Stanway's Bayern Munich progress from Sweet Caroline initiation to Walsh reunion

Barcelona duo Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh aren't the only England stars to be shining on the continent this season.

Back in May, before the Lionesses had even kicked a ball at the European Championship, the announcement was made that Georgia Stanway would be swapping Manchester City for Bayern Munich this season. The 23-year-old agreed a three-year-deal with the German giants, ending a successful seven-year spell at the Academy Stadium.

With a move already in the bag, Stanway went on to be one of England's standout performers during their memorable run to Euros glory under Sarina Wiegman. The Barrow baller had an outstanding partnership in midfield with Kiera Walsh as the Lionesses made it to the final at Wembley, where they defeated Germany 2-1 after extra time.

Stanway produced one of the campaign highlights with her stunning winner against Spain in the last eight - a long-distance screamer in extra time to send England to the semi-finals. The midfielder later said that her superb performances at the Euros were partially down to her having already agreed the move to Germany. "I was just free," as she put it.

Although Stanway had to join up with her new teammates only days after the Euros celebrations were in full swing, she looked at home in no time. The transition was helped by her belting out the adopted England anthem 'Sweet Caroline' in front of the Bayern squad as part of her initiation. The brilliant rendition appeared in a video on Twitter.

So, halfway through the season, how has one of England's best players fared since swapping Manchester for Bavaria?

European progress

Although Bayern have become one of the Frauen-Bundesliga's perennial title challengers in recent years, it is the Women's Champions League where they are hoping Stanway will have the biggest impact. The German side are still chasing a first ever European Cup final, having twice reached the last four before crashing out, with Chelsea beating them over two legs in the 2020-21 season.

Stanway has already shown what she can do on the biggest stage. On matchday two, the Lioness excelled against Benfica.

Bayern were trailing the Portuguese outfit 2-0 with little over 20 minutes to play before Maximiliane Rall got them back into the game with a looping header. Yet they will still trailing with seven minutes left.

Stanway then fired home a superb left-footed effort after a sweeping counter-attack - her first goal for the club - before completing the turnaround in the 97th minute by firing home into the far corner, sending the travelling Bayern party wild. It made her an instant hero to her teammates and set the stage for their qualification from Group D.

Facing friend on biggest stage

Stanway has already been reunited with Walsh - her former midfield partner at City and international colleague - with Bayern and Barcelona facing each other in the same Champions League group. Both ended up with one win from the double header. Bayern lost 3-0 at Camp Nou in the first clash but hit back with a 3-1 win in Germany a few weeks later.

Stanway was the driving force as the Bayern midfield blew Walsh and Co. away at the Allianz Arena in front of 24,000 fans. When this was followed up with a win over Rosengard, qualification for the last eight was assured.

The England star found the net against the Swedish side while demonstrating her energy and ability to press aggressively. Robbing a midfielder after Rosengard decided to play out from the back, Stanway drove forward and finished coolly to make it 3-0, with Bayern going on to win 4-0.

With Munich through but likely to finish second behind Barcelona in Group D on head-to-head goal difference, they could very well face either Chelsea or Arsenal in the quarter-finals, providing both London clubs win their groups as expected this week. The fate of the draw could send Stanway back to England for her first game back in the country since the Euro 2022 final and a reunion with some of her teammates from last summer.

Closing domestic gap

It isn't only the Champions League where Stanway has made a difference since her move to Bavaria. The midfielder has helped her new club to second in the table as the season approaches the halfway mark, after a strong start to the campaign.

Her midfield partnership with Austrian Sarah Zadrazil has flourished in recent weeks, with the pair helping Bayern to some crucial wins over high-flying Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen. Stanway opened the scoring against the latter in the 30th minute to send them on their way to three points.

Going into the Christmas break, Bayern sit second in the league but only five points behind defending champions Wolfsburg, who remain the team to beat.

Stanway has never been shy of a tackle and swapping the Women's Super League for the Frauen-Bundesliga hasn't changed that. Within seven minutes of the opening game of the season against Frankfurt, she was booked for a robust challenge.

It will be interesting to see how Stanway's game continues to develop over her spell in Germany. But don't expect to see her touch-tackling style disappear any time soon.

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