Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal in the Champions League; Christoph Freund not giving up on Alphonso Davies contract extension; Bayern, FC Barcelona competing for Everton star; Real Madrid wants Florian Wirtz; and MORE!

Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC fought to a 2-2 draw in the Champions League, which leaves the Bavarians in a very good spot heading into the return leg at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Munich showed a great amount of toughness and executed Thomas Tuchel’s game plan with aplomb. Yup, it was actually an enjoyable experience to watch it. Let’s get right to it with some quick hitters on the match:

• As always, let’s start with a look at the starting XI:

• Tuchel took some risks as he has with his lineups over the course of his tenure. This time, it was more odd because it seemed like he was being pulled in a lot of different directions. With some players performing poorly or coming off of injuries (or both), Tuchel might have been torn on a few selections.
• In the 9th minute, Davies picked up a yellow card, which will now put him out for the return leg. It was not exactly an ideal start in that respect, but Bayern Munich did a fairly good job shaking off any jitters.
• In the 12th minute, though, Arsenal got on the scoreboard when Bukayo Saka took advantage of some really lax defending from Davies. It would be fair to question Davies’ effort in tracking Saka, who just simply lost the Canadian.
• For the day, Davies’ statline was not terrible (three tackles, won three of five duels), but his positioning and focus just seemed off. It is clear that Bayern Munich should seek to fight the odds and re-up Davies, but it must be acknowledged that he has plateaued and is definitely not worth a €20 million per year salary. The reality is that he is a dynamo who needs to decide if he wants to be great or just be content to be good.
• Thankfully for Bayern Munich, the King of London (fictional position, though it might not seem that way) Serge Gnabry struck again! In the 18th minute, Gnabry continued his assault on London teams with yet another goal. This guy…he just loves cracking those clubs.
• Leon Goretzka, who made a streaking run down the center of the pitch, slide in a perfect pass to Gnabry on the goal. If there was a critique of Goretzka on the day, it is that he was not as involved as he could have been on the ball, but that was likely by design with Harry Kane sitting a deeper than he has been lately. Goretzka completed 21 of 23 passes, won three of five ground duels, had two tackles, and one interception. The midfielder also only lost possession three times, which was massive in a game like this one. It was a very good showing for the heavily criticized midfielder.
• Gnabry’s goal seemed to stun Arsenal and take its heart and the Gunners temporarily lost their focus. The downside for Gnabry is that he later would suffer a muscular injury and will likely be out for a bit — just as he was playing incredibly well.
• In the 32nd minute, Leroy Sané (who — truthfully — I did not think deserved to start), put in a brilliant driving attack and was taken down in the box. Harry Kane deposited the penalty attempt into the net and all of a sudden, Bayern Munich as in a power position.
• For the game, Sané was pretty bad (he made far too many unnecessary errors and did eventually get subbed out for Kingsley Coman in the 66th minute), but he only needed that one moment to impact this match — and Bayern Munich needed that.
• Eric Dier and Matthijs de Ligt were strong at center-back, but the overall defending from Bayern Munich as a unit was tremendous. I thought the duo really handled the pressure of Arsenal well and were up for the challenge. Dier did misplace a few passes than usual, but this was a high intensity match where both teams likely made more of those kinds of mistakes than they normally would.
• In a season where he rarely pushed the right buttons, Tuchel seemed to get things right against Arsenal. Simply put, Tuchel deserves credit for coming up with a solid plan to
• Following that, Harry Kane’s presence in the build-up and with distribution worked…and was what Bayern Munich needed in this instance against a frantic Arsenal side.
• Even though Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard added a goal in the 76th minute, it was not as if Bayern Munich was falling apart or Arsenal had taken over the game. Troussard came trailing into the play late and neither Konrad Laimer nor Kingsley Coman reacted quick enough to stop him from having a completely open look at the goal.
• Joshua Kimmich and Laimer deserve some kudos. Both have been maligned all season, but they stepped up against the Gunners. As for Coman, well, it was not his best effort in entering the game as a sub. In fact, Coman was quite poor.
• One name you have not seen referenced is Jamal Musiala as it was not an impactful match for the youngster.
• As for the two near-penalty situations…I am stickler for the rules. While it was very weak, Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães did, indeed, pick the ball up for a handball call in the box. The referee should have made the call. You don’t get a free pass for being a bonehead. Unless there was something we are not aware of as to why the call was essentially waved off, it is an infraction. As for Bukayo Saka’s surge into Manuel Neuer…well, I will say that Neuer is a bit lucky. Another referee might have bought Saka’s display because it was very close to really being a foul. Neuer should not have put himself into that position. It could have been disastrous. if I was an Arsenal fan, I would probably feel slighted even with saka’s histrionics.
• Overall, it would have been awesome to sneak out of London with a win (and the lead on aggregate), but it is hard to say that this was not a great result. Bayern Munich walked into London against one of the hottest teams in the world, absorbed several haymakers, and could still have emerged victorious. Any way you want to cut it, this was a good result. Now, the question shifts to whether or not Bayern Munich can finish the job at the Allianz Arena. Given how fans were shut out of Emirates Stadium, Bayern Munich supporters will likely be extra motivated to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the visitors on Wednesday April 17th.

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

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund is not giving up on a contract extension for Alphonso Davies just yet.

“Not unlikely at all. There are good and open talks and we’ll see what happens in the next few weeks. Phonzy feels very comfortable in Munich and enjoys playing for Bayern a lot. I’m not negative,” Freund said.

A trip to London awaits Bayern Munich; does Bayern Munich have anything left in the tank to tackle Arsenal, especially an Arsenal side that is on course to win the Premier League table. In this podcast, we look at the following:

• The Heidenheim mess one more time and what it means for the team
• Bayern’s upcoming fixtures as there is a real question mark over Champions League football
• Max Eberl’s comments and where the board might have gone wrong in terms of their comments about the current situation
• Why the board’s decisions might have led to the current debacle
• A preview of the Arsenal tie
• A look at the Arsenal tie and a few thoughts on Arsenal’s season so far
• Where Bayern stands ahead of the Champions League tie against Arsenal injury-wise and mentality-wise

Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona could be in competition for Everton midfielder Amadou Onana:

Barcelona are one of the many admirers of Everton midfielder Amadou Onana and if a report from Mundo Deportivo is to be believed, the Blaugrana are set to face off with Bayern Munich in their attempt to sign the Premier League player.

It is no secret that Barcelona are on a quest for midfield reinforcement as they gear up for the upcoming season. However, Barcelona are not the only club eyeing Onana as his stellar performances have drawn interest from several quarters.

At the forefront of potential suitors are Bayern Munich. The German giants, also in search of midfield talent for the next campaign, have reportedly earmarked him as a prime target.

According to the aforementioned outlet, Bayern admire Onana’s potential and physical prowess, seeing him as a valuable addition to their roster. While Barcelona continue face their own set of problems in pursuit of Onana, Bayern’s attempt has a hurdle in the form of an unsettled coaching situation. With uncertainty lingering over who will succeed Thomas Tuchel, Bayern’s transfer activities have hit a standstill.

This deadlock in the coaching realm could play into Barcelona’s hands, potentially giving them a slight edge in the race for Onana’s signature. Despite his contract with Everton running until 2027, Onana finds himself at a crossroads with numerous opportunities for a change of scenery come summer. The starting price for securing his services is estimated to hover around the €60 million mark.

With Xabi Alonso announcing that he will stay at Bayer Leverkusen next season, star attacker Florian Wirtz will also likely remain with the club:

Xabi Alonso’s decision to remain with Bayer Leverkusen will see Florian Wirtz reject the chance to leave for Manchester City or Liverpool this summer.

Per Relevo, Real Madrid is really keen on Wirtz:

Real Madrid are keeping a close eye on Wirtz as they start to prepare their transfer business for 2025.

After getting upset by Borussia Dortmund last week, Bayern Munich is a club grasping at straws for this season and the future.

There is still great talent on the roster, but how it functions for the rest of this season and if it will even be around next season remain to be seen. With so many storylines going on, there was plenty to talk about, so let’s get to it.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode of the Weekend Warm-up Show:

• Is it impossible for Bayern Munich to take down Arsenal FC in the Champions League at this point?
• Are Bayern Munich players missing the necessary hunger and edge required to win at the highest levels?
• The field is narrowing for Bayern Munich’s coaching search and there still is no clear leader in the clubhouse. As the days go by, could Hansi Flick end up being the choice, who makes the most sense?
• Why Flick could really be the right guy to take the helm.
• Breaking down the second to last episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Timo Werner’s career is hanging in the balance on a couple of fronts.

It is unclear if he will have a spot with the German national team at the EURO 2024 competition, and maybe more pertinent, Werner is waiting on Tottenham Hotspur to decide if it will activate its purchase option on him.

If not, Werner’s future could be very cloudy:

One person not shocked by the rapid rise of Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović is loanee Gabriel Vidović.

“I know Aleks well from before. Great guy, great player. I’m very happy for him. He has always been very good with the ball. That’s why I’m not surprised by his development,” Vidović told Spox journalist Nino Duit.

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Michaël Cuisance is back to the grind per his social media account on X (Twitter):