Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt might be getting frustrated with reduced role; Jadon Sancho looking to leave Manchester United; Bayern inks NBA star; An update on João Palhinha; Hazard Bros. to reunite?; & MORE!

De Ligt befuddled on bench role (t-online via @iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt might not be thrilled with his current situation under Thomas Tuchel.

The Dutchman was yet to feature for Tuchel and has made his last two appearances as a defensive midfielder. The fall from grace for De Ligt, who was excellent last season, has been steep...but why?

Even De Ligt does not really get it.

“I haven’t played that much in the last few games. Of course it’s not that nice. I want to play every game. I do my job on the pitch. I can’t do anything more,” De Ligt Via T-online reporter Julian Buhl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

De Ligt also addressed his newfound role as a No. 6 to kicker’s Georg Holzner.

“I do what the coach says. I played in midfield when I was younger. It’s fun, too,” said De Ligt, who seems to be keeping a good attitude through any frustration that he might be feeling.

De Ligt also spoke to Sport1 on the matter.

“No idea, you’ll have to ask the coach,” said De Ligt (as captured by @iMiaSanMia) when asked why he is not playing. “ I’m doing what the coach wants and now I’ve played about 10 minutes as a No. 6 in the last two games.”

When asked if Tuchel detailed why he was no starting, De Ligt gave an interesting response: “No, not at the moment, but that’s not necessary. The only thing I can do is work on the pitch. Everything else is the coach’s decision.”

The case is curious, but there have been rumors regarding Tuchel’s displeasure with De Ligt. The coach might or might not be making the right move, but with three starting-caliber center-backs, a rotation might help with health and fitness over the course of the season.

Finally, De Ligt also had some thoughts on those links between Louis van Gaal and the German national team.

“He’s a good coach with a lot of experience. Of course he knows the German mentality and can make teams much better,” De Ligt told Sky Sport (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Sancho looking for January move (Manchester Evening News via 90Min.com)

Disgruntled Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho likely will not see action against Bayern Munich in the Champions League — and he might not see any at all, any time soon. Because of that, Sancho would be okay with a transfer in January:

Jadon Sancho is open to leaving Manchester United when the January transfer window opens if he remains frozen out by Erik ten Hag.

Sancho has already been linked to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, but those moves appear to be longshots.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show: Bayern Munich 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen hooked up for the Bundesliga’s marquee showdown of the weekend.

With two teams that were rolling heading into the international break, it was a shame that they had to meet on a Friday night to kick things off. The extra day of preparation might have done both teams some good, but the game was closely contested either way.

Bayern Munich got off to an electric start, but fizzled just when Bayer Leverkusen was ready to mount a challenge. In the end, the final score was a crazy 2-2 draw that featured many swings of emotion.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineup.
• A rundown of the scoring.
• Some thoughts on how Bayern Munich looks at this point.
• Exploring Mathys Tel’s ability to create from the outside and Leon Goretzka dramatic goal — and how just a little sloppiness from Alphonso Davies killed Bayern Munich at the worst possible time.

Eberl still headed to Bayern? (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

Despite the hiring of Christoph Freund, Max Eberl could still be on Bayern Munich’s radar:

Max Eberl is still a candidate for a role at FC Bayern. The club’s bosses want to see how the cooperation Freund/Neppe/Tuchel will work until the end of the year before making a decision on whether to make a move for Eberl. Uli Hoeneß, in particular, is a big fan of Eberl, had wanted him before Hasan Salihamidžić in 2017 and is still keeping an eye on him. The 49-year old is not completely happy in Leipzig, has a connection to FC Bayern/Bavaria and a house in Munich he’s visiting regularly.

Bayern signs....Serge Ibaka (?!) (@FCBBasketball)

Bayern Munich’s basketball squad has inked a deal with former NBA champion Serge Ibaka:

Can they take James Harden, too? (Asking for a friend)

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 3, Episode 10 (Bavarian Football Works)

After an extremely crazy week with the German national team and also Bayern Munich getting back to action in a Friday match vs. Bayer Leverkusen, get ready for a Weekend Warm-up/Preview Show combo — it’s a two-for-one deal!

On this episode, we will discuss the following hot topics:

• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen — an absolutely key match for the Bavarians in the Bundesliga — Jamal Musiala and Raphaël Guerreiro should be available, but what about Joshua Kimmich?
• The unsettled situations of Matthijs de Ligt and Leon Goretzka at Bayern Munich — and what it might mean for their futures with the club.
• A look at Hansi Flick’s tenure as coach of Germany and where it all went wrong, plus, is Julian Nagelsmann the next man up?
• A review of All or Nothing — The German national team in Qatar and why that probably foretold Flick getting sacked.

Hazard brothers to reunite in Belgium? (Sport via 90Min.com)

Thorgan Hazard left Borussia Dortmund for a deal with Anderlecht and now wants his brother Eden to join him:

Thorgan Hazard, who recently joined Anderlecht from Borussia Dortmund, has asked brother Eden Hazard to return to Belgium as well following his departure from Real Madrid.

Kylian Hazard is getting left out, isn’t he?

Silva addresses new deal for Palhinha, transfer rumors (@iMiaSanMia)

Fulham FC coach Marco Silva talked through the new contract between the club and defensive midfielder João Palhinha, who has been closely linked to Bayern Munich.

“It was not something that we started after the Bayern Munich stuff. This conversation about João renewing his contract started much earlier. That is true and João is not talking about it because he doesn’t need to, but he knows I’m saying the truth. The conversations started before that. Almost everything was prepared before that,” Palhinha said. “Of course, another club, a big club came for a player from our squad, that’s just the consequence from last season which I mentioned several times to you, and about the quality of the player of course. It was a matter of time.”