Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Germany vs. Ukraine; Should Sadio Mané go back to Liverpool?; An easier pat…

Die Folgen: Germany’s 3-3 draw with Ukraine (Bavarian Football Works)

With no Bayern Munich games to track, we are on to covering the German national team.

Germany snuck away from its match against Ukraine with a 3-3 draw in what was a very frustrating showing.

Long portions of the game featured Germany’s mistakes and gaffes, which made it hard for fans to keep their own energy going. Die Mannschaft started out great, but just…fell off. Let’s get this party of misery going:

As always, let’s start by examining the lineup:

There were a few surprises as Julian Brandt, Leon Goretzka, and Leroy Sané all got the nod over Kai Havertz, Emre Can, Jamal Musiala, and Florian Wirtz, who were four players some expected to get the nod for the XI.
We also got the back-three system that we thought we would get from Hansi Flick.
Niclas Füllkrug got gifted an easy opportunity in the 2nd minute…and completely blew it. That was an ominous start for the Germans!
Just a few minutes later, Füllkrug would get on the scoresheet — albeit not in a way he necessarily wanted. Joshua Kimmich sent in a beautiful, lofted ball to Marius Wolf, who ripped a shot that deflected off of Füllkrug. It still counts as a goal on the scoresheet for the Werder Bremen star.
David Raum just missed making it 2-0 in the 11th minute when he fired a tough-angle shot into the side of the net. The RB Leipzig wing-back needed to do better with that.
The Germans were playing with great energy and enthusiasm early on, which was great to see. There was a true attacking mindset and no willingness to just mess around with the ball. That, however, would go away.
Germany’s lead would be short-lived when Girona’s Viktor Tsyhankov made a great run (with some help by Nico Schlotterbeck and Antonio Rüdiger, who kept him onside), and converted his chance. All the great energy and work Germany had done went right out the window.
In the 23rd minute, Ukraine brought its own brand of energy when Chelsea FC’s Mykhailo Mudryk fired a shot that deflected off of a completely stationary Rüdiger (who looked indifferent about being out there) and into the net.
All the energy and enthusiasm in the stadium then turned into frustration and maybe some fear.
Raum had a spotty season for RB Leipzig, but he was trying to get things going offensively (maybe because of guilt since his side of the defense with Schlotterbeck was a freeway at times). Germany needs to find someone who can better balance that style of play and avoid so many lapses, as Raum was a complete liability defensively.
Sané almost knotted the game with a free kick just before halftime, but he clanged his attempt off of the crossbar. It was a truly fantastic (but unlucky) effort.
I have zero issues with running a back three-based system, but Schlotterbeck, Ginter, Rüdiger, and Raum were horrid defensively — and would have been that way no matter what system was being run. It was just an awful showing. Say what you want about Niklas Süle, he rarely packs in an effort like those three did in their own end.
On the Fox Sports 2 feed, it showed Timo Werner walking back from the locker room during halftime and it looked like he was snacking on…an Uncrustable? Do they have those in Germany? Can we get confirmation from someone who saw that? I don’t know why the potential for someone eating an Uncrustable is fascinating to me.
At halftime, Flick brought on Kai Havertz and Lukas Klostermann for Füllkrug and Schlotterbeck (thankfully).
A miscommunication on a back-pass that might have been meant for Kevin Trapp proved to be disastrous. The ball was mishandled by Ginter, who muffed it right to Ukraine and Tsyhankov ended up getting his second goal. I could not initially make out who sent the pass back toward Ginter initially (I was later told it was Julian Brandt), but I believe it was meant for Trapp and some poor communication resulted in a misplay for the goal.
Ukraine’s attacking movements were just better than Germany’s until Havertz really started to assert himself.
Havertz eventually became the difference-maker that Germany needed. Not only did he play down a beautifully lofted ball from Rüdiger with his head that eventually turned into a goal to make 3-2, his ability to create chaos in the box drew a penalty. Kimmich converted to knot the game at 3-3, which is where it ended.
Could this be the kind of performance that spurs Bayern Munich to look a little bit closer at Havertz?
Rüdiger’s defensive play also got better as the game went on, but his first half was so bad, I can’t dole out much credit. Lukas Klostermann actually helped stabilize things a bit when he was brought on.
Overall, this was not a great result for Germany. It is good to see that they had enough fight to earn the draw, but it should never look as hapless as it did for the majority of this match. It has to be better and Flick has put himself firmly on the hot seat. If the Germans do not get better results (or even show more complete performances) Flick’s status is going to be heavily questioned. Germany cannot afford to be embarrassed at the Euros next summer.

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

LFC alum thinks Mané should not return to the club (CaughtOffside)

Ex-Liverpool player Glen Johnson thinks the club should not consider bringing back Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mané:

Former Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson believes Liverpool should not consider signing Sadio Mané back. Reports in Germany last week claimed that Bayern Munich are looking to offload Sadio Mané who joined the Bundesliga club from Liverpool last summer. The move has not worked out for him and the German side are now looking to convince him to move on. The report also added that Bayern Munich are hoping that Newcastle will make an offer for him considering they have qualified for the Champions League and have the financial resources to pay his high wages.

He said: “[Jurgen] Klopp should not look at Mané again. He is a fantastic player, but he would be coming back to a completely different team to the one that he left. He was great for Liverpool at the time, but it does not mean that he would be great for them now. I don’t think they should go for him. For Newcastle though, it would be huge. Being in the Champions League will help them attract even better players, and Mane would be an amazing signing. They need to make the most of it this year as if they do not finish in the top four next year, they will still have Champions League quality players with them. That will therefore help them bounce back.”

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 49 (Bavarian Football Works)

You want to talk Bayern Munich and Germany? We’ve got you covered.

Bayern Munich is in the middle of about a million transfer rumors and is looking to add — at least — three key players this summer. Germany is in throws of trying to figure out who it is as a national team and is facing three opponents in friendlies over the next week.

Indeed, there is much to yack about when it comes to some of your favorite topics. Here is what is on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works Flagship Show:

A look at Germany’s squad for the slate of matches during this international session.
Why Hansi Flick is towing a fine line between job security and getting sacked.
What could go right for Germany.
Why some German linchpins might be out of luck moving forward.
How the summer transfer window could turn out disastrous for Bayern Munich. What if Bayern Munich doesn’t get any of the big name players that it wants?

Juve starting to plan for loss of Vlahović? (@RudyGaletti)

Dušan Vlahović could be leaving Juventus this summer and the club could be moving to ensure a contingency plan is in place by inking Arsenal FC’s Folarin Balogun:

Sancho for sale (Sky Sports)

Manchester United seems ready to part ways with former Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho:

Manchester United will want close to £60m to consider selling Jadon Sancho in this summer’s transfer window, according to reports in the Sunday Express.

The England forward, 23, has a contract at Old Trafford until 2026, but only managed six Premier League goals last season.

If Sancho does leave United this summer, Tottenham are reportedly interested in bringing the player to north London next season.

Sancho was a longtime transfer target of Bayern Munich, but it appears that his transfer fee will be nearly twice as much as what Juventus is asking for Federico Chiesa. That might be a tough sell for most clubs.

Bavarian Podcast Works— Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 2, Episode 48 (Bavarian Football Works)

We are deep in the throws of silly season with Bayern Munich and it has been absolute craziness for days now.

With some big name (and money!) players potentially coming in to Bayern Munich and some club staples potentially heading out, the team is in a state of flux. There is plenty to talk about, so let’s get to it:

The transfer of West Ham’s Declan Rice to Bayern Munich is not looking good…what’s next? Who can Bayern Munich get if Arsenal FC makes its play for Rice?
Thoughts on Bayern Munich’s plan to revamp its attack and why it has the futures for Sadio Mané, Leroy Sané, and Serge Gnabry on shaky ground.
Why Raphael Guerreiro was a deft pickup.
Some thoughts on Bayern Munich’s instability, how long it might take the new leadership to fix, and why patience will be vital for fans of the club.

Madrid to make its move for Mbappé? (Sky Sport)

If the reports on Kylian Mbappé are true (he will not re-up his deal with Paris Saint-Germain), things could get even crazier during this transfer season:

Fabrizio Romano has this say about the situation:

And then added more:

Waiting to pounce on this opportunity is Real Madrid (per 90Min.com):

Real Madrid club president Florentino Perez has admitted that he wants to sign Kylian Mbappe. The French forward has consistently been linked with a move to Los Blancos ever since he made his breakthrough as a teenager with AS Monaco.

Upon entering the final year of his contract in 2021, Real Madrid made a nine-figure offer to Paris Saint-Germain for Mbappe at the end of the summer transfer window, but this was rejected by the Ligue 1 side.

With PSG already losing Lionel Messi to Inter Miami and Neymar also potentially on the way out – 90min understands Newcastle are exploring a deal – Mbappe may not be granted an exit from the French capital just yet.