Bayern Munich news and rumours – “They would have hung us by our ears from the floodlight pylons for that”: former international strongly criticises Bayern Munich’s defensive play

Markus Babbel is not at all impressed by Bayern Munich’s defending so far this season. News and rumours about Bayern Munich.

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Bayern Munich news: Former Germany international slams Bayern's defending

Former Germany international Markus Babbel has delivered a scathing assessment of Bayern Munich's defending this season.

Speaking to ran, Babbel said he did "not see it as the main reason" for Bayern's comparatively high defensive vulnerability that they lack a settled centre-back pairing. Min-Jae Kim and Jonathan Tah have taken turns alongside the established Dayot Upamecano.

Instead, Babbel pointed to "these unbelievable basic errors when conceding goals". "That really surprises me. The goals very often come from one-on-one situations in which the opposing player simply has better timing, and I find that alarming," said the 54-year-old, who spent a total of seven years playing for Bayern.

Bayern have conceded eight goals after eight Bundesliga matchdays, twice as many as they had at the same point last season. The 3-3 draw away to Norwegian underdogs Viking Stavanger was a particularly poor defensive performance in the Champions League. "As a coach and former defender, these unnecessary mistakes annoy me most because they simply must not happen at this level," Babbel added.

At set pieces in particular, Bayern are "a step too late far too often. They lose such simple aerial duels. In our playing days, we would have been hung by our ears from the floodlight poles for that," Babbel said. "That would have been absolutely unacceptable. We would have been torn apart in the media."

Bayern Munich news: Barca coach Hansi Flick praises former Bayern star

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick singled out an Aston Villa player for praise ahead of the Catalans' Champions League match against the English club.

"The start to the season wasn't easy, but they've got back on track. You can see their confidence on the ball and the way they build their attacks," Flick said of Villa, adding that striker Nicolas Jackson was playing "at an incredible level".

Jackson spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich from Chelsea but could not establish himself as a regular starter. He scored eleven goals in 34 appearances before leaving Säbener Straße after just one year. Chelsea then sold him to Villa for 55.5 million euros.

The 25-year-old has scored five goals in his last five Premier League matches for the Birmingham club, including both goals in Villa's 2-1 win over Manchester City at the end of October.

Bayern Munich news: Nathaniel Brown reveals defining moment in his career

A conversation with mentor Dieter Hecking helped shape Bayern Munich left-back Nathaniel Brown's early professional career at 1. FC Nürnberg.

When Brown stepped up from the club's youth ranks to the first team, he initially struggled to find his place in the squad. Hecking, now managing director of sport at VfL Wolfsburg, served as sporting director in Nürnberg from 2020 to 2024. He also took interim charge of FCN between February and June 2023, when Brown made his breakthrough at the second-division club.

Hecking took Brown and several other talented young professionals aside. "He didn't exactly give me a telling-off, but he did say I should come out of my shell more, because I'm actually a good player but just never show it," Brown recalled in an interview with Prime Video. "That definitely had a lasting effect on me."

Brown became a regular starter under Hecking in the closing stages of the 2022/23 season and kept his place the following season. He moved to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in 2024, developed into a Germany international at the Hesse-based club and joined Bayern this summer for 50 million euros, signing a contract until 2031.

Bayern Munich rumour: Interest in defensive prospect confirmed amid Bayern links

Erik ten Hag, Twente Enschede's technical director since February, has confirmed that several top European clubs are pursuing the club's talented centre-back Ruud Nijstad.

"There is indeed interest in him. Some of Europe's top eight clubs have asked about him," ten Hag revealed on "Goedemorgen Eredivisie" on ESPN.

Bayern Munich have been linked with Nijstad in recent months. Barcelona and Manchester United are also said to be interested in the 18-year-old Dutchman.

"It's remarkable that he consciously decided to stay at Twente for another year," ten Hag said, praising Nijstad's decision last summer not to join a top club yet. The defender secured a regular starting place at Twente in the second half of last season and has become indispensable to the Eredivisie's fourth-placed side.

Nijstad has a contract at Twente until 2029, although ten Hag expects the Dutch youth international to leave earlier. "Every club in the Netherlands has to sell every year. To remain competitive in Europe, you need a certain budget. And to ensure that, you simply have to sell," said ten Hag.

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