<b>Mailbag Roundtable: February 2020</b>
After a little over a month, Bayern now sit atop the table and are looking to expand that lead in the Bundesliga. Meanwhile they have progressed in the DFB Pokal and have drawn Schalke in the next round all while getting ready for their Champions League tie against Chelsea. Here to answer your questions this month are Katrin, Daniel and Alex.<a href="#question-1">Question 1<strong>Our first question comes from @MrMustermann99 on twitter: Would you purchase Coutinho? What players would you target next transfer window? Do you think we should have a bigger squad next season?</strong><strong>Katrin</strong>: I think a lot depends on how Coutinho will perform during the second half of the season. So far, his performances have been somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster, from “this man is an absolute genius!” to “what the hell is he doing now?!” If only he could show more of the former, I would obviously buy him in a heartbeat. At the moment, however, I don’t really see it, although I still hope that this will change over the next couple of months.Which brings me to the next question: if we are still keen on getting Kai Havertz in the summer, as well as Leroy Sane, buying Coutinho on top of these two might result in a price tag that is too hefty. I think we have seen over the past two seasons that our squad could have used a few more players, especially with the many injuries we have suffered. Having said that, I would love to see one of our youth players rising through the ranks and making it into the first team permanently. <a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/02/GettyImages-1204359573-976x650.jpg">Media<strong>Coutinho’s season has been a roller coaster so far. Will he remain after this season?</strong>
(Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)<strong>Daniel</strong>: I wouldn’t sign Coutinho. Not because he’s too expensive, I wouldn’t sign him because he’s not good enough. I have all but given up on him at this point. Granted if you’ve been a regular reader of this roundtable you might remember me being skeptical about Coutinho from the moment Bayern announced the deal and, well, to quote that popular internet meme: My expectations were low and I’m still disappointed. He had about three good games in December against the mighty Werder Bremen, Freiburg and Tottenham’s C-team and… that’s about it!Since the winter break has ended he was terrible in all games but the Hoffenheim-match where him only having a few lapses was enough for me to praise him. That’s the state we are at with Coutinho. If Bayern’s option to buy were three times lower i.e. the equivalent of James’ 42m€, I’d still think that’d be too much money. And we’re not even talking about his through-the-roof wages! I never turn on a player of my team but I’m definitely at a point with Coutinho that I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be better to just cut your losses with him and give Zirkzee his minutes, different positions be damned. Sure, maybe now he’ll start to perform week in, week out for the rest of the season, but even then I’d wonder about all the time it took him to get there and would not pay above that James clause.As for players to buy, it’s the elusive two as always: Havertz and Sané. I have followed Havertz’ career since his debut in the Bundesliga rather closely and honestly, I’d buy him for 150m€ if that’s what it takes to get him. That’s how good I think he is. Now sure, I’d much rather prefer not to pay in the triple digits but I’m very certain not signing Havertz would come back to haunt Bayern when he goes to another club and becomes unreachable for them. Don’t let his current season fool you, he alone is basically the reason Leverkusen got Champions League football in the first place this season.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/02/GettyImages-1202102394-976x650.jpg">Media<strong>Does Kai Havertz’s future lie in Bavaria or outside of Germany?</strong>…

<b>MSR Round Table: Chelsea Edition</b>
Ahead of the biggest European night so far this season, we pulled in <a href="https://miasanrot.com/author/michael/">Michael</a>, who has watched his fair share of Chelsea this season, and <a href="https://miasanrot.com/author/marcalmstedt/">Marc</a>, who has not but who has watch a lot of Bayern, to answer a few questions as a supplement to Justin’s preview.<a href="#question-1"></a>Question 1<strong>How has the season for both teams developed so far? How much of the success of the season will be measured on the outcome of the Champions League?</strong><strong>Marc</strong>: Both of these teams have had their ups and downs this season although their goals and aspirations are completely different. Chelsea is long out of their domestic title race and appear to be long shots for the Champions League title or the FA Cup where they play Liverpool a week after their first tie with Bayern. Their primary goal at this point surely is to secure a Champions League place for next season which is not a given as they are currently in 4th with four other teams within 5 points of them. Not following Chelsea closely nor being a supporter of the club, it’s hard to give an accurate assessment of how much the Champions League means to them this year. However, from the outside looking in, it seems as though they should be fairly happy with where they are now and consider any further advancement as an unexpected bonus.Bayern on the other hand are still favorites in both domestic competitions despite the rocky start to the season which saw the replacement of Niko Kovac with Hansi Flick. In the Champions League, they are one of a few teams that would be in the general conversation of possibly winning depending on draws, form, injuries and luck as there is no clear favorite. For Bayern, I think the Champions League results will have a major impact on how successful the season is viewed. Given the vast amount of domestic success they’ve had since their <em>Treble</em> winning season, the Champions League has been largely disappointing, especially in recent years. I think Bayern supporters expect to at least make it to the next round and many are hopeful of going beyond. Anything less than the Semi-Finals will probably be considered a disappointment. For Hansi Flick, anything less than the Semi’s may very well spell the end of his tenure following the season.<strong>Michael</strong>: Chelsea had a strong start to their league season, initially. They were right behind Leicester and City due to their attack scoring a good amount of goals which has slowed down throughout the campaign. The Blues inability to close out games has cost them several points throughout the season. Another big issue has perhaps been their defence, the goalkeeping position in particular. Kepa’s performances have been so bad that Frank Lampard has recently decided to drop him for 38-year-old back-up Caballero. Chelsea’s defence has only managed one clean sheet in the league in 2020.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/02/1Kepa-976x650.jpg">Media</a><strong>Chelsea’s Spanish goalkeeper Kepa has had his share of shaky moments this season.</strong>
(Image: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images)Lampard was pretty much begging for signings in January, especially in attack after summer arrival Christian Pulisic got injured in December and the loss of Eden Hazard in the summer.Chelsea didn’t sign anyone which understandably left the manager very dissatisfied with the situation. With all that said, the club is still 4th in the table with a three point lead over Manchester United and if you take the injuries and how young some of the squad is, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea are doing a fine job. They should certainly aim for Champions League football for next season and City’s ban might come in handy if they fall behind United or Spurs. I don’t think success in the Champions League will be all too important as it’s Lampard’s first year…

<b>Mailbag Roundtable: March 2020</b>
The last couple of weeks have been very good for Bayern, if one focuses on what happened on the pitch. They extended their lead in the Bundesliga, reached the semi-final in the DFB Pokal and have demonstrated what they are capable of in the Champions Leagues this season in the game against Chelsea. In today’s mailbag Daniel, Marc and Alex will answer your questions.<a href="#question-1">Question 1<strong>Our first questions comes from M Unplugged on Twitter: Should Bayern look to sell either Goretzka or Tolisso in the summer, especially with Fein returning?</strong><strong>Daniel</strong>: I understand the basic principle that following an injury a player needs about as much time to come back to his physical best as he had missed. Thus I’m sympathetic towards Tolisso’s struggle this season. I mean, even Neuer needed a full year until he was Neuer again. But, if Bayern gets a decent offer for Tolisso, I’d sell him. As he continues to struggle with each performance, Goretzka has firmly overtaken him in the box-to-box midfielder-race. Additionally, being German, Goretzka naturally has more of a backing in the media than Tolisso ever could. Plus he’s more useful to Bayern as even without Hoeneß, they will likely not abandon their “FC Germany” policy.It’s not just Goretzka who is an issue for Tolisso, but Müller in a sense, too. If we categorize midfielders in very broad term into fighters and technical players, Flick has struggled to start two fighters at the same time with both Müller and one of Goretzka/Tolisso (Gorlisso?), let alone all three of them – and Müller isn’t going anywhere. On the other hand, I definitely can imagine three out of Thiago, Kimmich, Fein and even a potential Havertz working brilliantly together.All in all, selling players for good money is part of this business, too, and there should most definitely be a market for Tolisso. I think one dedicated box-to-box midfielder is enough with Goretzka.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/fbl-ger-bundesliga-bayern-munich-training-935x650.jpg">Media<strong>Tolisso, Goretzka and Müller. Which one will be left our of the squad next season?</strong>
(Image: CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)<strong>Marc</strong>: Honestly, I think the answer is likely yes, one of the two probably be sold and I would also agree that Tolisso, assuming that they get enough, is the odd man out. That is not to say that I think Tolisso is a bad player though. I think he is struggling right now because of his return from injury, the options available in his preferred position and most importantly because his role does not really suit the way Bayern wants to line up. So long as Thomas Muller is at Bayern, and especially when he’s playing as well as he has for the last few months, there is really no room for more than one box-to-box midfielder who leans on the attacking side. Goretzka has had issues at times for the same reasons, but given how similar the two are, Goretzka has performed better overall and I think offers slightly more in terms of flexibility.<strong>Alex</strong>: I agree with both my fellow contributors. Corentin Tolisso, once Bayern’s and the Bundesliga’s record signing, in my opinion never really made a real impact at Bayern. Of course, he has had the odd good game in the almost three years he has been at the club, but he has never enjoyed a prolonged spell of strong performances. Leon Goretzka, too, in my view has never fully realized his promise as a player. He seems to be a thoughtful guy, someone for whom the outline of a football pitch does not delineate the limits of his intellectual scope, but in terms of his playing quality, he has left a fair bit to be desired as far as I am concerned.Both players’ first choice position is that of a number eight in offensive midfield. Both under Kova&#269; and now under Flick, the number eight in Bayern’s game has the role of a creative player who picks up the ball…

<b>Mailbag Roundtable: May 2020</b>
Bundesliga is back. Football is back. Bayern is back. But what will it look like? Why does it feel surreal? Are the teams actually prepared for the grueling schedule awaiting them? The pandemic has derailed every facet of life on earth, but it is inevitable that we start to return to some semblance of normality. Football and sports in general are one somewhat meaningless, yet all too important, sign that things will move on and recover. So as we prepare to sit down and watch the Bundesliga for the first time in nearly two months, we are back with a mailbag to answer some of your questions on the things that happened while Bayern and the Bundesliga were on pause. Here to answer those questions (which were all from <a href="https://twitter.com/me_unplugged20">@me_unplugged20</a> on twitter) are Daniel, Maurice and Alex.<a href="#question-1"></a>Question 1<a href="#what-are-your-opinions-on-the-permanent-appointment-of-hansi-flick-and-miroslav-klose-as-his-assistant-what-do-you-make-of-the-player-extensions"></a><strong>What are your opinions on the permanent appointment of Hansi Flick and Miroslav Klose as his assistant? What do you make of the player extensions?</strong><strong>Daniel</strong>: Giving Hansi Flick a contract-extension was a must. When the games stopped there might’ve been some arguments to be made against him from a pure sporting-perspective but as things stood, this was far beyond just your typical run-of-the-mill contract-situation. Football was standing still but future decisions on other contracts were still coming up. So of course Neuer, Thiago, Müller and Alaba wanted to know who they’d work with in the coming years, plus all the alternatives to Flick were in the same boat together. You can’t sign a Ten Hag when Bayern and Ajax are still likely to have games in July.The length of the contract is more interesting to me, they could’ve given him a two-year-deal but an extension until 2023 shows true commitment to Flick, I very much like that.Klose is a fascinating figure. I didn’t think much of him when he first turned to a career in coaching but various interviews and that biography from Ronald Reng revealed a true football-enigma. I am now very curious where he’ll end up and I especially like how he is very cautious to only take one step at a time as a coach. Less and less ex-world-class players become great coaches but there will always be some exceptions, Klose just might be one of them.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/Flick.jpg">Media</a><strong>Hansi Flick received the support of the board and was named the permenant manager till 2023.</strong>
(Image: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images)As for the players, I am happy with all of those extensions and am eagerly awaiting Thiago and Alaba’s.<strong>Maurice</strong>: There was no real alternative to extending Hansi Flick, especially given the current situation. However, he also might have been the best alternative on the market anyways. His record at Bayern so far is superb with 18 victories in 21 matches and no loss since September. The team showed improvement in various areas including counter pressure and positional play. There is still lots of room left for further enhancements and Flick will tackle those with a full summer to prepare. The addition of Miroslav Klose makes a lot of sense. Flick and Klose have obviously been close ever since the 2014 World Cup and the head coach knows about the expertise of his assistant and how to use him best. For Klose this will likewise be a rewarding position as he can learn from an experienced coach, while working on his coaching license.As for the players the extension of Davies was very important and overdue. It is a nice gesture of the club to recognize the value of their players and adjust contracts early to reflect that. The extension also serves as a warning sign for other suitors: Davies is one of the building blocks of Bayern’s future. It will…