Rekordmeister Podcast

Ross Dunbar of Deutsche Welle joins Scott and Susie to recap the first leg against Porto, which was a humiliating defeat in so many ways. Even then, there's still hope and time to turn it around and the podcast goes into just what has to happen for Bayern to reach the semifinals by overcoming their 3:1 deficit. The second part of the show goes more into the broader questions about problems under Guardiola that keep resurfacing, unfortunately. Alonso's role specifically is examined. Jürgen Klopp's departure from BVB is talked about as well, including who could be a suitable replacement.Listen below, on iTunes, or Stitcher, and make sure to check out our FanShop:

Bayern outright Basel'd Shakhtar in the Champions League Round of 16 with a 7:0 home leg performance. Unfortunately for Donetsk, an early red card and ensuing penalty ended most hope they had for progressing, and it only got worse from there. Not much can be gathered from the performance, given the circumstances, but Bayern did what they had to do and a little more.Werder Bremen hosted the record champions on the weekend and things got a little chippy. Nonetheless, Bayern played incredibly well given who was unable to play or rested, and displayed counterattacking lethality. A few longer-term questions are asked later on in the show: When will Bayern be challenged for a full season? Who will play once everyone is healthy? Will everyone be healthy at the same time? The show closes by previewing the 'Gladbach match which is the late game this Sunday. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher for Android, or in the player below:

The gang reviews wins over Paderborn, Köln, and then Braunschweig in the Pokal Polka for the first half of the show. Several players have taken on increased roles in the squad, Rafinha in particular, and this is discussed at length.Bayern have a very fluid formational structure, but several people on the show maintain that the tried-and-true 4-2-3-1 is the best way to go, should Bayern have hopes of winning the Champions League. Which players should see the field? Bayern will almost have too many options when guys like Lahm and Thiago start making their returns in the coming months, so who needs to start and who should come on as substitutes? How does the Basti/Xabi double pivot figure to work out? We answer all of those questions and more on this week's show.Bumper Music: Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay by Otis ReddingListen on iTunes, in the player below, or on the Stitcher radio app if you are an Android user:

Scott and Susie are joined by FOX Soccer's Thomas Hautmann to talk about Bayern's destruction of HSV, and their disappointing draw against Shakhtar Donetsk which was marred by yellow and red cards aplenty. The performance against HSV was one for the ages, with Bayern putting up eight unanswered goals through magical play from the likes of Robben and Schweinsteiger.However, in Lviv, Bayern ran aground thanks to a stalwart Shakhtar defense and a bit of trouble with the referee. The tactical problems that occurred there are discussed as well as prospects for advancing despite the neutral result. Bumper Music: "Walk Don't Run" by The Ventures

With the passing of Udo Lattek, Susie, Scott, and Michel take a look back at what he meant to Bayern (a lot), and how he gave us the Bayern we know today. His managerial record is paralleled only by Hitzfeld, which is to say he is in great company.After remembering Udo, the gang looks back at the woeful Wolfsburg match and the improvements that can be observed in the Schalke 1-1 draw, which was heavily influenced by Jerome Boateng's red card early on. The 10-man Bayern team fought very capably to earn the draw, but some familiar problems still surfaced.While the Stuttgart match was a victory, some regressions took place that made Bayern look more like the side that played Wolfsburg than the one who fought off Schalke down a man. We discuss what's been wrong with Bayern and a few players who appear to have been frozen out of the team's play and tactics.To end the show, Jürgen Klinsmann's comments are put into focus as they pertain to Julian Green's unfortunate loan situation in Hamburg, who happen to be Bayern's next opponent. Bumper Music: "Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re" by Bappi Lahiri, and "Little Cowboy" by Harry NilssonAlso, don't forget to check out our FanShop, with a few new designs added recently.

The Gang is joined by Conor Garratt of Dreierpack Podcast fame to look forward to the second half of the Bundesliga season.While it's presumed nobody will be catching up to Bayern, plenty of interesting things are still in play.Dortmund have been an intriguing story thus far, as have Wolfsburg and Gladbach among others. Enjoy the first show since Christmas and Bayern's first match back as well, which is previewed at length in the episode.You can listen in the player below, on iTunes, Stitcher, or by closing your eyes and imagining Anatoliy Tymoshchuk singing country music. And don't forget to browse our FanShop, with plenty of designs for the Bayern fan/masochist in your life.Bumper Music: "Lightnin' Bar Blues" by Hoyt Axton

The gang welcomes the best Bundesliga commentator in all the world, Phil Bonney, onto the show to discuss the year in Bayern and BuLi football. Bayern may no longer be Champions of the World, but that's not to say they haven't been impressive in their own right.Some middle-of-the-season awards are handed out, including everyone's thoughts on whether or not Manuel Neuer can win the Ballon d'Or.Put on a sweater (or tracktop) and listen along as we wrap up Bayern's 2014 and look ahead to 2015.Bumper Music: "Merry Christmas, Baby" by The Beach Boys and "Christmas in Hollis" by RUN-DMC

Scott, Susie, and Michel are joined by Eric (@SchnixB04) from the Bayer Leverkusen podcast of record, the Neverkusen Podcast, to talk about Saturday's fascinating match between FCB and B04.Tactically, this was always going to be a matchup of opposites, with Bayern's build-up play and Leverkusen's pressure. There was only one goal, but rest assured plenty remained to be discussed. Bayern extended their lead at the top of the table, Leverkusen dropped to 4th after Augsburg won to move into 3rd. Listen in the player below, on iTunes, or on Stitcher if you have an Android phone.

Bayern actually lost a match! But before they did, they beat 1899 Hoffenheim at home and Bastian Schweinsteiger made his return to a standing ovation from all who cared to pay their tribute. Then, two goals and a few days later, Bayern played out a meaningless match in Manchester which say them lose for the first time this campaign in any competition.Not to say we didn't try to take meaning from it, but to the team it meant nothing aside from Benatia's suspension from his red card. Bumper Music: "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell and the Drells

The gang come together one last time this season to discuss the Double-sealing win over Dortmund in the Pokal Final. Guardiola's tactics as well as several players were outstanding, but that's not to say Bayern didn't get a little bit of luck along the way! The goal-line technology debate is rehashed after the Hummels/Dante incident, as are the way Dortmund's back line approached the periods of extra time, eventually contributing to their defeat. The second part of the show is dedicated to our end-of-season awards. The categories:Best/Worst MatchBest PlayerMost ImprovedBest/Worst Guardiola DecisionBest/Worst HairBest Goal

Given Bayern's loss in the Final of the DFB-Pokal is all but assured, we spend an hour making one another feel better about things. Maybe it's Strategic Pessimism (TM) but everyone seems to be convinced that their team is losing.This includes VERY SPECIAL guest Stefan Buczko (@bvbawesome) with the usual crew. So, join in and sing along, and mostly disagree, because that's what we're here for.Injuries are a factor for both teams, but who will be most affected? Who is important for Dortmund? Stefan explains and crushes pretty hard on Milos Jojic, as per usual.

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Scott and Susie are joined by Nick Rigg from Madrid of ESPN FC to discuss the upcoming Champions League semifinal between Real Madrid and FC Bayern.Who are the most important players from each side? What's the difference between last year's Real and this year's? What's motivating the team? How has Luka Modric come into his own this season, and is it at the expense of Xabi Alonso?All these questions are answered and more, plus predictions are made about the tie (hint: nobody has any idea who will win it).Bumper Music: "Honey" by Spacemen 3

Since I (Scott) have been in Germany following the team around and eventually moving into my new residence, internet has been hard to come by, and that's the central reason behind the long layoff the show has had since before the United matches. But, now settled in, regular programming can resume.What to do then, but go over every match starting with the first leg in Manchester? The problems, successes and ultimate passage through to the semifinals are examined. In the second segment, Bayern's problems against Augsburg and Dortmund are put into perspective, and in the third a look is taken at the win over Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal and if it means anything in the way of addressing the problems in the team ahead of the CL semis against Real Madrid.Bumper Music: "Head Over Heels" by Tears For Fears and "Avant Gardener" by Courtney Barnett, who has an EP out here

The gang is joined by FOX Soccer podcaster Thomas Hautmann to discuss Bayern winning the title in record time, plus some questionable lineup decisions by Pep Guardiola in the match that followed at home against Hoffenheim, and what should be taken from that match if anything at all. The second half of the program is dedicated almost entirely to Bayern's UCL Quarterfinal opponents Manchester United, and what exactly has gone wrong for them this season after running away with the title last campaign. Precidctions are made at teh end of the show for both the first leg in Manchester and the tie as a whole. Bumper Music: "I Wanna Be Adored" by The Stone Roses and "Barbarism Begins At Home" by The Smiths, both, fittingly, Manchester bands