Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Mainz 05 in the DFB-Pokal; Another Premier League club battled Manchester United and Chelsea for Marcel Sabitzer; Hakim Ziyech got hosed; Luka Jovic could move on again; & MORE!

Die Folgen: Bayern’s 4-0 victory over Mainz (Bavarian Football Works)

Now that was an effort.

Bayern Munich finally got back on track and downed Mainz 05 4-0 in what was the squad’s best performance in quite some time. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• Let’s take a look at the lineup as there were a couple of surprising developments:

• This group lined up in a back three with Kingsley Coman and Joao Cancelo set up as the wing-backs and Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt, and Benjamin Pavard as the center-backs.
• The formation — despite some early kinks — actually worked out pretty smoothly. The attack was crisp and defensively the squad was very stable working with a back three. It sort of looked like a 3-1-4-2 at times and at others a 3-4-2-1. Regardless, it was working.
• Joao Cancelo sure knows how to make a good first impression, eh? His 17th minute cross found Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for what was a fantastic goal. For the game, I’d say Cancelo showed some of the best of what he can be, but it does make me wonder if Bayern Munich can play a back four if both he and Davies are out there together. It seems like he is very eager to get up-field, which is fine with a back three, but could be trouble for a formation with just two center-backs.
• Jamal Musiala’s goal in the 30th minute was the product of some deft shot placement by him but also a great play on an aerial ball to Thomas Müller, who found Musiala for another assist.
• How HUGE was that for Musiala? The kid needed a goal in a bad way.
• Call me crazy, but I like how the squad looked playing a back three. It was as dominant a first half effort as Bayern Munich has had in a long time.
• Leroy Sané added a goal in the 44th minute off of a terrific pass from Choupo-Moting, who is doing just about everything he can to get that big salary that has been rumored to be coming his way.
• I’m the camp of people who do not think Choupo-Moting is the answer for next season, but on days like this, he makes it very hard to defend that stance (he had not changed my mind yet!).
• Every time Joshua Kimmich ends up on the ground, it feels like you can hear every Bayern Munich since a little bit.
• On the ESPN+ feed, the commentary audio went out for most of the second half. It was kind of cool to just hear the crowd. You have to give those people credit, they were lively from the jump.
• I thought De Ligt had a great match, ditto for Upamecano and Pavard actually. It was concerning when De Ligt took that head shot, but he shook it off nicely. To me, De Ligt had one of his strongest games in Bayern Munich kit yet.
• It was not perfect for the backline, but it was a very strong effort in playing a back three on what was seemingly a quick decision on how to best use those 11 players who started.
• It was good to see Daley Blind and Ryan Gravenberch enter the match for some field time in the 64th minute. Upamecano and Muller had each put in a solid shift. I though both Blind and Gravenberch did well for themselves.
• Sané did not look thrilled to be taken off in favor of Goretzka in the 71st minute, That’s not unusual, though, he never likes to be taken out (that’s a good trait).
• Bo Svensson picking up a red card was...odd. Unless he completely lost his mind, I cannot fathom what the hell he might have said to get the boot. Alexander Hack would join his coach in getting a red just a few minutes later, which, again, was kind of crazy to watch play out.
• Kimmich’s lofted ball into Davies was beautiful and the Canadian — who has been under some fire of late — headed it forcefully into the net. That was a great way to put the game at 4-0 and for Davies to make an impact.
• Yann Sommer picking up the clean sheet victory was pretty cool.
• Overall, that was the kind of effort that Bayern Munich fans had been waiting for. A staunch defense and a potent attack led to a tremendous team effort. Will we see more of a back three from Nagelsmann moving forward? I’m not opposed to see at least a little more of it.

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

NUFC made late play for Sabitzer (Sport Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

According to Sport Bild journalist Christian Falk, Newcastle United attempted to grab Marcel Sabitzer before Manchester United secured a loan agreement for the Austrian:

Newcastle United have also made a late attempt to sign Marcel Sabitzer yesterday, before the player ended up joining Manchester United.

Ziyech’s situation was a mess (@FabrizioRomano)

Hakim Ziyech got caught up in a ton of red tape as he attempted to move to Paris Saint-Germain from Chelsea FC. The move, of course, eventually flames out and no one ended up happy:

Here is a little more context on what was going on:

Paris Saint-Germain is likely very unhappy about the situation — and especially with Chelsea.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 31 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich gave its fans a heck of a start to the work week, eh?

Coming off of another draw over the weekend — this time against Eintracht Frankfurt — the club made a move for Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo to shake things up on the backline...but why?

There could be a bunch of reasons and we explore them all! Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this episode:

• Bayern Munich’s loan move for Cancelo, why it was done, who it affects, and why this could mean the end of the road for Benjamin Pavard.
• A look at Bayern Munich’s draw against Eintracht Frankfurt and why things should eventually settle into a comfort zone for the players. Will be it be in time for the squad to knock Paris Saint-Germain? We’ll see.
• A preview of Bayern Munich’s DFB-Pokal match against Mainz 05.

Jovic on the move? (@RudyGaletti)

Fiorentina striker Luka Jovic will not be heading to Galatasaray just yet…though it sounds like it could happen during the summer if the Italian club can find a replacement:

Jovic has seven goals and two assists in 27 games across all competitions this season for Fiorentina. Going to Real Madrid likely did irreparable damage to Jovic’s career.

This is…astounding (@brfootball)

Chelsea FC has outspent both La Liga and the Bundesliga (yes, the entire leagues combined) during this season:

Here is look at the winter transfer window isolated out:

Stolen passport costs Bordeaux a striker (Get French Football News)

This...is wild:

RMC Sport are reporting that the theft of Girondins de Bordeaux sporting director Admar Lopes’ passport on deadline prevented the recruitment of a striker to replace Alberth Elis (26).

Elis left the Ligue 2 club to join Stade Brestois late on in the transfer window. The Honduras international has joined the relegation strugglers on loan until the end of the season. Bordeaux, who are chasing promotion back to the top flight, wanted to replace their departed striker, and looked on course to do so.

However, whilst the club’s sporting director Lopes was at the airport, en route to conclude a deal for an incoming striker, his bag was stolen. That bag contained all of his personal documents, including his passport. Without it, Lopes couldn’t travel to conclude the deal, even though an agreement with the player had been reached. The selling club wanted to finalise the deal in person, and as that couldn’t happen, the deal fell through.