Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Mainz 05; Cristiano Ronaldo can’t find the net; Chelsea’s…

Die Folgen: Bayern’s 6-2 win over Mainz (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich took down Mainz 05 by a score of 6-2 with an impressive performance that fell right in line with the club’s other recent showings.

Using a relentless offensive attack, Bayern Munich put Mainz 05 on its heels early and never looked back. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

Given the state of the squad’s injury’s Julian Nagelsmann went with a very standard lineup:

The only real surprise was Noussair Mazraoui over Benjamin Pavard. I am very curious as to what is going on with Pavard. He has arguably been Bayern Munich’s best defender this season, but not starting multiple games in a row makes me think of two things: 1 – Maybe he’s nursing a minor injury. 2 – Maybe he’s let the club know he’s moving on (huge leap, of course, but this is the kind of thing when a player makes it known to a club that is moving on).
Serge Gnabry’s 5th minute goal set the tone early. Bayern Munich had great energy and was immediately looking to attack. I loved seeing that.
Mainz 05 got very lucky not to be assessed a penalty for a handball early on.
The midfield tandem of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka — when healthy — is arguably the top duo in the world. For the life of me, I don’t understand how players like Marcel Sabitzer and Ryan Gravenberch moved to Bayern Munich thinking they would be able to get a lot of playing time. It’s baffling to me…even now. Both Sabitzer and Gravenberch could make strong cases to be starters for most teams….just not Bayern Munich.
In the 28th minute, Jamal Musiala showed the world (again) just why he is the best young player in the world with his goal. Passing, movement, the placement of that shot….chef’s kiss.
Sadio Mané’s penalty was well-earned, but he should not be an automatic “taker.” He was very fortunate to get the rebound and put it away. Mané, however, was pretty damn good on the day overall.
The inept penalty taking continued with Jonathan Burkardt as Sven Ulreich was (incorrectly in my mind) assessed a penalty and then subsequently saved the PK. Mainz did end up scoring on the ensuing corner, though. Still, great effort from Ulreich. Kimmich let his man (Silvan Widmer) get ahead of him and put a subtle flick on the ball. Ulreich, however, did have a huge gaffe later in the match to set up Mainz for a goal.
About the only concerning thing from the match is that Matthijs de Ligt left at halftime with an injury, which could have been his hamstring. Benjamin Pavard entered the match to play center-back.
Goretzka was rewarded for his efforts with a goal of his own. Goretzka is really rounding into top form.
Alphonso Davies was oddly shaky on the day — despite doing much better in terms of keeping the ball.
Mathys Tel’s goal came as the result of him somewhat slowly cutting in, not being challenged, and ripping off a shot that deflected off of a defender. Not a bad bit of luck for the youngster. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting added another goal off of a nice feed from Kingsley Coman. There really was not much Bayern Munich could do wrong on the day.
Overall, Bayern Munich stayed scorching hot and dismantled a competitive Mainz 05 squad. It was not perfect, but it did not need to be on this day. Right now, Julian Nagelsmann is pushing all of the right buttons.

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

Kane waiting until after World Cup for Spurs talks (Express)

Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane has been linked closely to Bayern Munich, but he will not be making a decision on his future until after the World Cup in Qatar:

Harry Kane has reportedly put discussions over a new deal at Tottenham on hold until after the World Cup as he continues to be linked with a move to Bayern Munich at the end of the season. The England skipper remains under contract in north London until the summer of 2024 as things stand but is thought to be a target for Bayern, who have missed Robert Lewandowski’s goals since the Polish forward joined Barcelona earlier this year.

Pulisic back to BVB? (Sport1)

Christian Pulisic’s move to Chelsea FC resulted in him getting exposure and winning a Champions League, but getting consistent playing time has been a struggle. Should the USMNT star to move on?

Maybe…and Jamie Carragher thinks that Pulisic should take his talent back to Borussia Dortmund:

Ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher advised Chelsea professional Christian Pulisic to change – and also brought Borussia Dortmund into play.
“100 percent,” said the 44-year-old when asked by CBS if Pulisic should consider a move.
The American gets a little more chances under the new coach Graham Potter, “but he’s been there for a few years now and for some reason it didn’t quite work,” explained Carragher, who then named BVB. Perhaps the black and yellow are “one step lower than Chelsea”. At some point Pulisic will have to “make a decision. I don’t think he can stay in the position he’s been in for the past two or three years,” concluded Carragher.

CR7 is top dog at missing chances (@WhoScored)

Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has been all misses, very few hits this season:

According to Sky, Napoli has also backed away from a potential pursuit of CR7:

Napoli have ruled out any prospect of signing Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo this January, according to the Daily Mail.
The Serie A leaders have been linked with a move for the 37-year-old but Napoli’s sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli says they will not sign anyone in the winter window.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 17 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich had another strong week in dispatching both Hoffenheim and FC Barcelona (LOL) and the squad looks — dare I say — very good.

Julian Nagelsmann is pushing all of the right buttons and the boys are responding, so there is plenty to talk about with that subject alone…but we’ve got even more! This is what we have on tap for this episode:

A look at Bayern Munich’s ever-improving form.
The emergence of Matthijs de Ligt as a force to be reckoned with on the backline.
Why the move back to a 4-2-3-1 seems inevitable.
Does Robert Lewandowski regret his move to FC Barcelona?
İlkay Gündoğan to Bayern Munich? Nah…that can’t be happening can it?
A look at the House of the Dragon season finale and why reading the books might have made it painful for some.

Rangnick was shot down a ton at United (@cfbayern)

Ralf Rangnick’s tenure at Manchester United was “unfulfilling” for him to say the least. Brought in to “right the ship”, Rangnick had very little flexibility to make an impact…so he moved on:

Osimhen not for sale (@FabrizioRomano)

Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has been one of the hottest strikers in Europe in terms of transfer interest, but the Italian club says that he is not going anywhere — despite alleged interest from clubs like Bayern Munich and Manchester United: