Daily Schmankerl: Is Thomas Tuchel too divisive for Bayern Munich?; Bayern, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid eyeing RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško: Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips on the move?; Matthijs de Ligt still amazed with Bayern fans; & MORE!

Is Tuchel too divisive? (Mirror)

When Bayern Munich hired Thomas Tuchel as its manager during a cluster(bleep) of an international break last March, the immediate concerns did not revolve around the manager’s ability to coach, teach, or develop.

Instead, communication and relationship management were at the forefront of issues for many observers. His breakthrough at Mainz 05 excluded, Tuchel has had issues in working with people and getting aligned on organizational objectives.

Players...management...just about everyone has fallen victim to bickering with Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea FC, and Bayern Munich at one point or another.

Surely, it is not all his fault, but Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly laid out why Tuchel was no longer a fit in London, not long after winning the Champions League in 2021.

“There are a lot of walls to break down at Chelsea. Before, the first team and academy didn’t really share data and didn’t share information about where the top players were coming from,” said Boehly. “Our goal is to bring a team together; all of that needs to be a well-oiled machine. The reality of our decision was that we weren’t sure that Thomas saw it the same way we saw it. No one is right or wrong, we just didn’t have a shared vision for the future.”

Tuchel’s brilliance as coach has almost never been questioned, but there is a series of events over the years that has led some to doubt his capability to be a true “leader of men” within a locker room.

The 50-year-old can prove his detractors wrong at Bayern Munich, but it also could be yet another example of why they were correct all along.

Only time will tell...and the 2023/24 campaign should provide a definitive answer on how his future at Bayern Munich looks for the long-term.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 3, Episode 9 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich might be on international break, but there is still an absolute mountain of news going on with the club.

And it is not just the Bavarians, either. The German national team is set to take on France and Japan in what could be two important games in determining what future — if any — Hansi Flick has as manager:

• Analyzing where Bayern Munich is at the break.
• The case for — and against — João Palhinha making the move from Fulham FC to Bayern Munich. Also, how adding a defender is also still on the menu for the January transfer window as well.
• Addressing those bizarre rumors linking Bayern Munich to disgruntled Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho.
• What to hope for with Germany during this international break.
• Jamal Musiala’s injury — should Bayern Munich fans be concerned?

Barca, Bayern, Madrid already eyeing Šeško (The Hard Tackle)

FC Barcelona is reportedly keeping close tabs on first-year RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško:

La Liga champions Barcelona are reportedly tracking the progress of 20-year-old Slovenian striker Benjamin Šeško at Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. According to Francesc Aguilar, Benjamin Šeško is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The Catalan giants have been keeping tabs on the highly-rated 20-year-old striker for a long time. And they have continued monitoring him since he joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig this past summer.

Barcelona might not be the only high-profile club monitoring Šeško’s progress. He has also attracted interest from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Premier League outfits. So, he might be a popular figure in the market in the 2024 summer transfer window.

For Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona, acquiring Šeško would be a forward-thinking move as the respective strikers for this clubs — Harry Kane (30) and Robert Lewandowski (35) — are both north of 30-years-old.

Kane’s deal with Bayern Munich runs through 2027, while Lewandowski is tied to Barca through 2026. It can be safely assumed that neither player will see out those contracts all the way through.

For his part, Šeško has two goals in three games across all competitions this season and has a contract with RB Leipzig through 2028. Like his older counterparts, it seems extremely unlikely that the Slovenian will see the end of that deal.

Šeško first emerged as a transfer candidate for Bayern Munich back in 2022.

From the outside, Gerland is wowed by Bayern’s strength as a club (WAZ via @iMiaSanMia)

Former Bayern Munich assistant coach Hermann “Tiger” Gerland left the club during the tumultuous period when Hansi Flick resigned.

Now, as part of the German national team staff, Gerland can see just how powerful an entity Bayern Munich is within the Bundesliga. In fact, he cannot see how the Bavarians get knocked off their perch atop the league.

“Unless some sheikh comes in and transfers 300-400m to Dortmund every year, then no. Who should then endanger FC Bayern? There will be no other champion in the near future. Bayern have shown that every player can compete at the highest level. And now there’s Harry Kane. It will be difficult for anyone to stop FC Bayern,” Gerland said.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 6, Episode 8 (Bavarian Football Works)

With so much going on between both Bayern Munich and Germany, the topics for a BFW podcast could go on for days.

Things are going well for Bayern Munich and Germany is — again — looking to try and figure out how to be successful. We have strong opinions on all of that — and we KNOW you do, too — so join us for this Flagship Show where we hit on some of the biggest news from the past week, including the following topics:

• Harry Kane’s lack of chances in the current system.
• The deadline day transfer successes and failures. Is Bayern Munich in trouble or are things going to be okay?
• Did Bayern Munich sell off too much of its depth?
• Hansi Flick made some curious selections — and had some even more curious omissions for his Germany call-ups.

De Ligt still amazed by Bayern’s broad fanbase (@iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt still is stunned by just how big of a club Bayern Munich is.

“I think Bayern Munich has a very big fan base around the world. We’ve seen that in the summer tour. We were in Tokyo and Singapore, and there’s a lot of Bayern fans there. That says something about how big this club is. I’m always honoured that people and fans want to have my autograph, so I always try to go to the fans, give them autographs and take selfies. It’s always nice,” said De Ligt.

Phillips could leave City in January (Manchester Evening News)

During the summer transfer window, Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips was linked to Bayern Munich — and should the Bavarians fail to land Fulham FC’s João Palhinha in January, Phillips could be available:

Manchester City are reportedly set to allow Kalvin Phillips to leave on loan in January. Pep Guardiola signed the England international from Leeds United last summer but Phillips has only made 22 appearances for the club in all competitions. So far this campaign, the 27-year-old has featured just once with a six-minute cameo against Fulham.

Phillips’ opportunities have been hard to come by thanks to the form of Rodri in defensive midfield and this has led the Yorkshireman to settle for a place on the bench. However, according to the i newspaper, City’s midfielder could be allowed to leave on loan for the remainder of the campaign if his minutes do not increase between now and Christmas.

It is understood, should he be on the market in January, Newcastle United would be keen on adding him to their squad. Elsewhere, another Premier League rival reportedly entertained the idea of signing City youngster James McAtee on deadline day.

Manchester United is set to compete with Bayern Munich for Palhinha and if the Red Devils are able to break what seems like a sure thing and land the Portugues star, the Bavarians could have a contingency plan in Phillips.