points.
• Joshua Kimmich was in the right place at the right time in the 15th minute to knot the game for Bayern Munich, but that goal definitely was set up by a bit of luck after the ball rebounded out twice before getting to Kimmich.
• The Kimmich-Marcel Sabitzer combination in the central midfield was good once again. Sabitzer, in particular, was really good.
• The starting attacking group was troublesome for Union Berlin at times, but was not precise enough — particularly with passing — to threaten the opposition consistently. Leroy Sané is very much on the hotseat and he did not seize the opportunity to showcase himself. Mané, meanwhile, probably had his worst game as a Bayern Munich player. This was one of the first times that the attack looked like a collection of individuals rather than a unit for extended periods.
• Last week, Nagelsmann said that despite his talent and obvious ability to disrupt opponents, Coman’s production is going to start to matter. If he cannot start to partake in some goal contributions, his high-producing teammates might start to get more looks for playing time.
• By the time Nagelsmann went to the bench, Union Berlin had its formula down and was determined to walk away with one point.
• What we have learned through the Borussia Monchengladbach and Union Berlin matches is that Bayern Munich is not infallible and is capable of making game-deciding mistakes. The Bavarians are still pretty damn good, though.
• Overall, dropping points to a very tough and determined Union Berlin side is not the end of the world. Naturally, it was not ideal, but these games are going to happen this season. The offense was not quite right and all it took was one lapse to cost the squad.

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

Nagelsmann details why Musiala was subbed off (@iMiaSanMia)

Some Bayern Munich fans were unsure as to why Jamal Musiala was subbed off against Union Berlin in the 62nd minute, but Julian Nagelsmann said it was because the youngster was not operating at full capacity.

“I had the feeling he wasn’t at 100%. There were slight interruptions in his movements. He’s a young player that always wants to play. He’s not 32-33 to know exactly everything about his body. So we have intervene & make sure he stays fit.”

Laimer discusses failed Bayern move (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

The rumors linking Bayern Munich to RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer were persistent all summer. The transfer never materialized and the Austrian won’t waste time thinking about what might have been.

“That’s football. I’ve had a lot of conversations this summer, internally here at RBL and also a lot with my family and my girlfriend. Ultimately, it didn’t work out in the end. It’s no use complaining about it now,” said Laimer. “I’ve been here five years, now it’s a sixth year, everything is fine. I know how I should and must deal with the whole story. Honestly, I’m just looking forward to being on the pitch and doing what I’m there for a living - playing football and winning games.”

Laimer did, however, admit that he communicated with Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann, but it was nothing substantial.

“There was brief contact, but it was limited,” said Laimer.

If you are wondering how close Bayern Munich might have come to landing Laimer, the scenario might not have played out like you think. According to Sport Bild, RB Leipzig was willing to lower its asking price on Laimer, but the Bavarians did not bite on it:

FC Bayern (25) made specific offers for Konrad Laimer (25) . What nobody knew, however, was that the people of Leipzig were very willing to go down from their 30 million goal. But Bayern did not participate in the counter offer.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 9 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich once again could not find a way past Borussia Mönchengladbach and settled for a draw, but rebounded with a nice win over Viktoria Köln in the DFB-Pokal.

Even with all of the action on the pitch, there was still a lot to talk about off of it. Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this episode:

• Assessing the club’s performances against Gladbach and Viktoria Köln.
• Bayern Munich’s depth is incredible.
• It’s a matter of time before Matthijs de Ligt is an anointed full-time starter.
• Daydreaming about a Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City Champions League finale.
• A look at Bayern Munich’s transfer window.

Serious about Sosa? (Sport Bild)

We knew that Bayern Munch might have kicked the tires on VfB Stuttgart, but why? With Alphonso Davies already entrenched as a starter, Sosa would have been an expensive redundancy on the roster.

Sport Bild reiterated the story about Bayern Munich’s interest in Sosa and also indicated that “background talks” were held:

Background talks were also held for Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa (24).

Given Sosa’s relatively high profile and the fact that he would have cost a decent sum, this one is a bit puzzling. We had heard that Julian Nagelsmann is a fan, but how would he have made Sosa fit into the existing structure of the squad?

Kimmich, Pavard stand out for Bayern in August (Bavarian Football Works)

How good were Joshua Kimmich and Benjamin Pavard in August? Well, good enough to earn places on WhoScored.com’s “Top 5 Leagues Team of the Month”:

Tuchel and Pulisic might not be aligned (@ESPNFC)

Hercules Gomez thinks Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel is doing Christian Pulisic a disservice:

Ex-Inter man believes his boys have a chance (Sempre Inter)

Former Inter midfielder Stephan Dalmat thinks Inter Milan will be able to compete with heavyweights Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona in the Champions League’s Group C:

Speaking on his Instagram story, as reported by FCInterNews, the Frenchman expressed the view that the Nerazzurri are not weaker than the Blaugranas at this moment in time, whilst he also suggested that a result against Bayern would not be impossible.

He called the group “A very complicated group with two of Europe’s elite, Barcelona and Bayern. We know that every year the Germans are among the top 4-5 teams who can win the Champions League, while it’s true that Barcelona is no longer the same team as they were several years ago, but they are starting to be a strong team, just like Inter.”

“I think there’s a chance to go through,” he continued, “Bayern will probably finish top of the group and Inter will go up against Barca for second spot, however, we must always win, even against Bayern, we can do it because we proved it last year by winning 1-0 in Liverpool.”

Dalmat added that Bayern are at a higher level, but today’s Barcelona are not stronger than Inter.”