Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti raves over Bayern Munich’s Champions League performance

UDINE, ITALY – MARCH 14: Luciano Spalletti of Juventus during the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and Juventus FC at Stadio Friuli on March 14, 2026 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Daniele Badolato – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images) | Juventus FC via Getty Images

Bayern Munich is back to its jaw-dropping, rip-roaring ways.

The German record champions hit the new year at a sputter, at times looking to retain only a shadow of the terrifying form they exhibited in the fall. But with a 6-1 smashing of Atalanta under the Champions League lights — on the road, no less — Vincent Kompany’s side is back to turning heads.

It’s setting the standard, and it’s enough to make other coaches wax poetic in admiration.

“In modern football, everyone has to find their position on the pitch with balance and continual changing of roles, but doing it in a dynamic and fluid way,” Juventus gaffer Luciano Spalletti said (as captured by Football Italia, via @iMiaSanMia). “Just look at Bayern Munich the other day against Atalanta, they showed us a whole encyclopedia of movement and positioning in football.”

The biggest obstacle now? Bayern’s run of injuries, particularly at the goalkeeper position[LINK] but also to stars like Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies, have thrown more curveballs. But the keeper situation is passing — thankfully having landed in the first place when the biggest thing at stake was a Champions League Round of 16 second leg in which the Bavarians already held a five-goal advantage — and Bayern’s been here before: Musiala and Davies missed the start of the year, too.

Time for the next edition of Encyclopedia Bavaria to unveil itself.

If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

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