Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Villarreal; The latest on the Robert Lewandowski to FC B… – Bavarian Football Works

In the biggest match of the season to date, Bayern Munich took the pitch at the Allianz Arena and put forth enough effort to shake off a pesky Villarreal side for most of the match, but coughed up the game at the end. Villarreal will move on to the Champions League semifinals. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• I was not surprised to see Leroy Sane in the starting XI, but I was a little shocked to see Julian Nagelsmann deploy a back-three and to keep Alphonso Davies on the bench.
• Early on, Bayern Munich played with energy and urgency, but Villareal was defending for its life. It was clear that nothing was going to come easy.
• That was a weak yellow card given to Lucas Hernandez in the first half.
• Bayern Munich had no answer for Villarreal defense for the large part. The Bavarians were more creative than they were in the first leg, but it was evident that this was going to take a monumental effort to break through.
• Jamal Musiala’s header in the 29th minute was so good, but so right at the goalkeeper.
• Villarreal was always going to muck the game up and were immensely successful in doing just that. Lots of grabbing, pulling, and stalling. Credit, though, they played how they needed to in order to move on.
• At the end of the first half, there was no real reason to feel as if Bayern Munich was going to be able to break through, but with the pressure the Bavarians had applied, it at least out some cracks in Villarreal defensive wall. That would eventually pay off.
• Sane’s 50th minute footwork and passing was fantastic, but he ultimately only found Dayot Upamecano who airmailed what should have been a sure thing goal. As the announcer said, right place, wrong man.
• Once Villarreal started feeling the heat, the stalling tactics got a lot worse.
• Robert Lewandowski made up for his uneven play in the 52nd minute with just an absolutely deft groundball shot that went through the legs of Pau Torres, hit the post, and caromed in for a goal.
• The second half was just all Bayern Munich pressure on Villarreal. It was relentless.
• Gerard Moreno was in a position to put Villarreal through in the 70th minute, but just couldn’t do better with the opportunity to cross or shoot.
• Thomas Müller should have headed home the game-winner in the 71st minute. That miss would be huge.
• Arnaut Danjuma should have done a lot better with his 82nd minute attempt.
• Then it happened…substitute Samuel Chukwueze hit the stunner when substitute Alphonso Davies found himself out of position. Worse, Davies played Chukwueze onside. An absolutely killer moment and one that will likely define Nagelsmann’s first season at Bayern Munich.
• Nagelsmann said that he replaced Lucas Hernandez with Davies due to an injury, but it is unclear if the manager meant he was resting the Frenchman based on his ailment from last week or if it was something new.
• The only good thing to come out of the match was this absolutely annihilated FC Koln fan wandering on the Allianz Arena pitch after almost everyone was gone:

• Overall, that was incredibly hard to watch play out. Bayern Munich truly gave it their all, but was lacking with its finishing and decision-making. Many would also say the manager’s tactics were not all that impressive either. Losing to Villarreal can’t happen…but it did. Somehow, it did.

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

Bayern Munich and star player Robert Lewandowski are still planning to meet and discuss a contract despite the rampant stories linking the Poland international to FC Barcelona:

On Monday, it was claimed that the Poland international had already informed the German giants that he had no intention of extending his stay at the Allianz Arena past the end of 2023.

Furthermore, the 33-year-old was said to be in line to move to Barcelona, providing that the two clubs could agree a fee, but it has been suggested that Bayern still hold the cards with regards to his future.

According to Goal, discussions are due to take place between Bayern and Lewandowski over the coming weeks in a bid to resolve the situation.

Meanwhile, Barca Universal captured a report saying that FC Barcelona was only prepared to offer Bayern Munich the paltry sum of €25 to €30 million for the world’s best player:

Now, Gerard Romero has come up with a new update on the matter, with regard to the transfer fee that could be involved in Barcelona’s pursuit of Lewandowski.

The transfer expert has claimed that Barça have informed Lewandowski’s camp that they would be willing to offer a transfer fee of around €25-30 million to Bayern Munich to sign him.

Romero further insists that the Bundesliga champions are demanding a sum of €60 million for their prolific goal scorer, which the Blaugrana do not intend to pay.

In addition, FC Barcelona is now denying the previous reports about an agreement with Lewandowski:

In what can only be described as a nutty proposition, there is a report that Bayern Munich has its eyes on Manchester United star Marcus Rashford:

Bayern Munich will reportedly provide stiff competition to Real Madrid and Arsenal in the race to sign Marcus Rashford in the summer. According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Marcus Rashford has popped up on the radar of Bayern Munich over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Manchester United forward is also a target for Real Madrid and Arsenal.

Marcus Rashford has come a long way since earning a surprising promotion to the first-team squad midway through the 2015/16 season. The English international has been a key figure for club and country in the last few years, but the ongoing campaign has been forgettable for him. The 24-year-old has an underwhelming tally of five goals and two assists in 27 appearances across all competitions. And after becoming a bit-part player under Ralf Rangnick, Rashford is considering his future at Manchester United, which has captured the attention of Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich.

Despite some reports stating the opposite, pundit (and unofficial Haaland family spokesperson) Jan Aage Fjortoft, says Real Madrid is still in the running for Borussia Dortmund phenom Erling Haaland:

Bayern Munich limped to a 1-0 win in a closely fought derby against Augsburg. Bayern earned a late penalty courtesy of a handball by Reece Oxford. The referee almost immediately pointed to the spot and Robert Lewandowski converted with a powerful penalty. In this podcast, we take a look at the following:

• That first half
• Joshua Kimmich’s performance
• Julian Nagelsmann’s substitutions
• More praise for Jamal Musiala
• No goals from open play in 180 minutes
• The ongoing issues impacting the backline
• The wingers, particularly Serge Gnabry
• Reece Oxford things
• Giving Augsburg credit where it’s due
• Augsburg’s notable performances
• The problems pervading Bayern currently
• Quick thoughts back to Freiburg and ahead to Villarreal

Despite hiccups, Red Bull Salzburg star and Germany international Karim Adeyemi appears to — slowly — be getting closer to a move to Borussia Dortmund. BVB and Salzburg are going back-and-forth on a fee for the youngster:

Negotiations between BVB and RB Salzburg are entering the next – and possibly decisive – phase. As Salzburg’s managing director Stephan Reiter revealed on Sky , the two parties are getting closer again.

“It’s just as interesting and challenging as many other transfers. It’s a certain process where you get closer and then move away a bit and get closer again,” says Reiter. The good news for all BVB fans: they are currently “on the right track”.

As SPORT1 knows, the negotiations recently stalled . RB boss Dietrich Mateschitz in particular had blocked, he would rather see Adeyemi in Leipzig in the Bundesliga. The 20-year-old is under contract with Salzburg until 2024.

Salzburg are demanding around 45 million euros for the German international, but BVB wants to spend a maximum of 38 million euros – including bonus payments. In the meantime, it is certain that Adeyemi wants to take the next step in the summer. And the goal of the German international is clearly BVB.