Talking Fussball

After keeping their challengers at arm's length for weeks, FC Bayern München have done it - the Rekordmeister added another league title to their robust tally. Matt is back in the TF house and was ready for a good chat with Nik about Bayern, the logjams in the race for Europe, the fluid situation at the bottom of the table (and the top of the 2. Bundesliga), and a few oddball odds and ends from elsewhere in German football.

It's been a while. Enough time, in fact, for Nik and Terry to have criss-crossed Europe enriching their lives in all kinds of ways. But what about the Fußball, huh? It turns out that the boys' clubs - Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund - have been on a bit of a heater since last they podded which is always worth a chat. They also check in on the teams battling to get to 16th place and a chance at redemption.

This Bundesliga season has been a resumption of regular service - Bayern are back on top and, Leverkusen aside, the rest of the 'top teams' have struggled for consistency. That's let an unlikely challenger in FSV Mainz 05 rise all the way to THIRD. In this episode Matt (in his own funk over Hertha BSC's dismal year in the 2. Bundesliga) talks with his Mainz fan pal Tom Ziemer about what's made the vibes so good for the zero fivers in their first full year under coach Bo Henriksen.

If there's been one certainty since Rasenballsport Leipzig entered Germany's top tier, it's that the club will do everything it can to compete for a top-four place. This season, all that looks under threat. With just one win in their last six, the Red Bulls are in danger of tumbling out of the UEFA Champions League places. On this episode, Nik and Terry try and figure out how much rope coach Marco Rose has left. Also on the agenda: BVB's Jekyll and Hyde week in the Bundesliga and UCL, Hertha BSC's latest managerial change and more.

What with BVB hiring a familiar face and Werder Bremen getting the short end of the refereeing stick, Nik and Terry had plenty to talk about. Not that they leave it there, either - Bayern's coming date with Leverkusen comes under their lens, as does the recent play of Davie Selke(!)