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

• There were A LOT of questions about this lineup. Like… a whole lot. First, Luis Díaz was held out of the starting XI due to some issues stemming from the end of the RB Leipzig game, which went unreported all week. That already had the potential to make the lineup weird, but Kompany got super freaky with it. Alphonso Davies started at left wing, Josip Stanišić played left-back, Ismael Saibari started as the attacking midfielder, and Serge Gnabry played right wing. All the while, Tom Bischof started for the grieving Joshua Kimmich, whose father suddenly passed away. Yes, it was a wild lineup.
• Some might have wondered if Kompany got into grandpa’s cough syrup as part of his recovery from a viral infection, but the manager always has a method behind his madness.
• Initially, it was jarring to see Davies at left wing instead of left-back. The initial thought was this: What is the point of paying a left-back €20 million if you are not going to use him there against a stud like Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka? Saka would go down in the 10th minute, which would — at least — eliminate some of the discussion. Davies, of course, would also go on to score a goal, which helped bolster the decision.
• Gnabry had a tailor-made chance in the 21st minute, but hit his attempt too close to Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, who made a relatively easy stop. That was a bitter sequence for the Bavarians, who should have led 1-0.
• Josip Stanišić’s nightmare season continued as he was responsible for keeping Eberechi Eze onside for a 25th-minute goal. Martin Ødegaard sent a long ball down the left side to Eze, who snuck past Konrad Laimer, who thought he had played Eze offside. However, Stanišić’s shoulder kept Eze on, and Arsenal took a 1-0 advantage.
• The decision to start Stanišić is one that will be hotly debated among fans. The defender has been subpar all season.
• Bayern Munich, like any great team in a tight spot, fought back. Harry Kane fed a perfect long pass to a streaking Davies, who slid his shot past Raya to knot the game at 1-1 in the 35th minute. What a run by Davies and what a perfect ball from Kane. Inject that straight into the veins of the Bayern Munich fanbase.
• In the 39th minute, some miscommunication from Davies and Gnabry probably cost the Bavarians a good scoring chance. Two guys who haven’t played all that much on the wing lately somehow found a way to get into each other’s way, despite playing on opposite wings. Such is life at Bayern Munich these days.
• At one point, Davies was a full-time winger, but he has lost that natural feel for the position. That said, he can still be pretty darn effective there and could solve the perceived need for a backup to Díaz.
• The first half ended at 1-1, and both teams — in a weird way — felt good about it.
• Jonathan Tah came on for Kim Min-jae to start the second half.
• Neuer and Raya each made big saves early in the second half to deny great opportunities.
• Davies’s lack of feel on the wing might have cost Bayern Munich a goal as he failed to make a pretty obvious pass to Kane.
• The football gods would smile on Kane eventually. After some good movement and attacking play, Kane smashed a shot toward goal, but a sliding Arsenal defender’s hand blocked it (a shot that looked headed right to the back of the net), resulting in a penalty. Kane, of course, made good on it and buried the spot-kick. All of a sudden, Bayern Munich led 2-1 in the 61st minute.
• In the 67th minute, Laimer fired a half-volley just wide. That preceded the entry of Díaz and Lennart Karl into the game.
• In the 82nd minute, Arsenal took advantage of some sustained possession with a goal from a streaking Declan Rice, who lost his mark. The mark, you ask? Stanišić.
• Stanišić simply got caught watching the paint dry on the play—something that plagued him last season in his appearances at center-back. Now, it seems to have spread to his play at outside-back. What an absolute bomb of a performance.
• Overall, this was as tough and gritty of an effort as we have seen out of Bayern Munich in a long time. Nothing came easy, and the game was physical, but it was all about the fight within the squad. Getting a win would have been awesome, but this was a draw that was respectable and hard-fought between two shorthanded clubs not operating at their best. It should have made for a bad game, but it wasn’t. Take the point and run, but Bayern Munich also realized that it needs to take care of business moving forward — starting this weekend vs. SC Freiburg.

❌It is NOT TRUE: Inter Milan want to get ahead of the competition to sign Finn Jeltsch in 2027. It’s not concrete at the moment. Many clubs are, of course, watching this player. Inter have a German national player in Yann Bisseck. They’re very confident in him and have given the centre-back a new contract. We’ve spoken about Real Madrid and their interest in Jeltsch previously. Sami Khedira, a former Germany international and VfB Stuttgart player, is the assistant to José Mourinho. He knows the player and he’s familiar with Stuttgart’s management. Jeltsch is on the list of many, many clubs, but nothing is concrete at the moment. I have the feeling that Bayern Munich would be one Finn Jeltsch’s preferred destinations. However, FC Bayern aren’t concrete with the German either at this stage. Let’s see what the season brings.

🚨 Barça president Laporta on Mbappé to Real Madrid: “I said it! Having more than one rooster in the same chicken coop can’t work, never”.

“The priority in football is the team and the spirit of the team. If you don’t have these things, the project won’t work”.

“This is one of Barcelona’s strengths. We do have great talents, La Masía players, players who come from other football cultures, and then manage to form a team among them with harmony that works well”.

“And that thanks to a great coach, Hansi Flick, and also to a sports director, Deco, who works to improve this team”, told L’Équipe.

❌It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich could activate Johannes Schenk’s buyback clause and make their former Campus goalkeeper Jonas Urbig’s No.2. FC Bayern know the player very well, but at the moment he would be a No.3 for the club. The Bundesliga giants are searching for another profile, one carrying more experience. We’ve spoken previously about Bernd Leno, Marvin Schwäbe, Oliver Baumann, and Finn Dahmen. At the moment, Schenk isn’t the right man for the position. Perhaps they’ll bring him back later if he doesn’t have a future at any club in the No.3 position.

AS Monaco’s Folarin Balogun and Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sørloth are the main names being looked at as Juventus aim to sign a striker, as reported by Tuttosport. Luciano Spalletti likes both strikers, and Balogun in particular is likely to make a transfer in January, as the 25-year-old’s proposed summer move to Everton fell through due to a scandal involving his medical, and he has been left out of Monaco’s Conference League squad. Jonathan David’s loan from Juventus to Atleti could help open the door for Sorloth to go the other way.

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