Beer And Honey Supporters Club: Recent Episodes
Beer & Honey
Dear Supporters, welcome to the wonderful world of German football! Where beer and honey flow, we, Christoph Biermann and Raphael Honigstein, bring you up to speed every week. We give you the most important news from the Bundesliga, about the German national team (formerly known as “Die Mannschaft”) and everything else you need to know. In addition, we conduct exclusive interviews with players, managers and experts.
Please tell everyone to join our Supporters Club to help us keep "Beer & Honey" flowing and to get access to special episodes and nice merch exclusively for supporters.
Christoph Biermann (Beer) lives in Berlin and has been writing about football for almost four decades, from World Cup finals and lower leagues alike. He has worked for the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Spiegel, today he is a reporter for the football magazine 11 FREUNDE. He has written more than a dozen award-winning books, "Football Hackers" has also been published in English. He loves VfL Bochum and therefore, not surprisingly, all outsiders and underdogs.
Raphael Honigstein (Honey) was born in Munich but has lived in London for almost three decades. He has written for many major newspapers in Germany and England and is now a Senior Writer at the The Athletic. He is also a television pundit on BT Sport and Sky in Germany. He has written several books and his biography of Jürgen Klopp has been published in 2387 countries. He’s got a thing for FC Bayern and beautiful football.
Time To Say GoodbyeDear listeners,
in this 79th and final installment of Beer’n’Honey, your favorite english language podcast on german football, we’ll have a look back at the top 11 players of the season so far and analyze the three cases of managerial sackings that happened in Mainz, Cologne and Berlin and look at what will happen in Dortmund, where BVB is looking to strengthen their coaching staff with former players Nuri Sahin and or Sven “Manni” Bender. We’ll discuss whether Toni Kroos should return for the German national team and then we’ll call it quits.
Thanks to all our Supporters and Ultras and thanks to all the colleagues that joined us along the way to share their knowledge!
Leverkusen On Top Heading Into The Winter BreakDear listeners,
Bayer Leverkusen have held on to the top of the table by extending their unbeaten streak to 25 games over all competitions, when they manhandled Christoph’s VfL Bochum 4-0 behind a Patrik Schick hat-trick.
Bayern München without Kimmich and Goretzka came through 2-1 in Wolfsburg, putting former Bayern-coach Niko Kovac’s job there in jeopardy after losing 5 of their last 7 matches.
Number three in the standings is VfB Stuttgart the surprise team of the season so far, who beat Augsburg 3-0 and are playing one of the best campaigns in club history under Sebastian Hoeness’s leadership.
BVB Dortmund on the other hand are having a hard time and are only in fifth place after their draw with lowly Mainz 05. Dortmund is already 6 points behind fourth place Leipzig and coach Edin Terzic and Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl will have to do a lot of soul searching over Christmas.
In the basement, 1. FC Köln are looking like they might need to be looking for a new manager, as Steffen Baumgart has made some remarks regarding his future, that should sound all the alarms. Especially given that his relationship with Sporting Director Keller isn’t the best.
Tune in for all the results and analysis!
And please send us your questions for next week’s end of year special!
All Beer, No HoneyDear listeners,
we are sorry but Raphael “Honey” Honigstein is not available today and neither was a replacement, so all we have today is “beer” aka Christoph Biermann. He’s gonna do a quick recap of all the matches from this weekend before we return in full form on thursday to inform you of the last round of matches the Bundesliga has to offer befor the Christmas break.
Members Only: 3 Out Of 4 Go ThroughDear Subscribers and Ultras,
this one’s for you!
We take an exclusive look back at the last round of group play in this year’s Champions League campaign. Marking the last time the Champions League will have played in its current mode. And probably also marking the last time we’ve seen Union take part in Europe’s top club competition. They finished last in their group but at least they didn’t embarass themselves in the process.
BVB Dortmund hat quite the opposite experience, coming through as winners of the only truly competitive group, leaving PSG and Milan in their wake with Newcastle United finding themselves at the bottom of this group of death.
Bayern München didn’t face too much competition from their opponents from Kopenhagen, Istanbul and Manchester respectively, with United dropping the ball and finishing last. How is Erik Ten Hag still employed?
RB Leipzig saw club legend Emil Forsberg score one last time before his impending transfer to the New York Red Bulls as they defeated Young Boys Bern. They finished second behind Manchester City in one of the least competitive groups with Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys combining for 5 points overall.
Thanks for your support!
A Sermon For The Meek And FeebleDear listeners,
we saw the best game of this Bundesliga season, and Bayern weren’t in it. It was the 1-1 draw between Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen and the surprisingly successful side of the season Stuttgart on sunday. The game featured complex possession based football with creativity and power and ended in a fair draw.
But let’s take a look at Bayern München, who went down 5-1 in Frankfurt. That same result cost Nico Kovac his job as Bayern manager a couple of years ago. While it’s doubtful that Thomas Tuchel is in imminent danger, this loss could still have some repercussions concerning the winter transfer window and in the short term on their game against Manchester United in the last group stage match of the Champions League. Because everyone is expecting a bounce back game now.
As always, when Bayern drop the ball, the BVB Bayernjäger miss their opportunity to make up ground, losing 2-3 versus RB Leipzig.
In other news: Union Berlin have snapped their run of 16 winless games in new manager Nenad Bjelica’s home debut against meek and feeble Borussia Mönchengladbach, who had their run of seven undefeated games ended at Stadion an der alten Försterei in Berlin-Köpenick.
Tune in for recaps of all the games from matchday 14!
Enjoy!
We Are The World Champions!Well, at least of the Under 17s, as Germany won against France in Indonesia on Saturday. In other international news, the groups for the coming European Championships in Germany were drawn and it really could’ve been much worse for Nagelsmann’s squad who will face Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland in a group that they should really come through. Well, we’ve heard that before the World Cups in 2018 and 2022 and look how that went…
But back to national competition, back to the Bundesliga, where heavy snowfall in southern Germany lead to the match between Bayern and Union being postponed. In Sunday’s highlight game, Leverkusen could only muster a draw against BVB who played very defensively.
Good news for Christoph: Bochum won and has moved up to twelfth place!
Stuttgart look like they’re gonna stay near the top of the table for the time being and 1. FC Köln got a win in the basement.
Enjoy!
Members Only Champions League Day 5 ReviewDear Ultras and Supporters,
this one’s for you!
Filling in today to discuss the German teams in this week’s Champions League action is Lars Pollmann, formerly of Bleacher Report, who is a specialist on all things black and yellow. What a great week to have him on board, since the BVB had a memorable away win at Milan’s San Siro stadium featuring a soon to be 35 year old Mats Hummels in his best form.
We’ll discuss the other matches, too, but today Dortmund is getting the spotlight.
Thank you for your contribution!
Reviewing The Bundesliga With Seb Stafford-BloorDear listeners,
today The Athletic’s Seb Stafford-Bloor is filling in for Christoph Biermann. He went to see the duel of the Borussias in Dortmund which was easily the highlight game of the weekend, ending 4-2 for BVB, who went down 0-2 early thanks to Gladbach’s strong start. It all fell apart for the foals due to some individual mistakes, some bad luck und some questionable officiating.
Bayern’s win in Cologne over last place 1. FC Köln on friday night was never in question as was Leverkusen’s 3:0 in Bremen, giving Xabi Alonso’s squad 34 points from 12 matches, equalling Pep Guardiola’s record with Bayern München for best start to a season.
Union Berlin scored a goal and didn’t lose in interim manager Marco Grote’s last match. Croatian former Bundesliga player Nenad Bjelica is taking over manager duties.
Check out today’s episode for all the other matches from day 12 in the Bundesliga!
Maybe Nagelsmann Is Not Our SaviourDear Supporters and Ultras,
first of all, thank you for your support! In today’s exclusive episode our Hessian friend Ronny Reng is filling in for Christoph while he’s on his honeymoon.
There’s only one topic in German football right now and that’s the utter mess that we used to call “Die Mannschaft”. Our national team. It’s in disarray, it’s in shambles. No team spirit, no individual effort (except from Leroy Sané - although he used his excess energy to try to get sent off in the first half and succeeded in the second half). No balance between offense and defense. No proper wingbacks. The list goes on…
Where can we go from here with the European Championships just around the corner and only a couple more friendlies to go? Is this rock bottom, yet? Or can German football reach lower lows?
Find out right here!
Great Mainz Think AlikeDear listeners,
I hope you like FSV Mainz 05, one of the negative surprises this season, because we’ve invited author and blogger and podcaster Mara Pfeiffer to our show. She’s a fan and an expert on all things Mainz.
And there’s alot to unpack in the southwest of Germany, where coach Bo Svensson stepped down with an emotional farewell adress to the fans. His erstwhile successor, Jan Siewert, had a rather unsuccesful stint in Huddersfield, where he lasted for 19 games, picking up, 0,32 points on average. His start in Mainz was promising, with a win and a draw. But leave it to Mara to shine a light on all the issues surrounding the team and the team behind the team.
We’ll have a look at all the other games, too and wonder what’s going on in Dortmund, give props to Leverkusen and Stuttgart and bemoan another Union Berlin loss.
Enjoy!
Members Only Champions League Day 4Dear Supporters and Ultras,
in this exclusive episode we’re covering all the German contestants in this year’s Champions League campaign.
Union traveled to Naples and got their first point after twelve defeats in all competitions summed up.
BVB Dortmund bounced back from their trouncing at the hands of the Bayern last weekend and beat Newcastle United 2:0.
RB Leipzig qualified for the knockout stages by winning in the hostile atmosphere of Belgrade.
Last but not least Harry Kane scored twice to see Bayern München go through with a win over Galatasaray at the Allianz Arena.
Enjoy and thanks for your support!
Bayern Too Strong For BVB; Mainz And Bochum Get First WinDear listeners,
everybody’s talking about the German Classico: Bayern München vs. Borussia Dortmund. FCB just totally outclassed BVB in this one, winning 4:0, making it a tradition of easily beating their number one contender through the years. This one made headlines for the ongoings off the pitch, as well, with Thomas Tuchel’s own matchup against Sky Germany’s team of pundits and experts, led by Lothar Matthäus and Didi Hamann, the former Liverpool player.
In other news, Bayer Leverkusen are still looking like a contender this season, whereas Union Berlin are looking like they might be relegated, after they collected their 12 loss in a row, including Champions League and League Cup games.
Lowly Mainz lost their coach Bo Svensson, who had been with the club for 16 years, but won against RB Leipzig, in an upset. That marks their first win. Bochum also got their first win in an ugly matchup with newly promoted SV Darmstadt 98.
Enjoy!
Goals Galore And 3 Red Cards In MunichDear listeners,
today’s episode features a very special guest, Jonas Hummels, brother of Mats Hummels, who is Christoph’s favorite pundit with sports streaming service DAZN, that has the rights to friday night football and some sunday games as well.
He’ll provide his insights to mainly the BVB and Bayern München situations, but also Union’s growing crisis and the other matchups from this past weekend. Also we’ll discuss the top three coaches, Thomas Tuchel, Xabi Alonso and Edin Terzic and how much Pep Guardiola is in their approach.
So tune in for historic red cards and 8 goals in one half by Bayern, including a 50 meter lob by Harry Kane that overshadowed Manuel Neuer’s comeback after his lengthy injury spell!
Shout-out to Christoph for winning an award for his latest book!
Members Only: Champions League Day 3Dear Supporters and Ultras,
this one's for you! We take a look back at the German participants and their exploits on day 3 of Champions League play. And we can confidently state, that all four were impressive: Bayern München didn't cave under pressure at their super loud outing in Istanbul, RB Leipzig took care of Red Star Belgrade, Borussia Dortmund handed Newcastle United a very rare home loss and Union Berlin were much improved despite losing their ninth match in a row to Italian champions SSC Napoli.
Thank you for your support!
Enjoy!
Middle East Conflict Reaches Bundesliga Dear listeners,
the violent conflict in Israel and Gaza has overshadowed sports events globally, and in the Bundesliga specifically, where two players got in trouble for social media posts. Mainz suspended striker Anwar El-Ghazi who had just recently joined the squad whereas Bayern Munich decided to leave Noussair Mazraoui with the team after a stern talking to and a statement by the club that left some disappointed. But the show must go on and Bayern don't have any depth at Mazraouis position.
Of course, there were games played as well, with Union deep in crisis after another loss, Dortmund looking not good but successful in 2023 and a Rheinderby that showed that both Köln and Mönchengladbach will have nothing to do with the top half of the table this season. Last but not least, lowly Augsburg came back from 2-0 at newly promoted Heidenheim to win 5-2 in new manager Jess Thorup's debut.
For all this and much more, please tune in to our latest episode!
German National Squad Beats USADear listeners,
we're coming to you on a Sunday, because the German national team is on a trip to the US, where they met the US men's national team in Hartford, CT and will face Mexico in Philly on Tuesday.
In yesterday's matchup with Greg Berhalter's team, Julian Nagelsmann got a fun 3-1 win in his debut as "Bundestrainer". It was just what the doctor ordered for Germany who are looking to build some momentum going forward towards the European Championships in 2024.
But the events on the pitch where overshadowed by Julian Nagelsmann's fashion choice. In a weak attempt at cultural appropriation he dressed in a plaid flannel shirt. Maybe he was trying to blend in with the local lumberjacks?
Enjoy!
One-Sided Wins For Bayern and Bayer And A Record For GuirassyDear listeners,
in this weeks installment of your favorite football podcast, we'll have a look back at matchday 7 and a look ahead at the German national team's upcoming trip to the USA.
First of all, congratulations to Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy of surprise team VfB Stuttgart, who broke Robert Lewandowski's record for most goals scored after 7 rounds. And he did it in style, with a so-called crystal clear German Hat-Trick, which means you have to score all three goals in one half and no one else is allowed to score in-between. It took him all of 15 minutes to do so in Stuttgart's 3-1 over Wolfsburg.
Please tune in for all the other results and analysis!
Members Only Champions League Day 2Dear Supporters and Ultras,
we take a look back at what our Bundesliga frontrunners could get done in this week's Champions League action. Spoiler: It wasn't much.
Christoph traveled to the far west of Berlin and witnessed another Union loss, making it 6 in a row in all competitions. Things started off with two goals by Sheraldo Becker but Union squandered their lead in the late stages, falling 2:3 against Portugal's contestant from Braga.
BVB Dortmund couldn't muster enough clear goal scoring opportunities and were held to a goalless draw by Italian powerhouse AC Milan. But since Newcastle beat PSG 4:1 the group is still wide open.
German powerhouse Bayern München were the only winners, beating Danish underdogs FC Kopenhagen away, whereas RB Leipzig felt the could've drawn with Pep's ManCity side until Alvarez unleashed a monster of a shot in the closing minutes that put City on top, winning 3:1 in the end.
Thanks for your support!
Eberl Out At Leipzig, Boateng Back In Munich And Xavi On TopDear listeners,
what a weekend! Contenders Leipzig and Bayern drew 2-2 after Tuchel dumbed down his tactical approach after falling behind 2-0 in the first half at Leipzig. Prior to this matchup, Red Bull director Oliver Mintzlaff fired Max Eberl for not being committed enough to the Red Bull philosophy and not spending enough time in Leipzig, thus making Eberl's return to his youth club Bayern München more and more likely. A career move that many have expected Eberl to make sooner or later.
While it is to be determined how much RB will miss Eberl, it is pretty obvious that Bayern are missing a centre-back which has given former Bayern leader Jerome Boateng an opportunity to come back out of quasi-retirement at 35 years of age to once again wear the red uniform.
In other news, BVB's leader Marco Reus doesn't look like he's ready to retire although he is 34 years old, having scored 3 goals in 4 matches, and helping BVB beat in form Hoffenheim.
Then, in a clash between Christoph's VfL Bochum and our producer Yorck's Borussia Mönchengladbach, Gladbach showed why they're better than their meager points total, by overwhelming hapless Bochum in the first half, taking a 3-0 lead which was flattering for Bochum's defense.
Tune in for all the other match reviews in this week's edition of Beer 'n' Honey!
Episode 60: Kane's Hat-Trick, Stuttgart's Run and Union's SlumpDear listeners,
the season in Deutsche Bundesliga is still young but we can see some early trends: Harry Kane looks like he's always been scoring in a Bayern jersey, Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy looks like he's worth 100 million Euros and first-time Champions League participant Union Berlin are in their first slump of the decade.
Raphael and Christoph are here to give you some much needed context.
Episode 59: Members Only Champions League ReviewDear subscribers,
welcome to our first Champions League review of the season, where we take an exclusive look at what the four German contestants achieved in their first outings.
Union took their first ever Champions League trip to European powerhouse Real Madrid and almost pulled off a 0-0 draw, until Jude Bellingham scored in extra time.
Borussia Dortmund could have used Bellingham's attacking skills as they didn't have much to offer on that end in their 2-0 defeat at PSG.
Bayern München made ith harder than it had to be but in the end pulled off a convincing but wild 4-3 victory over Manchester United, who couldn't complete their comeback without Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Lastly, RB Leipzig travelled to historic Wankdorfstadium in Bern, site of Germany's World Cup win of '54, where they easily handled Young Boys Bern, taking a 3-1 road win.
And on top of all that, we'll discuss Julian Nagelsmann, designated new manager for Germany's national squad.
Thank you for your support and please enjoy our exclusive analysis!
Episode 58: Soft Penalties And Wild OutcomesDear listeners,
this episode is chock full of games that demonstrate how fun football in the Bundesliga can be. Goals galore, winning underdogs and questionable refereeing.
The wildest game comes to you courtesy of newly promoted SV Darmstadt 98 who took rebuilding Borussia Mönchengladbach apart in the first half before having central defender Maglica sent off. Gladbach manager Gerry Seoane replaced four players at halftime and they came back in spectacular fashion in a new tactical formation to draw 3-3. In the end they even should've won it.
The other Borussia from Dortmund also needed some assistance by the referee, who sent off Freiburgs defensive midfielder Nico Höfler, allowing BVB to score two more goals in an unexpected away win at Freiburg.
The top match took place on friday as Bayer Leverkusen met Bayern München and came away with a 2-2 draw, after some, you guessed it, assistance by the referee in penalty time.
Tune in for all the games from this wacky week 4 of Bundesliga action!
Dear listeners, what a time to be alive as a fan of German football! Hansi Flick got the boot after the German national team got embarrassed by Japan, losing 1-4 at…
Episode 56: Deadline Day Shenanigans And Bayer On TopDear listeners,
matchday 3 is in the books and all transfer activities have come to an end. Christoph and Raphael will discuss the winners and losers on the pitch and on the transfer market in this episode. Of course the focus is on two losers of the deadline day, Frankfurt and Bayern. Frankfurt are very rich losers, who decided to let go of Kolo Muani for somewhere north of 90 million Euros, even after the german transfer window had closed on friday, meaning they'll have to wait till january to sign a replacement with all that cash. The other deadline losers are Bayern München, who failed to sign Palhinha from Fulham and a replacement for Benjamin Pavard, simply because they ran out of time. Unprofessional much?
On the pitch, Bayern took care of bogey team Gladbach while Frankfurt only managed a 1-1 versus 1. FC Köln. Meanwhile Werder Bremen, who sold striker Niclas Füllkrug to Dortmund, got a 4-0 win over Mainz. Bayer Leverkusen have a perfect 3 and 0 record behind new striker Boniface's scoring and new midfielder Xhaka's steadying presence. The duel of Champions League competitors Union and RB saw RB win rather easily after Berlin's newly acquired striker Kevin Volland was sent off half an hour before the end.
Enjoy!
Episode 55: Members Only Champions League PreviewDear Supporters and Ultras,
this one's for you! Just a quick heads up on what to expect from each group with a German team in it. Group F for Fatality will see BVB match up with Milan, Newcastle and PSG. Group A featuring Bayern, Gala, Kopenhagen and ManU. Group C will be too much for Union with Real, Napoli and Braga. Group G is doable for Leipzig who will meet ManCity (and lose) as well as lowly Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys Bern.
Thank you for your support and enjoy!
Dear listeners, we've got another special guest for you! BVB insider and former ESPN correspondent, Stephan Uersfeld, joined us to give a rather gloomy perspective on a…
Dear listeners, the new season in Germany's top flight Erste Bundesliga has kicked off with some spectacular scoring. 34 goals in 9 matches! Lead by Union's Kevin…
Dear listeners, at the eve of the new Bundesliga season, traditionally German football kicks off with the DFB Pokal first round where upsets are the rule and teams from…
Dear listeners, tune in to our show today to get an introduction into the German FA Cup and Community Shield, DFB-Pokal and Super Cup, respectively, as those kick off…
Dear listeners, we're having a little anniversary, celebrating 50 episodes of Beer 'n' Honey, your go-to podcast on all things Bundesliga! Our special guest is once…
Dear listeners, welcome to another edition of our review/preview. This time we have scored not one, but two experts to give us insights on their clubs. Sports writer…
Dear listeners, for this week's review/preview special we are proud to have one of our favorite sports writers, Philipp Selldorf from Sueddeutsche Zeitung, joining us…
Dear listeners, in our latest review/preview of the summer break, we are joined by Borussia Moenchengladbach beat writer Jannik Sorgatz from newspaper "Rheinische Post"…
Dear listeners, tune in to today's episode with special guest Uli Hesse, acclaimed sports writer and veteran BVB Dortmund superfan, who will give us a detailed look into…
Dear listeners, welcome to the second installment of our Review/Preview Summer Special. Our featured guest today is Mara Pfeiffer, an author and…
Dear Supporters and Ultras, we hope you're not just fans of German club football, but would like to hear our perspective on the Nationalmannschaft aka DFB-Elf. In case…
Dear listeners, in this week's episode we have a very special guest for you, acclaimed journalist and author, Ronald Reng, who will help us review Eintracht Frankfurt's…
Dear listeners, this week's episode is brought to you by yourselves via the questions you sent in. Christoph is joining us from his vacation location in Greece and…
Episode 41: Cup Final And RelegationDear listeners,
regular season play is over but the season isn't quite done until we know who won the German FA Cup, the DFB Pokal, and whether the third from the bottom of the first Bundesliga can stay up or if the third best team of the second Bundesliga can make it to the top flight. So we have two matchups: RB Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the cup final and VfB Stuttgart vs. HSV in two relegation matches.
Leipzig looked like a very mature top team and won a mostly boring game 2-0. They also celebrated more maturely and didn't empty cans of Red Bull into the cup like last year, but rather emptied beer bottles on coach Marco Rose.
This was Oliver Glasner's last game in charge of Frankfurt and we're not sure where he will show up next. His english is pretty good, so maybe he'll find a job in the Premier League.
Meanwhile Stuttgart and Hamburg had to fight it out in two games for the last available place in next year's Bundesliga. Let's just say the difference between first and second Bundesliga became apparent and Stuttgart won 6-1 on aggregate. Better luck next year, Hamburg.
Episode 40: I Just Can't AnymoreDear listeners,
in a season finale for the ages, beloved underdogs Dortmund crapped the bed at home against Mainz, while Bayern couldn't believe that they won their eleventh Bundesliga title in a row. In fact, they went and fired bosses Kahn and Salihamidzic before their last game, apparently in anticipation of losing the title. Helter Skelter in Bavaria!
Meanwhile, Berlin is split in two halves, with blue side Hertha singing the relegation Blues and red side Union singing the Champions League hymn.
Christoph's VfL Bochum get to play another season of top class football, while local rivals Schalke 04 will have to try to come back next year.
We'll be back next week to talk about the German DFB Pokal Final between Frankfurt and Leipzig and the relegation matches.
Episode 39: Wait, Dortmund Can Really Win It?!?!Dear listeners,
in what is turning out to be one of the crazier seasons in recent Bundesliga history, the BVB is back in first place with one more game to play, after Bayern fell at home to third place RB Leipzig, leaving Thomas Tuchel scratching his head as to why his team fell apart in the second half of the game. Dortmund on the other hand had no problems with their mentality or resilience or whatever you want to call it, disposing of Augsburg 3-0 on Sunday. The other results leave us with several races still open heading into matchday 34: Will Freiburg or Union qualify for the Champions League? Will Leverkusen or Wolfsburg qualify for the Euroleague? Who will join Hertha in 2. Bundesliga next season, with Hoffenheim and Bremen safe, but Stuttgart, Bochum and Schalke and maybe even Augsburg still in the race to at least get to the relegation playoffs against the mighty HSV from Hamburg or smalltown Heidenheim.
Here's our take on this mess, enjoy!
Episode 38: Members Only: Too Much Mou For Bayer To Go ThroughDear Supporters and Ultras,
last night Leverkusen just couldn't overcome "Mou-Ball" in the second leg of their Euroleague semi-finals vs. AS Roma. Raphael was at the BayArena to witness Xabi Alonso's side take 23 shots on goal and strike the bar once. In the end, Roma made use of every trick in the book to hold on, like delaying the game with fake injuries and interrupting the flow of the game at every chance. In English we say "shithousing". Well, winning ugly is still winning, so congratulations to Roma who will meet Spanish side FC Sevilla in the finals, who seem to have a finals subscription for the Euroleague and know a thing or two about winning ugly themselves.
Better luck next time, Bayer!
Episode 37: Bayern and BVB Still CloseDear listeners,
in this week's episode Raphael and Christoph look back at matchday 32 in the Bundesliga where both Bayern and Dortmund looked convincing in their lopsided wins vs. Schalke and Gladbach respectively. Both losing sides will have a lot on their plates this upcoming offseason. While Schalke might face relegation, Gladbach needs to restructure their squad and have to ask themselves whether coach Daniel Farke and director Roland Virkus are the ones to lead the change.
The race for the Champions League qualification saw Union Berlin beat SC Freiburg to take fourth place and Leipzig cement third place by beating Bremen on Sunday. One of the feelgood stories of the week is Union captain Christopher Trimmel who got his 300th cap and standing ovations at Alte Försterei, whereas Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner didn't get a standing ovation but rather got his walking papers for after the DFB-Pokal finals match, after losing the power struggle with club director Markus Krösche.
Meanwhile the other Berlin club, Hertha BSC are in deep financial trouble at the bottom of the table, where Christoph's VfL Bochum leapt out of the relegation spots by beating Augsburg away.
Get all the hot topics from this week in episode 37 of Beer & Honey!
Episode 36: Members Only: Mourinho vs. AlonsoDear Supporters and Ultras,
in this special edition, Christoph and Raphael look back at Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen's away match against Jose Mourinho's AS Roma at the legendary Stadio Olimpico (where Germany won the World Cup finals in 1990). Since Raphael was in Rome for the match, he joined us from his tiny hotel room to share his impressions of the game and the crowd. Christoph meanwhile had to watch from the comfort of his living room and he was bored and annoyed by Roma's defensive tactics and their constant delaying and stalling of the game.
Here's your special Uefa Cup Semi-Finals edition of Beer & Honey!
Episode 35: Bayern Heading Towards The Finish LineDear listeners,
matchday 31 saw alot of meaningful pairings for the all the races that are still open in the Bundesliga. The race for number one has the BVB trailing Bayern by one point. RB Leipzig beat Freiburg and leapfrogged them and Union in the standings, while playing like a top 3 team. Meanwhile the bottom 3 saw another shake-up as Schalke have made it out of the relegation spots by beating Mainz, while lowly Hertha BSC showed signs of life by beating Stuttgart and pushing them down to 16th. Christoph's VfL Bochum lost away to Gladbach, which leaves them at place 17.
Raphael and Christoph will discuss all the action from matchday 31 as well as the rumors around former Wolfsburg sporting director Jörg Schmadtke and FC Liverpool in this week's edition of Beer & Honey.
Enjoy!
Episode 34: Okay, Now It's Bayern AgainDear listeners,
the most suspenseful title race in recent memory has left Raphael and Christoph wondering whether Dortmund are too dumb to win the Bundesliga championship. Maybe that's too harsh, as they were robbed of a clear penalty in their 1-1 draw at Christoph's VfL Bochum. In his mind, goalie Riemann would've stopped the penalty anyways, while Raphael thinks Dortmund should've beat Bochum regardless of the referee's mistake, if they want to be a true contender.
In our preview of the upcoming cup semi-finals Freiburg and Leipzig, two competitors for the third and fourth place in the Bundesliga, will meet and in a callback to the 80s two great teams of that era will meet in Stuttgart as the VfB takes on Eintracht Frankfurt.
We'll also have a look at the race for the Champions League as well as the relegation fight.
Come for our Bundesliga review of matchday 30 and stay for our preview of the DFB-Pokal!
Episode 33: The Great BVB-Bayern-SwitcherooDear listeners,
what's happening in the Bundesliga right now? BVB has taken the lead after another disastrous effort bei Tuchel's Bayern who went down 3-1 in Mainz against the second best team of the second half of the season. Meanwhile Dortmund took their chance and won their match with struggling Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0, who have fallen to 9th place. So Frankfurt can probably say bye-bye to their hopes of qualifying for the European Cup competition.
It's also time to say bye-bye to a real icon of Cologne football, as Jonas Hector has announced he's calling it quits after this season, his 13th with 1. FC Köln. He will be missed both as a contributor on and off the pitch.
You won't miss anything from matchday 29, if you stay right here and listen to this week's episode of Beer & Honey featuring a callback to 90s action flick Face Off and a (bad) Leverkusen-Limerick!
Enjoy!
Episode 32: Members Only: Xabi Alonso Is HappeningDear Supporter and Ultras,
Former star midfielder Xabi Alonso has turned Bayer Leverkusen into one of the most interesting and fun to watch teams of the Bundesliga, leading them to the Euroleague semi-finals, their biggest international cup success since the famous campaign of 2002, when they lost to Real and Zidane in the finals of the Champions League. Now that Bayern were kicked out by City, Leverkusen are the only German side left in international cup competition. And now that Bayern were kicked out of the Champions League, Oliver Kahn is starting to feel the heat from all those shadowy figures lurking in the background who are not happy with the direction the club is heading in under his rule. Stay tuned for more salacious conspiracy theories from Bavaria!
Enjoy!
Episode 31: Dumb And DumberDear listeners,
today Raphael and Christoph have to discuss who wants it less between Bayern and Dortmund, who both messed up their games this weekend. The BVB were up two goals and one man but managed to give up 3 goals to lowly Stuttgart and end it in a 3-3 draw, while Bayern stumbled against lowly Hoffenheim and also drew the game 1-1. So Dortmund proved once again that they just aren't quite championship material and Bayern proved that their problems run deeper than the coaching position.
The other end of the table was also quite interesting with Hertha finding themselves back at the bottom and finding themselves a new manager, Pal Dardai, heading into his third stint with his Hertha. Maybe three times is the charm for Pal and the Big City Club.
Enjoy!
Episode 30: Members Only: Bayern's Defeat Feels Worse The Morning AfterDear Supporters and Ultras, this one's for you!
Poor Raphael is joining us today from a hotel room in Manchester, where he had to witness his Bayern fall 3-0 to Pep and the Citizens. Christoph was sensitive enough not to gloat too much, in contrast to the German Twittersphere where Bayern and especially Upamecano and Sommer where ridiculed. Sommer for being too short and Upamecano for royally screwing up in a game that Bayern manager Tuchel wasn't completely dissatisfied with, except for the result, obviously, even claiming that his team made him fall in love with them. He felt they just had some bad luck and CEO Oliver Kahn is still a believer of football miracles. Let's hear what Raphael and Christoph believe.
Enjoy!
Episode 29: From Review To PreviewDear listeners,
this week Raphael Honigstein and Christoph Biermann take a look back at all the Bundesliga action from the Easter Weekend and take a look ahead towards Bayern's Champions League matchup with Pep and the Citizens (great band name, by the way).
In the Bundesliga, Bayern München got revenge on Freiburg for ousting them from the DFB-Pokal cup competition, prompting Josuah Kimmich to provocatively cheer in front of Freiburg's home fans. Dortmund are still in the race, but have to hope for Bayern to stumble one more time en route to their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title.
In the lower ranks of the table there were a lot of duels to get clear of the relegation spots and Hoffenheim and Stuttgart came out as the winners, dragging Bochum back down and putting Schalke back at the bottom of the table.
Enjoy!
Episode 28: Bayern Back On TopDear listeners,as most fans and experts expected, Bayern kept BVB at bay, taking them down 4-2 in Tuchel's debut. Christoph and Raphael will focus on the "German Classico" as well as the relegation struggle which is still very close for the five bottom dwellers of the Bundesliga. We'll have a look at Rose's guns in Leipzig who are running out of ammo lately, losing three in a row and struggling to score in those defeats. In non-sporting news, the "Effzeh" from Cologne have been handed a transfer ban by FIFA over alleged tampering with a transfer of Slovenian youth player Potocnik. Given their financial woes this transfer ban might be a nail in the coffin for their hopes of a brighter future. Enjoy!
Episode 27: Members Only: 50+1 RuleDear Listeners, dear Supporters and Ultras,
in this special edition of Beer & Honey, FC St. Pauli CEO Oke Goettlich tries to explain the German rule called "50+1", which keeps investors from seizing control over German football clubs, which are member led entitites. It means that 50% of the votes plus one vote must stay with the clubs and their democratically elected officials. Raphael and Christoph question Oke on his position regarding this rule and what it means for German clubs that need to generate investments in order to keep up with the likes of PSG or Man City.
Enjoy!
Episode 26: Calling Mr. TuchelDear listeners,
instead of focussing on the German national team and their return after the disastrous World Cup in Qatar, we have to talk about Bayern München, who have replaced "long-term manager" Julian Nagelsmann with Thomas Tuchel, whose availability was in jeopardy as Tottenham seemed to have zeroed in on him lately as a successor to Antonio Conte. Raphael and Christoph will get you up to date about all aspects of this surprising coaching change in Bavaria's capital. But let's not forget about another former Bayern manager, Germany's manager Hansi Flick, who started a series of friendlies leading up to the European Championships in Germany in 2024 with a kind of convincing 2-0 win over Peru. The main takeaway: if you hit the post on a penalty, you're not allowed to hit the rebound into the goal if no defender touches it first. Thanks to Kai Havertz for clarifying this rule, that half of Twitter seems to have known nothing about.Enjoy!
Episode 25: Dortmund On TopDear listeners,
for the first time in 10 years Bayern find themselves out of the top spot in the table after 25 games played, which goes to show how dominant the club from Munich have been. But this year they're lacking some of the machine-like consistency they usually display and have collected three defeats already, the most recent one coming at the hands of the VAR and Bayer Leverkusen, who saw two calls by controversial referee Tobi Stieler overturned that got them two penalties and a 2-1 over Bayern.Meanwhile the undermanned BVB took care of Köln with a 6-1 thrashing that puts them one point ahead of their Bavarian rivals before the break for international team play. After the break, of course, Dortmund and Bayern will meet in Munich on April 1st in the duel that might make or break the season for either side.Join us as we also discuss the race for the bottom in this week's show!Enjoy!
Episode 24: Members Only Euro ReviewDear Supporters,
this one's just for you! Raphael and Christoph are sad to announce that the German forces have been heavily decimated in the European Cup competitions, with only Bayern and Bayer going through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League and the Europa League, respectively.It's easy to blame the refs with some dubious VAR penalty calls against Freiburg and Dortmund, for example, but we don't buy into conspiracy theories, we would just like for there to be more consistency on what constitutes a punishable offense when the hand of a defender touches the ball.In other news, we're starting a new tier of memberships, the "Ultra" membership, which will get you a super nice Beer And Honey coffee mug!
Episode 23: Schalke Are Hard To Beat in 2023Dear listeners,
the Revierderby between Schalke and Dortmund proved yet again, that this year's edition of FC Schalke 04 are simply hard to beat, holding favorites Dortmund to a 2-2 draw. Still, BVB seems to be the only Bayernjäger left, now that Union and Freiburg have dropped out of the race. RB Leipzig might have a slight chance of joining the hunt after their 3-0 defeat of Gladbach at home, but they're already seven points behind Bayern.That brings us to the relegation race, where Bochum made a leap to 14th after beating Köln in Cologne on friday with Christoph Biermann in attendance. But everyone is still very close together from 14 to 18, so every matchday can rearrange the whole outlook at the bottom.Enjoy!
Episode 22: Exclusive Champions League RecapDear Supporters,
this one's for your ears only! Raphael and Christoph take a look back at the two German sides that competed in the Champions League round of 16 this week. Borussia Dortmund sadly couldn't get past FC Chelsea, partly because they were without keeper Kobel and Julian Brandt had to leave the game five minutes in because of injury. In the end that meant that Chelsea outlasted Dortmund and deservedly went through to the quarterfinals.Bayern München also deserved their spot in the round of 8 by holding off PSG who, despite having the superstars on their side, couldn't overcome the injuries to their defenders. It looks like Bayern simply have the deeper squad and it looks like Julian Nagelsmann found the right tactical approach as well as the right eleven men to get the job done.
Enjoy!
Episode 21: Mainz Is Hot, BVB Is HotterDear listeners,
in this week's edition of Beer & Honey Raphael and Christoph take a look back at the results of matchday 23 in the Bundesliga and preview the upcoming Champions League clashes between Bayern and PSG as well as Dortmund who will play Chelsea. The Bundesliga saw two teams on a hot streak continue to get the results they wanted as both Dortmund and Mainz won. Mainz has stealthily been the second best team since play resumed following the World Cup and they've snuck up to seventh place whereas BVB are the last remaining "Bayernjäger", only separated from Bayern through goal difference. The race for relegation is even closer with four teams sitting at 19 points after Schalke beat Bochum.Find out what PSG and Chelsea can expect from their German counterparts on tuesday and wednesday in this episode...Enjoy!
Episode 20: Bayern Show Union Who's The BossDear listeners,
welcome to our 20th edition of "Beer & Honey" with Raphael Honigstein and Christoph Biermann! This time our focus is on the duel at the top between Bayern and up and coming Union Berlin, who seem to have had too little energy left after their matches against Ajax in the Euroleague. Bayern never left any doubt about who belongs on the top and who doesn't and beat Union handily by 3-0. That leaves BVB and RBL as the two real contenders who might swoop in should Bayern fail to stay on top this season. Then, of course, we'll have a look at the relegation fight which has gotten more thrilling since Schalke are back in the race after defeating fellow endangered team VfB Stuttgart.Enjoy!
Episode 19: German Clubs in European CompetitionsDear Supporters,
join Christoph Biermann and Raphael Honigstein for an exclusive Supporters only look back at this week's German activities in European Cup competitions featuring Union's upset of Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen's penalty shootout with AS Monaco, Leipzig's draw with ManCity and Eintracht Frankfurt who had their wings cropped by Italian powerhouse Napoli.
Enjoy!
If you are on Spotify, please look for "Beer And Honey Supporters Club".
Episode 18: Bayern Just Can't Beat GladbachDear listeners,
once again powerhouse Bayern München have failed to beat wildly inconsistent rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach, who may have the best record of any Bundesliga team against Bayern over the span of the last decade. Of course having Upamecano sent off in the eighth minute for a very minor foul didn't help Julian Nagelsmann's team and their gameplan. The way the 35 year old coach reacted with his in-game changes as well as after the match didn't instill confidence in Raphael and Christoph as to whether Nagelsmann has grown into the role of Bayern's coach. This defeat leaves the title race open wider than it's been in the last couple of years, with Union, BVB, Leipzig and even Frankfurt chasing Bayern. We'll have a look at each contender and preview the international cup games coming up this week, which will feature some of those contenders.
We'll be back on Friday,
enjoy!
Episode 17: Champions League Round of 16 Review Dear Listeners,
in today's subscriber-only episode, Raphael Honigstein and Christoph Biermann provide you with the most important facts and insights from the first leg matches of Bayern and BVB. Ist Gregor Kobel the best keeper in Germany at the moment or is it Georg Kobel?What happened to Emre Can and Julian Brandt who have turned around their seasons by playing in great form this year after some lackluster performances in 2022?Has Karim Adeyemi finally arrived after his game-winner vs. Chelsea?How much better will PSG be with Mbappé back and healthy?How much better can Bayern play after winning in Paris with several players underperforming?Are Messi, Mbappé and Neymar capable of pressing high against a quality opponent like Bayern or, as a matter of fact, against any opponent?
Get your answers here!
Episode 16: Teams In Crisis Dear listeners,
in today's episode of Beer & Honey, Raphael and Christoph take a look at two teams that are in a serious crisis (Gladbach and Hoffenheim) and talk about Bayern who are acting like they're in a crisis to keep from falling into a real crisis. While Bayern are still in number one and are preparing for their Champions League match with PSG, Borussia Mönchengladbach and TSG Hoffenheim are two sides that would like to play "good" high class football instead of purely defending or destroying the opponent's game but have found themselves lacking a certain mentality or attitude towards the game which has left them on a downward trajectory.
On the other hand, teams like Union, Dortmund and Köln are flying high. And we're here to tell you why!
Enjoy!
Episode 15: Manuel Neuer Is UnhappyDear listeners,
our number one topic today is of course Raphael's sensational interview with the very unhappy Manuel Neuer who needed to vent some of his negative emotions surrounding his injury and the sacking of his friend Toni Tapalovic as the goalkeepers' coach at Bayern München. What makes this interview so special is that Neuer chose to circumvent Bayern's PR department, which is a huge No-No in Bundesliga circles. Christoph and Raphael will try to make sense of it all and keep you updated on what else is going on in the Bundesliga which looks to be heading for a multi-team title race, with Union, BVB, Leipzig and maybe even Frankfurt and Freiburg still sticking around near the top at this stage of the season.
Enjoy!
Episode 14: Big Trouble In Little MunichThree draws in a row? No tactical discipline? No Lewandowski? The alarm bells are ringing loudly down in Bavaria and it looks like the Bundesliga could have its first thrilling championship race in over a decade, with Bayern only 5 points ahead of sixth place Eintracht Frankfurt. According to Oliver Kahn, it's all Hansi Flick's fault because the World Cup destroyed the Bayern players' confidence. The alarm bells in Berlin are ringing even louder, too loud for Fredi Bobic, who got sacked at Hertha BSC who are in 17th place and staring into the abyss of relegation once again. We also want to know why the Bundesliga still hasn't figured out how to properly incorporate the VAR.Enjoy!
Episode 11: Honey in Marbella - Beer in the rainIn our latest episode of Beer & Honey Raphael and Christoph regale us with their work/vacation activities during the Bundesliga's time off in the winter break. While Christoph went to rainy Belgium and watched Royal Antwerp play Gent, Raphael secured some time in sunny southern Spain where Borussia Dortmund were preparing for the second half of the season. He got to talk to coach Terzic and former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can. So naturally we will focus on the BVB in our 11th edition of Beer & Honey. Other BVB-related topics include the contract situations of Youssoufa Moukoko and Jude Bellingham. Listen and find out who will replace Manuel Neuer in Bayern's goal and who will replace Oli Bierhoff at German football federation DFB!
Enjoy!
Episode 10: Bundesliga Part 2 - The PreviewIn a premiere for Beer & Honey, Raphael and Christoph get together in London to share a microphone and record a preview of the upcoming second half of the Bundesliga season.
Will Bayern stay top of the table despite their injury woes? Can Freiburg maintain their strong run and stay "Bayernjäger"? Or maybe Eintracht Frankfurt's recent European success will translate to a even better second half of the season? What about the suprising run that Union has been having for about four seasons now? Will RBL be able to catch up with Bayern now that Konrad Laimer is back from injury? Is Borussia Dortmund low key the most disappointing team of the last ten years? Where will they go once Jude Bellingham leaves? What about the bottom feeders? Can Schalke hold on under new coach Thomas Reis?
Quote of the week by Raphael Honigstein: "Bruno Labbadia is the Sam Allardyce of the Bundesliga but with much better hair."
What are your questions for the second half of the 2022/23 season in the Bundesliga?
Episode 9: A Look Back At German Football in 2022Dear Supporters,
this one is for your ears only! Thank you for your support, you're the reason we're doing this and we will continue doing this in 2023. But first things first, it's time to review the year 2022 and what it meant for German football. The highs (Eintracht Frankfurt winning the Europa League) and the lows (FWC Qatar 2022) and everything inbetween.
On top, we will answer all the interesting questions that you sent us.
On behalf of the Beer & Honey crew we would like to wish you Happy Holidays and now please enjoy your members only episode of Beer & Honey!
If you would like to listen on Spotify, make sure to get the Supporters Club version of Beer & Honey:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3fuDhGQoWXJ0Eflpte5XnP?si=9c3dbcd8ca8349b2
Episode 8: A Sacrificial Lamb Called OliverFollowing Germany's disappointing outing at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, heads were going to roll, but it was unclear who would have to take the fall. Now we know that Oliver Bierhoff, the man in charge of the national teams amongst many other things at the German Football Association DFB since 2004, has decided to step down in a "you can't fire me, I quit!" move.
Raphael "Honey" Honigstein and Christoph "Beer" Biermann have some opinions to share with you on the new direction the DFB has to take to ensure a successful European Championship in 2024 and will discuss the main candidates for Bierhoff's job.
Enjoy!
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Beer and Honey - Special Supporters Club Edition
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