Rekordmeister Podcast

It is beginning to seem like Bayern have not played really well in quite a while, but the matches are still being won. Is there cause for concern amidst all these close matches? Scott and Michel are joined by Bayern Central compatriots Juan Pablo Gonzalez and Matthew Buening to primarily review the first leg of the Benfica tie. While the match was discussed at length, they also got into some other topics, such as Bayern's trend under Guardiola of getting worse as the season comes to a close. The Eintracht Frankfurt game is briefly recapped as well. Not every discussion is so dire, though, because the gang also debate who the most successful musician on the team would be, and much more. We also released a new t-shirt in the shop yesterday. As always, listen below or wherever you get your podcasts.

After last week's results, is there a title race on or only the illusion of one? A pair of results during the "English Week" meant there would be everything on the line in Dortmund, but the two teams maintained their 5-point gap atop the table with a scoreless draw. No discussion of an FC Bayern vs. Borussia Dortmund match would be complete without one of our many BVB-supporting friends, and in this episode we welcome Luca (@luc_bvb) back to the show. In maybe the most important Bundesliga match since April of 2012, Dortmund had the chance to trim the Bayern lead to just two points, but the two played to a draw at the Westfalenstadion. Perhaps Dortmund were too passive in the second half, as argued by Scott and Michel, but Luca argues it was the best decision from Thomas Tuchel. Did Dortmund absolutely need these three points, and if so was their approach to the second half wrong? The individual standouts are also reviewed, with names like Kimmich, Vidal, Durm and Bürki coming to mind as players who were on their game Saturday evening. Lastly, the broader questions about the premise that there is in fact a title race at all are discussed, as well as the mentalities of the two teams who would comprise it. As always, listen below, on iTunes or wherever you get your podcast by simply searching "Rekordmeister"

The Gang reunite for 45' of high-octane podcasting, covering everything from FC Bayern's tactics against Juventus to the 2010 Werder Bremen squad. First up, naturally, is the (2:2) draw in Turin, where Bayern excelled for the better part of an hour before Juve got into the game themselves. Tactically speaking, discussion is held over what led to die Roten's dominance, and then eventually their noose on Juventus falling apart just when the Italian champions looked finished. In the second half of the show the crew go over Bayern's win over VfL Wolfsburg, where somewhat opposite of what happened in Turin, the team only got into their groove after about an hour. Manuel Neuer was forced into the most saves he has ever made in red, and Wolfsburg were a potent attacking threat almost the entire match. How did Bayern maintain a clean sheet and parlay their defense into two second-half goals? The gang go into the tactical ins and outs. As always, listen below or wherever you get your podcasts by simply searching for "Rekordmeister".

Scott and Susie are joined by Mia San Rot's Tobi (@redrobbery on Twitter) to go over all the action since the winter break. Most importantly, Joshua Kimmich has been thrown into a makeshift backline, and has performed admirably. Still, doubt remains if this will work come time for the Juventus tie, as well as against other very good teams. Next, it has been amazing to watch Robert Lewandowski ride his astonishing run of form in the new year, but are Bayern becoming over-reliant on the striker? Is the team having a problem finding other goalscorers or will they in the near-term future? Thomas Müller and Arjen Robben factor heavily into this part of the discussion, because they have seen their roles impacted as well. Bayern's central midfielders have been impacted by the shorthanded backline a lot themselves, which means Xabi Alonso and Thiago have had to be more aggressive in their distributive and defensive responsibilities. Their impact has been felt in 2016, but is it enough moving forward into the Champions League knockout rounds? Lastly, the changing roles of the wingers is analyzed, because we have seen Kingsley Coman get reduced playing time, not to mention Douglas Costa seeing time in a withdrawn, central role of late. Arjen Robben's changing style is also discussed here. As always, listen below or on iTunes or Stitcher. Don't forget to visit our FanShop as well:

Bayern have had a very good few matches dating back to the embarrassment Arsenal endured in Munich. The team's form has been top-notch and we would like to explain why. It is no secret, Bayern have been on fire lately. Or as the Spanish say, en fuego. FCB are finally putting together Pep's grand strategy of scoring lots of goals while giving up very few, and we see this as reason to have another podcast. The first half of the show consists largely of analysis of the Arsenal game, before the second half of the program implodes into a vicious argument over Mexican food. As usual you can listen below, on iTunes, or on your droid phone through the various podcast apps there.

These sorts of matches happen every once in a while. Arsenal did everything right against Bayern, and die Roten were not on their game in London on Tuesday night. In this episode, the Arsenal match is almost the exclusive topic of conversation, but the first few minutes are spent going over the protest organized by Club Nr. 12 against the high ticket prices charged by Arsenal. After that, the gang goes on to approach the match from a tactical perspective, and let us tell you, it was not pretty. What made the match so stagnant and predictable? Why don't Bayern employ overlapping runs very often? Those questions and more are posed. We will be back after the Wolfsburg Pokal match next midweek.

The usual crew welcome Constantin Eckner of Spielverlagerung and @luca_bvb of the Yellow Wall Pod into THE THUNDERDOME for some scorching hot takes about Bayern and Dortmund's upcoming match that you can call basically anything you want except #DerKlassiker. Because that is a stupid name.Bayern beat Mainz at the weekend in typical fashion, and they beat Dinamo Zagreb in a way that led Scott, at least, to question the integrity of the match. While Mainz put up a good fight for the first half before eventually capitulating in the second half, Dinamo had exactly 0 intention of making a dent against Bayern from kickoff.In the second half of the show, the conversation shifts mostly to Dortmund and how they have improved this season. We hope to answer a few burning questions about why Dortmund have started off so well this season as compared to last year (minus two draws, one of which came against SV Darmstadt who will STEAL YOUR WIFE) as compared to last season.

In the first segment of our season preview show, we have FOX Soccer's Thomas Hautmann on to discuss how the network is going to handle their Bundesliga coverage heading into their first season as the home of German soccer on American television. Certain questions are answered regarding who will be announcing the matches, what sort of coverage will come before and after the games, and who will be on said coverage.We begin to move towards the season preview and, big shocker, everyone thinks Bayern will hold onto their crown as Bundesliga hegemons for yet another season. If that were the end of the conversation, however, there would be no reason to invite FOX Soccer and Deutsche Welle's Ross Dunbar on to discuss what will become of the other 17 clubs trying to win, or at least stay in the Bundesliga. Relegation favorites as well as who to watch for in the race to Europe are discussed at length.

Noted German football author-extraordinaire Uli Hesse joins Michel, Susie, and Scott to discuss everything from the Schweinsteiger saga to Kurt Landauer, and from Hertha Berlin to Wilhelm Neudecker. In the first segment, the discussion centers around Uli's upcoming book about the history of FC Bayern, and that spawns a multitude of tangents about different eras in the club history. The conversation reaches a point where Mr. Hesse gives his opinion on why Bayern have been able to sustain their success (albeit narrowly), and other clubs like Hamburg have fallen by the wayside. On that note, we go in-depth into why clubs from large cities like Köln, Hertha, and Eintracht Frankfurt are not challenging for titles the way clubs from big cities do in England, Spain, and Italy.The episode concludes with a secret that Uli had been keeping inside for decades about his alternate identity, which will shock all of you.

The gang tries their very best to explain how the Bastian Schweinsteiger transfer makes sense for all involved, even though it is painful. An emergency podcast was called almost as soon as the Schweinsteiger news broke, and all sides of the transfer are analyzed. The fee seems steep, but is that not simply what the bigger English clubs do these days? How will the squad deal with the departure of one of their leaders on and off of the field?How is the midfield shaping up for next season? Opinions uniformly suggest we will see some fresh blood get some minutes. Who should the next vice captain be? To Neuer or not to Neuer. The show will be back in earnest next week as we welcome ESPN's Uli Hesse to discuss some of the Bundesliga's historic underachievers and the reasons behind their underachievement.

The gang runs you through this very odd, almost compulsively annoying season as only they can, before judging its overall successes and failures. In the second part of the program, end-of-season awards are given for several categories, including "most improved" and "best" players, and this bleeds a little into transfer talk, at least regarding who the hosts think may be on the move.Of course a little FIFA talk is thrown in for good measure, before Susie's sneeze is remixed into this summer's #1 hit.As always, listen below in the player or download the show (and subscribe!) on iTunes and Stitcher. Have a nice summer, everyone.

Bayern's elimination at the hands of FC Barcelona was made a little easier to take with their win on Tuesday, even if it was only a moral victory. Scott, Michel, and Juan Pablo Gonzalez do their best walk you through the first and second legs, and how the defeats were brought about through tactical decisions. Also a valid reason why Bayern lost: Messi is very very good.What does the defeat mean for Bayern on the balance of their season? Is it still a successful one?  The final part of the show is about trying to put things perspective because if you do not keep a good perspective then your opinions may not be valid.Listen below, on iTunes, and on Stitcher for Android:

FC Bayern are about to play their biggest matches of the season against FC Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals. To preview the matches, Scott and Michel are joined by Enrique Schoch of totalBarca for the Barcelona perspective on things. How will the two teams line up? What tactics will Bayern employ to counter Barcelona's attack? How will Bayern defend Messi, Neymar, and the others in Barca's star-studded lineup?Lastly, we make predictions about the tie and how it will unfold. As always, listen in the player below or on iTunes, or Stitcher for Android users:

Bayern's Pokal run came to an end in penalties, but that was only one of several losses on the evening, as Arjen Robben and Robert Lewandowski picked up injures. How could something that started so well end so poorly? That question among others are analyzed. The referee, Peter Gagelmann was not very good, but that was not the only problem.Ugh. At least at the end the gang talks about their favorite Schnitzel preparation.

Scott and Susie run you through Bayern's bizarre second leg and victory over Porto. Bayern essentially played 45 incredible minutes, 45 horrific minutes, and 90 minutes to a draw in the tie. Their 45 minutes of greatness just happened to be enough to send them through, as it turned out.Porto's tactical approach to the second leg was totally puzzling, as they decided to do nothing that helped them so much in the first leg. Bayern, on the other hand, played like they meant it. Porto also had a first-time Champions League starter who was yanked from the match only 33' in. Plenty was his fault.Who would the game prefer to play in the semis? The pros and cons of each possible opponent are discussed.Bayern can clinch the Bundesliga this weekend, and can advance to the Pokalfinale with a win against BVB on next Tuesday.As a result of their progressing through Porto, our "Tymo Shchuk Me All Night Long" tshirts are now 44% off in the Fanshop until Monday, April 27.As always, listen on iTunes, Stitcher for Android, or in the player below: