Football

Bayern & Milan Fight For Frey

2008-04-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

Bayern Munich and AC Milan are locked in a battle to sign Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport.

Frey has established himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in Serie A, and he has produced a string of stunning performances this season.

The Frenchman has long been linked with a move to Milan, who are expected to sign a new number one in the summer, following their troubles with Nelson Dida.

However, according to the Gazzetta, Bayern are now set to rival the Rossoneri for the 28-year-old’s signature.

The Bavarian-giants, who are well clear at the top of the Bundesliga, are looking for a new goalkeeper in order to replace retiring legend Oliver Kahn, who will hang up his gloves in June.

Frey has been recommended to Bayern by Luca Toni, who signed for the club from Fiorentina last summer.

Ironically Toni and Bayern could face Frey in the final of this season’s UEFA Cup. Fiorentina play Glasgow Rangers in their semi-final, while the German-outfit are up against Zenith St Petersburg.

Van Der Vaart To Replace Ronaldinho At Barça

2008-04-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

Barcelona have held preliminary talks with Rafael Van der Vaart's agent as they hope to sign the Holland international when Ronaldinho's move to AC Milan is finally made official.

The Blaugrana have asked the Rossoneri not to make any statement regarding the move for the Brazilian until after the Catalan outfit have played their final Champions League game of the season.

If Frank Rijkaard's team are eliminated by Manchester United at the semi final stage then Milan will be given the green light to announce Ronaldinho's imminent arrival, but if Barça progress they will be asked to wait until after the final.

With Ronaldinho set to sign a five-year deal at the San Siro that will see his wages rise from the €8m-per-year he earned at Barcelona to €12m-a-year, the Blaugrana will have more finances to play with.

Having been linked to several players in recent weeks to play down the left, Txiki Begiristain and Rijkaard are already talking to Van der Vaart agent, Bayram Tutumlu, about the player's interest in a move to the club.

The Hamburg star has Spanish heritage and has often been linked with a move to Real Madrid, but their interest cooled last summer and now Barça are set to offer him the chance to shine in la Primera.

Russian champions bar Reds’ path to final

2008-04-18T05:09:00.001-07:00

Zenit St. Petersburg rate as the aspiring giants of Russian football. The club which numbers President-elect Dmitry Medvedev among its supporters are the reigning Russian champions and recently added the domestic Supercup to their collection, although they have only won the league title on two occasions in total.

However, four games into the new Russian season, the team coached by former Monchengladbach boss Dick Advocaat lie a disappointing ninth in the 16-team top flight with five points from four matches, although Zenit’s strength and ability has just proved too much for Bayern’s league rivals Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

Starring role for Arshavin

The Russians travelled to the Rhineland for the first leg and ruthlessly punished the home team on the break to register a 4-1 triumph. The best man on the park was Andrei Arshavin, Zenit’s biggest name and 2006 Russian Player of the Year.

Bayer recovered some of their pride and won Thursday’s return in St. Petersburg by the only goal of the game, but the Bayern observers at the Petrovsky Stadium will not have failed to note the home side’s menace in attack. The brains and creativity in the team are supplied by Ukraine playmaker and club captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk. “He could easily have played in Italy or Spain,“ Leverkusen Director of Sport Rudi Völler commented before the quarter-final second leg.

Record books offer hope

Founded in 1925 and making an eighth foray into the UEFA Cup, the men from St. Petersburg have generally come off worse against German teams until the recent Leverkusen tie. In December 2004, Zenit managed no better than a 2-2 draw with second division Alemannia Aachen at the group stage and were eliminated, while Dynamo Dresden put paid to the Russians’ hopes back in 1981-2. Bayern represent the fourth and on paper most challenging German opponents so far.

Hitzfeld: Our extra-time recovery was terrific

2008-04-18T05:08:00.000-07:00

Bayern twice stared elimination from the UEFA Cup in the face on Thursday evening, but the men in red twice came back from the brink in Getafe, forcing the game into extra-time and recovering from two goals down to earn a 3-3 draw and a place in the semi-finals. “Fortune favoured the brave,“ general manager Uli Hoeneß declared. Oliver Kahn was rendered speechless: “I don’t know what to say, and I’ve already been through a lot in Europe.“

Reaction to Getafe v Bayern:

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “Coming back after going 3-1 down in extra-time rates as a terrific performance and speaks volumes for the team’s morale. Obviously we rode our luck too. We made life difficult for ourselves, but Getafe kept it very tight, we didn’t have much by way of chances. My players earned their place in the next round by fighting for it.“

Uli Hoeneß: “I can’t remember experiencing a game like that in a very long time. Fortune favoured the brave, but there’s a lot we need to sit down and talk about. We have to do better than that after playing for 110 minutes against ten men.“

Oliver Kahn: “It’s like I’ve just been saying in the dressing room: I’ve probably played 140 times in Europe, against Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid, but that’ll all be nothing compared to what we’ve been through tonight. When we meet up again in ten years’ time, we won’t be talking about Real and United, we’ll talk about Getafe. I can’t remember ever having seen or played in a game quite like that. I’ve never before let in three goals and still gone through. I don’t know what to say, and I’ve already been through a lot in Europe.“

Mark van Bommel: “I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It’s just incredible. We deserved the equaliser in the first 90 minutes, maybe we should even have won the game in normal time. And then suddenly, we were 3-1 down in extra time.“

Philipp Lahm: “We didn’t play well today. We made too many mistakes, and it didn’t work out up front. But our mental strength saw us through. We kept on believing right to the end and we were rewarded with the very last kick.“

Third brace in six days for free-scoring Luca

2008-04-18T05:07:00.001-07:00

Luca Toni appeared slightly nervous on Thursday, as any number of lenses and all eyes homed in on the striker and a brand new pair of boots provided by his equipment supplier. Two hours after a few tentative jogs and sprints to test the new footwear, the trademark grin had returned to the Italian’s craggy features as he faced the media at Bayern’s Säbener Strasse training ground. Understandably enough, the boots were a topic for discussion. Should the striker really be contemplating a change just now?

Toni’s current boots have brought him no fewer than six goals in as many days, two apiece in Bayern’s meetings with Getafe, Dortmund and Frankfurt. “I am superstitious actually, so I’ll test the new boots again tomorrow before deciding whether to risk them on Saturday,” the 30-year-old revealed.

Boots in focus

The 2006 World Cup winner goes in search of his first trophy at club level when Bayern face Dortmund in the DFB German Cup final at the Berlin Olympic stadium. Practically all footballers detest changes to an established routine before big matches, and Toni appears to be no exception.

However, even if the Italian chose to go without footwear, few would bet against him netting at least once on present form. “In terms of goalscoring quality, he’s one of the best we’ve ever had at Bayern,” Oliver Kahn declared on Thursday.

Memories of Müller

The man who switched to Munich from Florence last summer now has 33 goals in 40 competitive appearances, the kind of strike rate inevitably drawing comparisons with Munich legend Gerd Müller. He leads the scoring charts in the Bundesliga (20) and the UEFA Cup (10). In Frankfurt on Wednesday, he scored the goals to make the score 2-1 and then 3-1 in his side’s favour.

“He’s a poacher, the kind of forward you don’t see very often. He’s the definition of a penalty box player, always in the right place and hardly ever wasteful. He’s an outstanding striker,” continued Kahn, impressed by more than just the big man’s killer instinct. “As a World Cup winner, he has total belief in himself, and that’s infectious. You hear his voice when things aren’t going so well. He kept urging us on in Getafe, and he duly got the goals.“

Tireless Toni

The club captain also praised Toni’s professionalism. “His movement is always just right, always into the important areas. He comes across as extremely fit and doesn’t need resting.” Toni has hardly been affected by coach Ottmar Hitzfeld’s extensive squad rotation in recent weeks.

“He want goals. That’s why he’s at Bayern, and that’s what he lives for. Even when he’s tired, he’ll manage a sprint if he senses a goal. His mental strength is absolutely unbelievable,” Hitzfeld said, almost in wonder, after the two-goal gala in Frankfurt. The Bayern coach had wanted to withdraw the Italian at the interval as a precaution before the Cup final, but Toni insisted on playing on. “Someone so fired up is always going to score,” mused general manager Uli Hoeneß.

Critical phase

Toni freely admits he never expected to settle at Munich quite as quickly as he has done. “Obviously I’m delighted, but we’re only just coming to the vital games where the goals count double,” he declared before returning to the city where he won the World Cup with Italy two years ago. “Berlin was a lucky place for me,” he reflected, although he will certainly be careful with his choice of boots.

Hitzfeld set to name full-strength side for final

2008-04-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

Right on time for the first final of the season, Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is set to pick from a full squad, with only minor injuries clouding the horizon. Two days ahead of the DFB German Cup final against Borussia Dortmund at the Berlin Olympic stadium, both Miroslav Klose and Marcell Jansen reported fit and trained with the squad. The Germany pair missed last Sunday’s 5-0 victory against Dortmund and 3-1 midweek success in Frankfurt.

“It was important to rest everything we could possibly rest, so we’ll pick the team from a full set of options on Saturday,” general manager Uli Hoeneß commented after Wednesday’s win against Eintracht. “Provided we’re not careless, we’ll win in Berlin as well,” the board director declared.

Question-mark over Sagnol

Oliver Kahn will undoubtedly make sure his team-mates do not underestimate crisis club Borussia. The captain sat out the trip to Frankfurt “purely as a precaution, because I had problems with my neck the week before and feared it might have come back.“ Kahn, who has been pursuing his normal intensive training schedule since Monday, issued a warning to his team-mates on Thursday after sensing “we were too relaxed, too laid-back in training. The alarm bells are ringing."

The entire senior squad will travel to Berlin on Friday morning, including Hamit Altintop, although the Turkey star is still out of action after fracturing a metatarsal. The only question-mark concerns Willy Sagnol, who bruised a toe during the Frankfurt clash. “It could be a close-run thing for Saturday,” the player confessed, although he does not expect to be sidelined for long.

Hoeneß: Now I believe we’ll win the league

2008-04-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

Bayern are on a winning streak and now stand on the verge of a 21st German championship triumph. Three days after a gala 5-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, the men from Munich came from behind to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 and maintain their ten-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga. “The game was full of incident and I do believe Frankfurt were just as entitled to win it as us,“ Ottmar Hitzfeld frankly admitted afterwards. With just five games to go this term, even ultra-cautious general manager Uli Hoeneß is convinced: “Now, I’m prepared to say this: we’ll be German champions.“

Reaction to Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayern:

Uli Hoeneß: “We’re enjoying a bit of luck at the moment, no question about that, but Frankfurt failed to get a second. But that’s the way it is, when you’re on a roll like we are, you win matches you shouldn’t be winning. Obviously we had it under control by the end, but we could also have lost the game earlier on. Now even I believe we’ll win the league. I don’t really care when it happens, but now, I’m prepared to say this: we’ll be German champions.“

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “We were very lucky today, although Frankfurt were fortunate to take the lead in a phase when we were doing well and applying pressure. We were simply caught on the break, but after that, Frankfurt could easily have made it 2-0. We poured forward again after half-time, and we more or less deserved the equaliser. We were committed to getting a second, we weren’t satisfied with only a point. The game was full of incident and I do believe Frankfurt were just as entitled to win it as us.“

Daniel van Buyten: “We never even contemplated losing the match. A few words were spoken in the dressing room at half-time, and after that we played with more determination, we created more chances, and we scored the goals.”

Friedhelm Funkel (Frankfurt coach): “Compared to our performance in Hanover, I’m not dissatisfied with my team today. We matched Bayern in every area, but it got away from us after we failed to make it 2-0, although Van Buyten clearly committed a foul before equalising. If we’d managed to hold the lead for longer, we might have ended up winning the game. We could have done better today.”

Ioannis Amanatidis (Frankfurt captain): “We were the better team against one of the best clubs in Europe for 60 minutes today, but then we were brutally punished. They’ve hit us twice on the break and gone away with a totally undeserved victory.”

Markus Pröll (Frankfurt keeper): “I think the game turned on us not taking our chances. You know you’re not going to get many chances against Bayern, so you have to put them away when they come along, and that we didn’t do. We’re very, very disappointed, because that was a game we could have won.“

Toni at the double in Reds’ rousing fightback

2008-04-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

Two-goal Luca Toni moved to 20 for the campaign as youthful Bayern produced a stirring second-half display to come from behind in Frankfurt.

A raucous 51,500 full house at the sumptuously-appointed Commerzbank Arena saw Benjamin Köhler put the home side one up on the half-hour with the first headed goal the leaders have conceded all season, and it could have been worse if Ioannis Amanatidis had not shanked wide of an open goal a minute before the break.

The Bavarians were rewarded for their domination of possession and a considerably more inventive start to the second half when Daniel Van Buyten headed the equaliser on the hour, and the turnaround was completed by Toni’s ruthless double strike in the last quarter of an hour, taking the Italian to an astonishing 33 goals in 40 games this term.

An 18th league win in 29 matches takes Bayern to 63 points, ten clear of second-placed Werder Bremen, and now in with a theoretical chance of wrapping up a 21st domestic title in their next game, a home meeting with champions Stuttgart on 27 April.

General shuffles the deck

With the Cup final but three days away, Ottmar Hitzfeld unsurprisingly rang the changes and made five alterations to the side which thrashed Dortmund at the weekend. Michael Rensing deputised for the injured Olli Kahn, with Jose Sosa, Toni Kroos, Franck Ribery and captain for the night Lucio in for the rested Demichelis, Lahm and Podolski, and the suspended Zé Roberto.

As Bastian Schweinsteiger, Andreas Ottl and Christian Lell also lined up along with fellow U-24 men Sosa, Kroos and Ribery, and with seniors such as Kahn, Ze and Mark van Bommel absent, it was the youngest Munich starting line-up in the Bundesliga since 1995.

Uninspired Munich

The match opened with a couple of scares for the visitors, Czech wunderkind Martin Fenin failing to exploit a Rensing miscue with just seconds played, and Lucio hacking clear off the line after the Bayern keeper took the sting off an Amanatidis effort from six yards.

Sosa shot across goal and Kroos hit the side-netting before Eintracht keeper Markus Pröll dealt capably with a Luca Toni snapshot, but the brief rally petered out and stalemate set in as the players struggled with the increasingly slippery surface.

In the circumstances, the home side’s 29th-minute opener came out of the blue, former Munich reserve Patrick Ochs scampering clear down the right and swinging a cross to the back post where the unmarked Köhler headed back across Rensing and into the corner.

Daniel’s leveller

The leaders pounded the packed Frankfurt defence but had nothing to show before the break other than another Kroos drive, and there was a huge let-off for the Bavarians on the stroke of half-time when Fenin rounded Rensing and cut the ball back for Amanatidis, only for the Eintracht skipper to slice horribly wide.

Kroos gave way to Podolski for the second half, and there was a greater sense of urgency about the visitors as Pröll just applied fingertips to a slithering Ribery prod, before beating away a scuffed Lell drive and grasping a Sagnol curler at the second attempt.

Rensing pushed a Fenin shot onto the bar as Eintracht briefly threatened, but the momentum was with Bayern now and Van Buyten expertly held off Mexican defender Aaron Galindo to meet Schweinsteiger’s inswinging corner and level the scores on the hour.

Goals 19 and 20 for Luca

The equaliser brought the game to life in a big way, Toni drawing a good save from Pröll and Amanatidis netting but being called back for offside after Rensing parried Markus Weissenberger’s skidding drive.

But the Italian was not to be denied for long, thumping home a loose ball from close range on 74 minutes for his 19th league goal of the campaign after Schweinsteiger’s determined scrap with two defenders on the edge of the six-yard box.

Jan Schlaudraff, a replacement for the tiring Ribery, kept the Frankfurt defence busy with a couple of darting runs, and Lahm also made a late appearance for the limping Sagnol. Schlaudraff, reported to be on his way out of the club at the end of the season, capped a fine cameo with a sprint and cross for Toni to lash home with five minutes remaining, crowning an excellent second half comeback by the champions-elect.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

Eintracht Frankfurt - Bayern Munich 1-3 (H-T: 1-0)


Eintracht Frankfurt:		Pröll - Ochs, Galindo, Russ, Spycher - Inamoto, Fink (Caio 80) - Fenin, Köhler, Weissenberger (Heller 71) - Amanatidis

Bayern Munich:		Rensing - Sagnol (Lahm 78), Lucio, van Buyten, Lell - Sosa, Ottl, Schweinsteiger, Ribérry (Schlaudraff 68), Kroos (Podolski 46) - Toni

Substitutes:		Kraft, Demichelis, Lahm, Breno

Referee:		Babak Rafati (Hanover)

Goals:		1-0 Köhler (29), 1-1 Van Buyten (60), 1-2 Toni (74), 1-3 Toni (85)

Yellow Cards:		Lucio / Fenin

Flamini, Deco Linked With Bayern

2008-04-18T05:03:00.001-07:00

Bayern Munich sporting director Uli Hoeness has suggested that the club will swoop for a high profile out-of-contract central midfielder this summer, with Arsenal's Mathieu Flamini and Barcelona's Deco top of the list.

The Münchner are strong down the flanks but feel they need to strengthen in the middle of the park to allow for a serious title challenge in next season's Champions League.

Bayern officials are said to be frustrated with Mark Van Bommel's on-field discipline problems, while in any case next season will be Brazilian midfielder Zé Roberto's last with the club.

Bosman Signing?

The Bundesliga leaders spent a club-record €25m last season to bring French winger Franck Ribéry in from Marseille, but Hoeness hinted that Bayern may not need to splash the cash this time around.

"Once again, we're ready to bring in a high quality player," he said on ZDF programme Sportstudio when quizzed about the midfield situation. "You don't always need to spend millions. Sometimes players come on free transfers."

Flamini And Deco The Favourites

German tabloid Bild are reporting that the two frontrunners are Arsenal's out of contract midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who has repeatedly been linked with a move to Juventus, and Barcelona's Deco.

The Portuguese has two more years on his deal, but can buy himself out for 10million euros - a sum Bayern will and some Serie A sides are supposedly only too happy to pay.

With Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose and Franck Ribery in the team, there is no shortage of stars, and with that comes the guarantee of Champions League football, making a move to Bavaria all the more attractive.

No To De Rossi?

This news would appear to suggest the Rekordmeister are leaning away from trying to sign Roma's Daniele De Rossi - the Italian international has been monitored closely by chiefs at the Allianz Arena but in contrast to Deco and Flamini would cost quite a lot of money.

Bayern Step Up Behrami Interest

2008-04-18T04:59:00.000-07:00

German top club Bayern Munich are looking to bolster their squad ahead of their return to the Champions League next season, and word is that Lazio standout Valon Behrami is becoming an increasingly important target.

With the league title all but sown up, Bayern have been front and centre when it comes to international transfer rumours of late, and just this week they have been heavily linked with Gennaro Gattuso, Mathieu Flamini, Daniele De Rossi, Deco, and Sebastien Frey. Now, Behrami's name is the latest to fill the sports gossip columns in Bavaria.

Fiorentina have been courting the Swiss international for several months already, and his match-winning display against deadly rivals Roma last month has also reportedly roused the interest of Spanish sides Valencia and Sevilla, as well as Premiership club West Ham. This is on top of recent reports that the likes of Milan, Liverpool, Tottenham and Palermo, have been tracking the 22-year-old wing-back for some time as well.

Word is that the Biancoceleste are determined to hang on to Behrami, but would likely not turn down an offer in excess of 10m euro for the Kosovo-born wide-man, who still officially has three years remaining on his contract with the Italian capital club.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito will now have to make a full-court press in order to try to keep the player, who openly criticised him for leaving the stadium well before the whistle during the 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Milan earlier this season.

Derek Wanner, Goal.com

De Rossi To Bayern?

2008-04-10T06:55:00.002-07:00

Bayern striker Luca Toni has voiced his desire for the club to sign another Italian and according to the Bild newspapers information, de Rossi is the man the Bayern bosses have in mind.

The Roma midfielder was linked with a move to Bayern last summer and the rumours of his arrival look set to be put in motion yet again.

The rumours that Bayern are looking for a replacement for van Bommel have intensified in recent days following his second red card within the space of a few weeks at the weekend against Bochum.

Following the latest sending off Bayern trainer Ottmar Hitzfeld commented: “We’ve discussed one or two situations.”

The Luca Toni factor cannot be underestimated either. “It is no secret that I would love to have another Italian in the team” Toni explained.

“My colleagues ask me a lot about life in Munich. The club have to decide, but I would be delighted if they did.”

The arrival of de Rossi would certainly please the Bundesliga’s leading scorer as it is understood the two have a good relationship.

Mathew Burt

Rummenigge Rules Out Lahm Exit

2008-04-10T06:55:00.001-07:00

German international Lahm is currently in the midst of contract negotiations with the Bavarians over an extension to his current deal, but Rummenigge has rule out Lahm leaving the club before 2009 even if the talks break down.

“It is certain he will remain here until the end of his contract with us, even if it should not be extended" said Rummenigge.

Bayern Munich have sought to inject some urgency into the contract negotiations with the full back with Spanish giants Barcelona interested in Lahm.

“We have held productive, open and fair talks” Rummenigge explained. “He would be well advised to go further with us.

“We are very happy and contented with him. We do know what he means to us and he knows as well what we mean to him.”

Lahm is known to be a favourite of incoming Bayern Munich boss Jürgen Klinsmann after starring in the German national team that finished third at the 2006 World Cup.

Berbatov: Milan Talk Is Flattering

2008-04-10T06:54:00.001-07:00

Dimitar Berbatov is a wanted man - wanted by most of the biggest clubs in Europe. But Tottenham say they have no intention of letting him go.

However, that has nevber seemed to deter Berbvatov's agent from letting potential new employers know that the Bulgarian would willing to listen to any overtures.

And it seems Berbatov has now sparked renewed speculation about his future whilst talking to the local media in Bulgaria.

Berbatov was in Sofia to receive an award and promote the launch of his own sporting foundation. Whilst in his homeland he was asked about his future by the local media.

And he revealed that there was already interest in him from AC Milan.

"All I can say is that there was an interest from the Italian club, that is all I can say," said Berbatov when asked about Milan.

"If it produces negotiations I will be flattered."

He was also asked about Manchester United's known admiration of him, replying: "I know that Sir Alex [Ferguson] wants me for a quite a while, but at the moment I am a player of Tottenham."

His future at White Hart Lane will no doubt be the subject of considered discussion by Tottenham's coach, Juande Ramos, in the summer.

Ramos will be overhaul the Spurs squad, despite their success in winning the Carling Cup, with both the entrance and exit doors at the Lane expected to be busy.

Mark Hinton, Goal.com

Tottenham Open Modric Talks

2008-04-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

The 22-year-old playmaker has been linked to a host of clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United after impressing for club and country in recent months.

Juande Ramos is keen to start his rebuilding programme at White Hart Lane with a creative midfielder and believes that Modric could bring the flair and vision that he wants.

Dynamo president, Zdravko Mamic, has slapped a €25m asking price on the player's head, but a more realistic fee should materialise after talks.

While the midfield is a key part of the Tottenham team that needs strengthening, Ramos knows that other areas also need to be padded out during the summer months.

The fact that Tottenham officials are talking to Dynamo is a step forward after weeks of speculation about potential targets for the north London outfit.

A number of players from the Spanish league have been linked with Espanyol keeper Carlos Kameni reported to have agreed a switch by the English media, a story that was swiftly denied in Barcelona.

Ian Dixon, Goal.com

Juve Agree Amauri Deal With Palermo

2008-04-10T06:50:00.002-07:00

The Brazilian striker has been the Bianconeri’s number transfer target for several weeks now.

The Corriere says that Juve sporting director Alessio Secco has agreed with his Palermo counterpart Rino Foschi to sign Amauri for €10.5m plus Antonio Nocerino and Marco Marchionni.

Secco is also said to be toying with the option of including Domenico Criscito as part of the exchange, in order to further lower Amauri’s transfer fee.

Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri is believed to be much happier with this deal, than the original exchange that almost went through.

Secco had reportedly agreed to sign Amauri for €15m plus young starlets Sebastian Giovinco, Paolo De Ceglie and Claudio Marchisio.

Ranieri then vetoed the deal at the last minute, and all three players are now expected to return from their current loan spells to play for Juventus next season.

As for Amauri, he will compete with Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet and Vincenzo Iaquinta for a forward starting berth, with Raffaele Palladino almost certain to be sold in order to make room.

Gianni Wilson

Record books offer little encouragement

2008-04-10T06:50:00.001-07:00

If the record books are any guide to current form, Bayern’s chances of making the UEFA Cup semi-finals at Getafe’s expense look slim. Only once in four attempts have Germany’s most successful club avoided elimination from a European competition following a 1-1 home draw in the first leg.

The solitary success came in the 1990-91 European Cup, a 2-0 win in a quarter-final return leg away to FC Porto thanks to goals from Christian Ziege and Manfred Bender.

Never out after 1-1 away draw

By contrast, Bayern have been knocked out three times after drawing 1-1 in Munich: twice in the Champions League Round of 16 against Real Madrid (2004) and AC Milan (2006), and in a European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final against Glasgow Rangers (1972).

The Bavarians have a flawless record in the reverse situation, when they have played the second leg at home after a 1-1 away draw. The men in red have progressed to the next stage on all 12 occasions so far.

Return legs after a 1-1 draw in the first leg:

Champions Cup / Champions League:
1972-73 1st Round Galatasaray Istanbul 6-0 (H)
1973-74 Semi-final Ujpest Budapest 3-0 (H)
1975-76 Semi-final Real Madrid 2-0 (H)
1990-91 Quarter-final FC Porto 2-0 (A)
1999-00 Quarter-final FC Porto 2-1 (H)
2003-04 Round of 16 Real Madrid 0-1 (A)*
2005-06 Round of 16 AC Milan 1-4 (A)*

European Cup Winners’ Cup:
1966-67 1st Round Tatran Presow 3-2 (H)
1966-67 Round of 16 Shamrock Rovers 3-2 (H)
1967-68 Quarter-final FC Valencia 1-0 (H)
1971-72 Quarter-final Steaua Bukarest 0-0 (H)
1971-72 Semi-final Glasgow Rangers 0-2 (A)*
1982-83 1st Round Torpedo Moskau 0-0 (H)
1982-83 Round of 16 Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 (H)

UEFA Cup:
1991-92 1st Round Cork City 2-0 (H)

* eliminated
(H) Home
(A) Away

FCB fired up for classic European night

2008-04-10T06:49:00.001-07:00

Bayern are long on confidence and short on nerves as they approach the most important fixture of the campaign so far, the UEFA Cup quarter-final return away to Getafe on Thursday evening (Live in English from 8.30 pm on FCB.tv Web radio). After last week’s 1-1 draw in Munich, the Bundesliga leaders must win or draw while scoring at least twice to progress to the next stage.

“It’ll be a real fight, it’s going to be very, very hard,” Bayern general manager Uli Hoeneß warned ahead of the clash at the 16,000-capacity Coliseum Alfonso Perez in the southern suburbs of Madrid. “But I’m really looking forward to it,” the board director insisted. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld licked his lips at the prospect of “a big European night in a cauldron of a stadium,” and declared himself confident of success. “We’re going there with an amount of pent-up fury. We’re perfectly capable of winning away, and we still have an excellent chance.”

Final on foreign soil

Four days after a morale-boosting 3-1 win for Bayern’s ten men against VfL Bochum, the players are oozing “morale, energy and belief,” captain Oliver Kahn reported. “We all know it’s an uphill task, and you can feel the concentration as we approach this match,” the 38-year-old continued, “it’s like a final on foreign soil.”

Despite the home draw, “the watching world will still regard us as favourites,” but the match in Munich illustrated the quality of the team lying eleventh in La Liga. “Given the football Getafe play, it’s definitely an evenly-matched contest. We’ll have to impose ourselves on the game first,” Kahn warned. “But we’re not beaten yet. We’re looking forward to a fabulous night of European Cup football. We’ll get through, even if we have to do it on penalties.”

Seizing the initiative

Bayern will hope matters do not reach that stage, especially as last weekend’s heroics cost a great deal of energy. “We weren’t expecting to have to work as hard for victory as we did. We were hoping to be nicely rested for Getafe, but it wasn’t to be. On the other hand, we’re brimming with confidence and morale, which may make up for the lost energy,” Hoeneß mused.

“We’re always good for a goal or two away from home,” Hitzfeld pointed out. Luca Toni remains the leading scorer in the competition on eight goals. The coach felt Getafe would “keep it very tight and attempt to control the match.” Bayern would need to show patience, “but we also need to be bold. We need to play it our way and try to seize the initiative.”

Van Buyten pulls out

Hoeneß felt the Spaniards, fresh from a goalless draw away to Barcelona at the weekend, “won’t risk going for a 0-0 draw. They’ll want to win it, but we’ve generally managed to score away from home wherever we’ve been this season.” Miroslav Klose’s lively display as a substitute against Bochum appears to have earned him a starting berth alongside Toni. “He showed the reaction I was looking for. He made a big contribution to us turning it around against Bochum,” Hitzfeld observed.

The Bayern boss picks from close on a full squad. Michael Rensing returns to the party after dental surgery, but Daniel van Buyten was a late withdrawal on Wednesday with a knee problem. Breno will fly to Spain as back-up. Hitzfeld is definitely without Hamit Altintop (fractured metatarsal) and Willy Sagnol (fitness).

Love Madrid

Some 12 kilometres to the south of the famous Bernabeu, scene of many a might duel with Real Madrid down the years, the Bavarians now face a classic do-or-die situation. “It may be that we need this kind of pressure to reach our full potential,” mused Kahn, “we’re Bayern Munich and won’t wet ourselves at the prospect of travelling to Getafe.” Summoning up the ghosts of past glories, Hitzfeld radiated confidence: “Madrid has always been a happy place for us. I remain convinced we’ll go all the way to the final.”

‘He’s what you call a world-class defender’

2008-04-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Lucio’s reaction to his 31st-minute equaliser for Bayern against Bochum on Sunday was, as ever, inimitable. The Brazil stopper, a tidal wave of emotion visibly pouring from his frame, raced to the corner flag, clapped his hand repeatedly to the club crest on his shirt, screamed and gesticulated at the crowd to beef up their support, and finally turned for the centre-circle with grim determination etched on his features.

Bayern were already a goal and a man down at that point in the match, following the visitors’ fourth-minute opener and Mark van Bommel’s sending-off on 27 minutes. “Our situation wasn’t great at the time,“ Lucio reasoned afterwards, “so equalising was the best answer.“

Vital goals

The 29-year-old is a man of few words off the field, but a tremendous inspiration on it, especially when the going gets tough, a scenario in which he is hard to restrain in his defensive position behind the halfway line. One of his many giant-striding thrusts forward allowed him to deliver the cross which prompted the handball leading to Franck Ribéry making the score 2-1 from the spot.

Lucio’s goal, his first in the Bundesliga for 17 months, was his 21st overall in 202 appearances. When he does hit the target, it is almost always at a crucial time: his two goals in this season’s UEFA Cup were openers against Aberdeen and Anderlecht. He struck in both legs of last season’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, and his last Bundesliga strike was an equaliser away to Köln in October 2005.

Will to win

“Lucio is a very spirited player. He loses his patience when we go a goal behind and attempts to pull everyone along with him,“ commented Ottmar Hitzfeld, who has attempted to curb the Brazilian’s natural instinct to get forward at every possible opportunity. “I know defending is my priority,” Lucio himself conceded, “but one or two bursts per match must be possible.“ That was certainly the case against Bochum. “When you’re a man down, the defenders have to help out up front,“ remarked Martin Demichelis.

For all his marching through the centre of the field, Lucio in no way neglected his defensive duties on Sunday. “Lucio was unbelievable, he had one of his best games of the season,“ Demichelis said admiringly. “After Mark was sent off, Lucio looked at me and said: Micho, we’re going to win this,“ the Argentine revealed.

Emotional and world-class

“It all came from the heart,“ Lucio declared, explaining his celebratory gesture with the club crest. That passion and will to win makes the Brazil skipper a precious commodity for Bayern. “Lucio is unbelievably motivated at the moment,“ reflected Oliver Kahn, “he has to play with his heart on his sleeve, the way I do from time to time. He’s what you call a world-class defender.“

Christian Lell: It’s a really terrific feeling

2008-04-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Christian Lell is unlikely to forget the 88th minute of Sunday’s meeting with VfL Bochum in a hurry. Bursting onto a sublime Miroslav Klose backheel, the Munich-born full-back cracked a shot into the far corner of the net to make it 3-1 to the men in red. The overjoyed Lell thus broke a top flight scoring duck which had lasted 65 Bundesliga appearances, 39 of them in Bayern colours.

The 23-year-old had already netted for the senior team, but that was the fifth in FCB’s 6-0 UEFA Cup demolition of Aris Salonika. fcbayern.de caught up with the beaming goalscorer afterwards and discussed a crucial victory over VfL.

Interview: Christian Lell

fcbayern.de: Christian, congratulations on the win and on the goal, your first in the Bundesliga.
Christian Lell: “That’s right. Funnily enough, I sat with Miroslav Klose at lunch today, and he was telling me about finishing top scorer at the World Cup. I told him I wouldn’t mind scoring one myself – and he promptly set one up for me. It’s a really terrific feeling.“

fcbayern.de: You made heavy weather of it at first against Bochum. Is it possible that Mark van Bommel’s sending off was the wake-up call you needed?
Lell: “We fell behind to a hopeful effort which flew in at the top corner. It’s the kind of thing which only seems to happen against us. But it’s definitely the case that we were totally fired up after the sending-off, the fans cheered us on and each and every one of us found another ten or twenty percent. We applied a great deal of pressure and penned Bochum back in their half.“

fcbayern.de: Did that get the adrenalin flowing nicely ready for the return against Getafe?
Lell: “Definitely. We were determined to win today and set off for Getafe on a high. That wouldn’t have been easy on the back of a defeat.“

fcbayern.de: Could it be that you’re in a very different mood for Getafe, compared to how you’d feel after a routine 1-0 win?
Lell: “Absolutely. We’ve turned a match on its head today and we’ll go to Spain on a roll. We’re aiming to win in Getafe and get through to the next round.“

Ten Man Bayern Defeat Bochum

2008-04-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Bayern triumphed 2-1 at the Allianz Arena with only ten men after the first half sending off of Mark van Bommel. The Dutchman was shown two yellow cards for persistent fouling after Mimoun Azaough had fired Bochum ahead.

A Lucio header equalised in the first half before Franck Ribéry stroked home a second half penalty. Christian Lell finished things off late on to hand Bayern a potentially vital three points.

First Half

Bayern knew that a win would see them go nine points clear at the top of the table and they began brightly with Ribéry missing a good chance after just three minutes.

Lell broke down the right, crossed to Luca Toni, who controlled the ball instantly before laying the ball off to Ribéry. The Frenchman however didn’t wrap his foot around the ball enough and fired wide when everybody expected him to stroke it into the back of the net.

Sixty seconds later though and the visitors took a shock early lead. Danny Fuchs played the ball to Mimoun Azaough just outside the penalty area and the midfielder let fly with a speculative shot that caught Oliver Kahn by surprise as it flew into the top corner of the net.

Despite the early set back, Bayern continued to try and play their normal game and very nearly grabbed the equaliser on the quarter hour mark through Ribéry.

A back heel from Zé Roberto fed Luca Toni and he cleverly found the forward run of Ribéry. Through on goal, the French winger however was only able fire narrowly wide with only Lastuvka to beat.

Bochum continued to look lively as well and nearly caught Bayern napping on 20 minutes with a quickly taken corner from Azaough. His pass was hit first time by Fuchs but fizzed just wide of Oliver Kahn’s post. Bayern for their part were not taking their foot off the gas either and were keeping the Bochum back line occupied.

Firstly Maltritz had to be on his toes to clear the ball before Zé Roberto could shoot, then Demichelis flicked on for Lucio to fire just wide of Lastuvka’s goal.

Bayern suffered a further setback on 27 minutes when midfielder Mark van Bommel saw his second yellow card of the afternoon for persistent fouling and was promptly sent off by referee Weiner.

The home side however reacted to the red card by promptly grabbing the equaliser on 31 minutes. Bastian Schweinsteiger fired in a free kick from the right hand side into the six-yard box where Lucio jumped the highest to nick the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

Five minutes later and the scene was very nearly repeated with Toni rising to head a Schweinsteiger free kick, only for Lastuvka to save. Bayern weren’t playing like a team with ten men and Ribéry fired in another fine effort after foxing Yahia on the edge of the area.

Second Half

The impressive Azaough had to be replaced at the start of the second 45 minutes due to an ankle injury with Tommy Bechmann coming on.

Bayern began on the front foot and Ribéry got himself to the bye-line three minutes in before crossing to Demichelis, who couldn’t manage to direct his header under pressure from Bönig.

Bochum’s first chance of the second half fell to Benjamin Auer on the hour mark after he beat Martin Demichelis but Kahn was on hand to save with relative ease.

Just after the hour mark Bayern were shouting for a penalty when Lell went down in the area under the challenge of Yahia but the referee waved their appeals away.

Bayern continued to look the more likely to score, even with their man disadvantage. On 69 minutes Ribéry crossed from the left and Luca Toni saw his header fly just wide of the right hand post.

Then with around 15 minutes remaining Bayern were handed a penalty after Pfertzel handled in the Bochum Area. Frank Ribéry stepped up and beat Jan Lastuvka even though the Czech keeper guessed the right way.

Bochum made a few substitutions in an effort to regain parity and with eight minutes left Bönig crossed causing Demichelis problems. He eventually cleared the danger with Auer sniffing around.

Bayern sealed the win on 88 minutes with Christian Lell advancing and putting the finishing touches to a fine move involving Klose and Toni. Luca Toni had a golden chance to make it four late on, but he missed the target narrowly.

Goals:

0-1 Azaough (4)

1-1 Lucio (31)

2-1 Ribéry (74 pen)

3-1 Lell (88)

Bayern Munich: Kahn, Lell, Lahm, Lucio, Demichelis, van Bommel, Zé Roberto (Sosa 72), Schweinsteiger (Ottl 65), Ribéry, Toni, Podolski (Klose 65)

Bochum: Lastuvka, Pfertzel, Maltritz, Yahia, Bönig, Imhof, Schröder (Mieciel 79), Fuchs (Epalle 76), Azaough (Bechmann 46), Sestak, Auer

Mathew Burt

Klinsmann visit was agreed with Hitzfeld

2008-04-06T09:58:00.001-07:00

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has expressed incomprehension at a raging media debate over Jürgen Klinsmann’s presence at Bayern’s midweek UEFA Cup tie against Getafe. “I really don’t understand the whole affair,“ Rummenigge stated on Saturday in an appearance as a studio expert for Premiere TV.

The former world-class striker emphasised that the team knew nothing of Klinsmann’s presence at the Allianz Arena, “so there’s no way they can have been distracted or put off,“ Rummenigge pointed out.

Hitzfeld in agreement

Furthermore, the Bayern boss continued, Klinsmann had sought Ottmar Hitzfeld’s permission to attend the match when the pair dined together the previous evening. “It must have been a very productive conversation, or so I’ve heard. At the end of the chat, Jürgen asked Ottmar if his coming to the match would be a problem. If it had been a problem, Jürgen obviously wouldn’t have come. Ottmar answered: it’s no problem at all, hopefully you’ll see us win a good game.“

Rummenigge urged all parties “to stay relaxed about the whole thing. We’re in good shape at the moment and shouldn’t be making problems for ourselves.“

Bayern poised for decisive title thrust

2008-04-06T09:57:00.001-07:00

Bayern will hope to feed off their lingering anger and irritation at Getafe’s last-minute strike in the 1-1 UEFA Cup draw last Thursday when the men in red turn their attention back to the Bundesliga at home to VfL Bochum on Sunday (Live in English from 4.45 pm on FCB.tv Web Radio). “We’re looking forward to the match, because we owe the crowd something,” Ottmar Hitzfeld commented.

“I hope Bochum feel the force of our pent-up frustration,” the Bayern coach continued. “We have to invest everything we’ve got. This is not the time to let up, even though we already have a nice cushion. We could set off for Getafe on a high,” observed Marcell Jansen, with an eye on next Thursday’s return leg in the Madrid suburbs.

Aiming for two home wins

Before Hitzfeld and his troops go in search of a UEFA Cup semi-final berth, they could take a decisive step towards a 21st German league title on Sunday. Saturday’s results included a 1-0 defeat for Hamburg in Stuttgart, so victory over Bochum would send Bayern nine points clear of new second-placed team Schalke 04, 1-0 winners at home to Rostock.

“The important thing is to win our consecutive home games against Bochum and Dortmund. It would make it very tough for our rivals, because the games are running out,” commented chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, describing Hamburg’s defeat as “great news for us." Hitzfeld agreed with the club chief. “We need to make the most of back-to-back home games and increase our lead at the top.”

VfL in good form

However, Sunday’s match will be anything but a walkover. Eleventh-placed Bochum are undefeated in six matches and have only lost once since the winter break. “Bochum have done exceptionally well so far,” acknowledged Hitzfeld. “Everyone thinks we only have to turn up and collect the points, but it won’t be that easy,” Mark van Bommel warned.

The men from the Ruhr valley have amassed a creditable 33 points, a full ten clear of the drop zone, and will be under no pressure at the Allianz Arena. “It’s a good feeling coming to Munich knowing you don’t need the points,” remarked VfL striker Benjamin Auer, although that did not mean his side would surrender without a fight. “Obviously, it would be great to take a point or three off Bayern.“

Hitzfeld focusing on UEFA Cup

Hitzfeld demanded “concentration and desire” from his team, calling for “a win to give us breathing space in the Bundesliga. I’m convinced we’ll come though in the UEFA Cup, so we’ll still have a couple of demanding games in Europe.“ Matches against Bochum, Getafe and Dortmund promise a tense and exciting week at the club.

Away leg ‘will now be like a final’

2008-04-06T09:56:00.002-07:00

Unnecessary and annoying,” thought Lukas Podolski, “fatal,” groaned Uli Hoeneß, while Luca Toni was simply “pissed off“. Cosmin Contra’s 90th-minute equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw for Getafe in Thursday’s UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg at the Allianz Arena left the Bayern camp fuming. The veteran Romanian’s last-gasp strike certainly makes Munich’s task in next week’s return dramatically more difficult than it need have been. “It’s also thrown a damper on our morale,” acknowledged Ottmar Hitzfeld, “but it’s no reason to hang our heads.“

The opposite should be the case, the Bayern coach continued. “We’ll be a little angry when we go there. We’ll be thinking it’s time to show them who’s boss,” the General opined. Oliver Kahn practically rubbed his hands with glee at the prospect. “We’re set for a fantastic European night, with all that involves,” declared the Munich skipper, “it definitely won’t be a 0-0 draw.“

State of anticipation

If it was to end scoreless Bayern would be out, so the men in red will go for goal in Getafe. “It’ll now be like a final,” said Hitzfeld, as his team face the prospect of genuine pressure in a UEFA Cup return leg for the first time this term. “It’ll be a closely-fought match and very, very difficult. I’m looking forward to it,” remarked Hoeneß, billing the match as a test of Bayern’s maturity. “A knock-out tie comprises two matches. A truly great team must be capable of winning the second.“

The first half on Thursday indicated that Bayern certainly have the means with which to defeat Getafe. The 62,000 at the Allianz Arena saw the home side create chance after chance, finally taking the lead courtesy of Luca Toni’s eighth goal of the competition on 26 minutes. “We played really well in the first half and should have led 2-0 at half-time. We created chances every two or three minutes,“ Hitzfeld reflected.

Too many gaps

However, Bayern neglected to add a second, despite what Hitzfeld described as “amazing chances on the break” in the second half. “It was no surprise we ran into trouble after that,” Hoeneß pointed out, although Bayern protected their lead until the last minute before Contra netted. “But you felt the goal was bound to come,” mused Lukas Podolski.

Indeed, Bayern began to lose their shape a little before the first half was out, as large gaps opened up between the various areas of the team. “The spaces became too large to fill, which made it difficult to keep control of the game,” commented Mark van Bommel. Getafe were quick to exploit the gaps and created a number of presentable chances, before “a chain reaction of defensive mistakes“ (Hitzfeld) finally paved the way for the not undeserved equaliser.

’We’ll get through’

“We have only ourselves to blame,” lamented Bastian Schweinsteiger, a sentiment echoed by Marcell Jansen: “We either had to wrap it up, or else keep it tight enough to protect the lead until the final whistle.“ Bayern will now look to bring home considerably better results against Bochum on Sunday, and a week from now in Getafe.

No-one in the Munich camp is contemplating elimination from Europe. “Everyone’s talking as if we were already out,” complained Van Bommel, preferring to take the line adopted by Kahn: “There’s still everything to play for. We’ll get through, even if it takes penalties.“

‘The draw could work to our advantage’

2008-04-06T09:56:00.001-07:00

The Bayern camp was understandably subdued following Thursday’s 1-1 draw at home to Getafe in the UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg. Cosmin Contra’s 90th minute equaliser robbed the Bundesliga giants of a victory they could easily have wrapped up earlier in the match, and means next week’s trip to the Madrid suburbs will be a knife-edge affair. Bayern captain Oliver Kahn faced the press afterwards, but the keeper felt there were positives to be gleaned from the night’s events.

Oliver Kahn after the Getafe match:

Question: Oliver Kahn, how angry are you after conceding a last-minute equaliser?
Oliver Kahn: “I’m not angry at all, I even think it could work to our advantage, otherwise we might have been tempted to give it less than 100 percent in Getafe. Instead, we’re set for a fantastic European night, with all that involves. We’re always capable of scoring, so it definitely won’t be a 0-0 draw.“

Question: Getafe are anything but easy opponents, so it’ll be a tough match to win.
Kahn: “So we’ll draw 2-2, which would be enough as well.“

Question: Do you really believe that?
Kahn: “Of course I believe it. Getafe are a good team, we all saw that tonight. They’re hardly a pub team, they have the results to prove it with away wins against Barcelona, Real Madrid and Tottenham, and they played very well in Lisbon. They’re simply a strong team with nothing to lose, with some very good footballers. But as I say, we’re looking forward to a big European night, and there’s still everything to play for. We’ll get through, even if it needs penalties.“

Question: You had Getafe well under control for long periods, but they fought their way back into the match. Did you run out of steam, or did Getafe sense they could get a result?
Kahn: “We played well for 35 minutes and had the game under control. But the course of the match suddenly turned, and we let Getafe have too many chances. That’s always likely to happen against a team with nothing to lose and some very, very good players. But we’re Bayern Munich, and we’re not going to wet ourselves just because we have to go there and get a result.“

Hitzfeld: We’re still in with a great chance

2008-04-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

After Getafe’s last-minute equaliser to seal a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg, Bayern must now win the return or draw while scoring at least twice to make the semi-finals. The German league leaders dominated the first period but failed to make the most of a couple of excellent chances on the break after that. Despite the draw, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld remained upbeat: “We’re very strong away from home, so we can go there and win. I remain optimistic about our chances of going through.“

Reaction to Bayern v Getafe CF

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “We played really well in the first half and should have led 2-0 at half-time. We created chances every two or three minutes. Getafe applied the pressure for quarter of an hour after the break, but we controlled the game again after that. We had glorious chances on the break and we’ve got to be making it 2-0. But if you don’t get the second, you’re always going to come under pressure at the end. Getafe refused to accept a 1-0 defeat, they kept coming at us. They have terrific morale, and they ground out an equaliser. We had the chances for a much better result than that, but we still have a great chance of going through, although obviously we could have made it a lot easier for ourselves. 3-1 or 4-1 would have been the right result today. Now we’ll need to concentrate like never before when we go there, but we’re very strong away from home, so we can go there and win. I remain optimistic about our chances of going through.“

Lukas Podolski: “We played very well for the first 20 minutes, for the whole of the first half in fact, but it was all a bit ominous in the second half. Getafe came into it more and more, they made chances like the one that hit the post, and then we’ve given away a stupid goal. We had chances of our own, but we didn’t put them away. Now we’ll have to go there and do our best to win the game.“

Mark van Bommel: “You sensed an equaliser was coming. There was a huge hole in midfield when they scored. Our rearguard was lined up across the penalty area, and the rest of the players were up the other end. That can’t be happening at that stage in a European tie. But we’ve scored goals away from home wherever we’ve been, and now we’ll go to Getafe knowing we have to score there as well. Obviously, we can’t be failing to take our chances like that. It would have been over if we’d made it 2-0.“

Bastian Schweinsteiger: “We had enough clear-cut chances. It would have been a completely different match if we’d made it 2-0. But as we all saw, Getafe are capable of very good football. They didn’t beat Real Madrid and Barcelona by chance. We’ve failed to wrap it up here and now. The fact it’s ended as a draw is our own fault. We didn’t deliver up front today.“

Michael Laudrup (Getafe coach): “We faced a very good Bayern Munich in the first half, and we also showed far too much respect, especially in the first ten minutes. We matched them in the second half. We applied a lot of pressure in the last 10 or 15 minutes, we had the bulk of the possession, and we managed to strike right at the end. I think it’s wide open in the return, but we mustn’t think we can just set out our stall and defend.“

FCB with it all to do as Getafe snatch draw

2008-04-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

Bayern must score at least once and avoid defeat in Spain next week after Getafe struck at the death to force a draw in the UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg.

The 62,000 who braved intermittent sleet and driving rain at the Allianz Arena rose to hail yet another Luca Toni opening goal after 26 minutes as the home side dominated the first half-hour, but the Spaniards rallied towards the end of the half and Bayern were pleased enough to turn round a goal to the good.

Spanish strength

Casquero missed a sitter as the visitors continued to press after the restart, but Munich clawed their way back only for Toni and Franck Ribery to squander quality openings on the break.

There was another almighty let-off for the Bundesliga leaders when Getafe sub Manu headed against the post in a frantic last ten minutes, but fellow replacement Cosmin Contra went one better with a sweet finish in the 90th minute for a late but ultimately not undeserved equaliser.

Poldi from the off

Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld made four changes to the side held by Nuremberg last Saturday. Weekend goalscorer Lukas Podolski earned a widely-predicted start in place of Miroslav Klose, with fit-again Martin Demichelis returning to the team at Daniel van Buyten’s expense.

Mark van Bommel, suspended in the Bundesliga, shook off a dose of the flu to resume in midfield instead of Andreas Ottl, with Philipp Lahm replacing Christian Lell at right-back and freeing up the right midfield berth for Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Getafe boss Michael Laudrup was forced to field a makeshift defence after losing Belenguer and Cata Diaz to injury and Lucas Licht to a ban, although the inclusion of third-choice Argentina keeper Oscar Ustari in place of fellow-countryman and national number one Robert Abbondanzieri came as something of a surprise.

Bayern’s bright start

Bayern immediately seized the initiative after English referee Howard Webb whistled play underway, Toni netting after just five minutes only to be hauled back and booked for nicking the ball off Ustari’s toe as the keeper shaped to kick from hand.

Tena also saw a yellow card for tripping Ze Roberto as the Brazilian hared clear 20 yards from goal, before Ribery, Podolski and Schweinsteiger all saw shots blocked or drift just wide. Podolski then warmed Ustari’s gloves and dragged his next effort past the upright, before Toni’s volley from Lahm’s cross caused a moment’s panic in the Getafe box.

The chances were coming thick and fast for the Bavarians, and it was another fierce Schweinsteiger drive which indirectly led to the overdue opener. Ustari parried for a corner, but the keeper was powerless to stop Toni’s firm header from the set-piece, expertly floated over by Schweini himself.

Spaniards fight back

Ribery, Marcell Jansen and Schweinsteiger combined fluently to create the next opening on the half-hour, but Bayern appeared to run out of steam after that and the visitors suddenly threatened, Lahm clearing a Mario header off the line and Real Madrid loan man Ruben de la Red skidding an effort narrowly wide of the target.

Mario so nearly diverted a free-kick past Oliver Kahn as the half drew to a close, and the pattern continued after the break with a huge let-off for the home side on 54 minutes, Ikechukwu Uche’s neat backheel setting up a gilt-edged chance for Casquero, only for the midfielder to float an attempted chip inches over the bar.

Last-gasp leveller

Toni headed goalwards, Podolski drove over the bar and Schweinsteiger saw a header deflected wide as Bayern reasserted their authority after the hour mark, but with Getafe still pressing forward in search of an equaliser, Toni and Ribery were both uncharacteristically let down by their close control with only Ustari to beat as Van Bommel and Podolski fashioned clear-cut openings on the break.

It was end-to-end stuff in a tense closing phase, with another escape for the Reds when sub Manu beat Kahn to a cross only to head against the post, before Pablo Hernandez curled a free-kick wide of the upright.

But after a last-minute scramble in the Munich box following a desperate Kahn block, and with at least three defenders neglecting the chance to clear, Romania veteran Contra kept his head with a classy lobbed finish to snatch a not undeserved draw and present the Germans with a mountain to climb in the return.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

Bayern Munich - Getafe CF 1-1 (H-T: 1-0)


Bayern Munich:		Kahn - Lahm, Lucio, Demichelis, Jansen (Lell 81) - Schweinsteiger, Van Bommel (Ottl 86), Zé Roberto, Ribéry - Toni (Klose 80), Podolski

Substitutes:		Rensing, Van Buyten, Sosa, Kroos

Getafe CF:		Ustari - Cortes, Mario, Manuel Tena, Signorini - Pablo Hernandez, De la Red, Casquero (Celestini 73), Granero (Contra 78) - Albin, Uche (Manu 68)

Referee:		Howard Webb (England)

Spectators:		62,000

Goals:		1-0 Toni (26), 1-1 Contra (90)

Yellow Cards:		Toni / Mario, Manuel Tena, Granero, De la Red

Laudrup: Bayern are favourites for the trophy

2008-04-03T04:58:00.000-07:00

Despite a sobering 2-0 reverse against Osasuna in La Liga last weekend, the attitude in the Getafe camp ahead of the UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg in Munich on Thursday is one of respect but no fear, players and officials of the Spanish top flight club declared confidently after arriving in the Bavarian capital on Wednesday.

“We’ve beaten Real Madrid and Barcelona. We’ll try and take a decent result from Munich, and then seal a berth in the next round at home,” defender Mario remarked. Pedro Castro, mayor of the town of 160,000 in the southern suburbs of Madrid, predicted a 2-1 win for Getafe. “Bayern have been a bit unlucky. They’ve been drawn against one of Europe’s greatest teams.“

Aiming for three trophies

Azulones (Dark Blues) coach Michael Laudrup was slightly less forthright. “Bayern are undoubtedly one of the best teams in Europe. They’ve always been my favourites to win the trophy,” the former Real Madrid and Barcelona star commented. However, he was “very confident” of springing a surprise over two legs, “although we’re obviously aware of Bayern’s quality.“

“We’re comfortable with the underdogs’ role,“ Laudrup continued, pointing to the confidence-boosting wins against Barca and Real. Getafe, just 25 years into their existence as a club and the only Spanish team still in the hunt for three trophies, contest their second domestic Cup final in a row two weeks from now.

Consistent scorers

“I’m very pleased with what we’ve achieved as a team up to now,” the Dane declared, praising a squad largely comprising international unknowns with the exception of Argentine keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri and playmaker Rubén de la Red. “It’s a terrific phase for us, we have important, decisive matches every three days,” a visibly proud Laudrup said.

The next important encounter comes on Thursday at the Allianz Arena, where a knot of 700 travelling fans will back the visitors. “Bayern will go for a good result at home, but they’ll want to stop us scoring. That’ll be hard for them, because we’ve scored in every game in this competition so far,” the coach pointed out.

Injuries hit back four

The man regarded as one of Denmark’s all-time great players has few injury worries, but the selection question-marks are concentrated over defenders. Left-back Lucas Licht is suspended, centre-half Cata Diaz out with injury, and captain Belenguer faces a fitness test at Getafe’s final training session. In the worst case scenario, Laudrup would be without three of his regular back four.

That would rate as a blow against a Munich side which has found goals easy to come by in Europe this term. “Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski are all top quality strikers,” Laudrup acknowledged. “The whole team is classy, starting with Oliver Kahn in goal, then Lahm and other household-name players. The one I like the most is the Frenchman, Franck Ribéry,” Laudrup respectfully observed.

Getafe threat calls for balancing act from FCB

2008-04-03T04:50:00.002-07:00

The UEFA Cup is the focus this week as Bayern continue their quest for a triple trophy haul. “We’ve set ourselves the target of reaching the final,” Ottmar Hitzfeld declared ahead of Thursday evening’s quarter-final first leg at home to Getafe CF (Live in English from 8.30 pm on FCB.tv Web Radio ). Hoping for a decent result to defend in the return next week, the Bayern boss demanded a better display than last Saturday’s draw in Nürnberg. “We have to improve by 30 percent. These are the games where we have to go to the limit.“

Hitzfeld is extremely wary of the side lying 12th in Spain’s La Liga. “It won’t simply take care of itself. Getafe are a top Spanish club,” he warned, pointing to victories away to Real Madrid (1-0) and at home to Barcelona (2-0) this term. Furthermore, Michael Laudrup’s men have made it to the Spanish Cup final for the second season in a row, and have acquitted themselves well in their debut European campaign. The men from suburban Madrid finished top of their UEFA Cup group ahead of Tottenham and Anderlecht, before breezing past AEK Athens and Benfica in the knock-out stages.

Tough but manageable

“It can’t be an accident and it tells you everything about their quality,” opined Hitzfeld. The Bayern stars are well aware of Getafe’s track record this term. “They’ll be the hardest opponents we’ve faced so far,” Bastian Schweinsteiger warned, a sentiment echoed by Franck Ribéry: “They’ll be very hard to beat.“

For all that, Bayern are brimming with confidence. “We’re at home and we’re favourites,” insisted Schweinsteiger. “It’s a tough but manageable task,” summarised Hitzfeld. FCB scouts have observed the Spaniards on four occasions, reporting a hard-running, technically able, disciplined, well-organised and aggressive team, “with a portion of belief and excitement,” Hitzfeld added. Chief scout Wolfgang Dremmler also noted Getafe’s strength at set-pieces and on the break.

Schweinsteiger for Altintop?

But Laudrup’s men are far from unbeatable. “They have a few problems in defence, and we should exploit that,” commented Hitzfeld, calling on his team to tackle early and attack down the flanks. “We have to find the right balance between attack and solid defence,” the coach said.

“We’re aiming to win while keeping a clean sheet,” offered Schweinsteiger, reckoning the men in red would need to be patient. “Getafe won’t necessarily come here looking to win,” he felt, “finding the gaps won’t be easy. It might be that nothing happens until after the 70th minute.“ Hitzfeld declined to say whether Schweinsteiger would definitely feature against the Spaniards, “although Bastian has a good chance of playing,” he revealed.

Van Bommel doubtful

Otherwise, José Ernesto Sosa could stand in for the injured Hamit Altintop in right midfield. Mark van Bommel missed final training with the flu and is a major doubt. “He’s not 100 percent better,” Hitzfeld reported, “and I don’t pick players who aren’t totally fit.“

Munich urgently require a good result at home ahead of next week’s return at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez in Getafe, a difficult place to visit, according to Ribéry’s Spain-based France team-mates. What would be a decent score at the Allianz Arena? “1-0 would be good, 2-0 or 3-0 would be perfect,“ Lucio declared.

Junghans and Theslof join Klinsmann team

2008-04-03T04:50:00.001-07:00

Three months after the unveiling of Jürgen Klinsmann as Bayern head coach from next season, the former Germany captain’s backroom line-up is continuing to take shape. The 43-year-old, currently in Munich for a series of meetings, met fcbayern.de on Wednesday to introduce Walter Junghans and Nick Theslof, two further members of his coaching and support team.

Junghans, who has worked with the current coaching staff since the beginning of this season, will become head goalkeeping coach on 1 July this year. Just as he once did as a player, the 49-year-old takes over from Sepp Maier, who is retiring after a long and illustrious career. “Succeeding Sepp Maier is definitely not an easy job,” commented Junghans, “but I’m delighted with the decision to entrust the task to me.“

Junghans’ impressive track record

Klinsmann declared himself “totally delighted” at the prospect of working with Junghans. “Everyone at Bayern speaks very positively about him,” the future coach observed, revealing he had also taken soundings from “people who’ve known him for a number of years. I was convinced when I talked to him face-to-face as well, there’s chemistry there. He’s a likeable guy. He’s a retiring personality, but he knows exactly what he wants, and he’s eager to learn.“

Junghans said he was keen to maintain his own brand and philosophy of goalkeeping coaching, “although the year with Sepp Maier and Oliver Kahn has obviously taught me a great deal more on top, and I’ll make sure to incorporate it.” Before joining Bayern, Junghans was on the coaching staff with the likes of Benfica and Athletic Bilbao, another point in his favour. “He’s been around the international scene and had a number of jobs already. I’m very impressed,” Klinsmann remarked.

Theslof to work closely with Klinsmann

The second newly-announced member of staff is Nick Theslof, a 30-year-old American hired as an international scout to support chief scout Wolfgang Dremmler. “He’ll report directly to me, because I want us to have a very close working relationship,” Klinsmann explained, “when he’s not travelling, he’ll be based permanently at the Säbener Strasse, so we’re shoulder to shoulder.“

The former striker met Theslof at US amateur club Orange County Blue Star. After officially ending his career in 2003, and playing under the pseudonym Jay Goppingen, Klinsmann scored five goals in eight appearances for Blue Star, coached by Theslof at the time. “I was really impressed at the way he read and analysed a game, and how he treated the players as individuals,” Klinsmann recalled.

Keeping an eye out

The new Bayern coach previously brought in Theslof as a match observer on the Germany staff at the 2006 World Cup. “At the World Cup, he wrote me match summaries which were always totally accurate. He has a very, very sharp eye,” Klinsmann reported. At Bayern, Theslof will be responsible for observing future opponents at home and abroad.

A former PSV Eindhoven youth player, Theslof appeared in Major League Soccer for Columbus Crew until an Achilles injury brought his career to a premature end, after which he immediately took up coaching. He will be introduced to Bayern gradually over the course of the next few months, “to give him a feeling for the club and Wolfgang Dremmler’s section,” Klinsmann explained, “Nick will be a great help to us.“

’Assiduous’ planning

Theslof and Junghans bring the number of new faces hired for next season’s staff up to four, joining Mexican assistant coach Martin Vasquez and former Bayern star Christian Nerlinger, who will occupy the newly-created post of team manager. Further names would be announced in due course, Klinsmann remarked. “We’re working assiduously to get our organisational structures in place, so we’re in good shape for the new season by late June, early July – but the work’s all taking place in the background. We absolutely don’t want to get in Ottmar Hitzfeld’s way.“

Demichelis fired up for Getafe contest

2008-04-03T04:49:00.001-07:00

Martin Demichelis attracted plenty of attention on Tuesday, largely due to the temporary disfigurement of his craggy features caused by a pronounced bump on his left forehead and black eye below it, the “enormous” consequences of a collision between the Argentina man and team-mate Gabriel Heinze in a friendly meeting with Egypt last week. “We both wanted to head clear, but we headed each other instead,” Micho ruefully explained.

Despite the shiner, the 27-year-old was in upbeat spirits at a news conference on Tuesday, as he has been cleared to play against Getafe in Thursday’s UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg. Demichelis was forced to sit out Bayern’s weekend league fixture, in stark contrast to Heinze. The Real Madrid defender played a full part in his side’s 3-1 victory over Sevilla, scoring the opener with his head. “It didn’t affect him at all. I hit him on the back of the head,” Demichelis revealed.

Wary of Getafe

Some 20 km south of Real’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is Getafe’s Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, the compact ground where Bayern are due to play the second leg next week. The match in Munich is the more pressing priority, and Demichelis declared himself far more concerned about that than his unsightly injury. “I rate Getafe as one of the best teams still in the competition,” the centre-half opined.

Micho has already watched TV coverage of the Spanish top flight outfit, and will join his FCB team-mates for a detailed video analysis of the club’s European opponents on Wednesday. Getafe lost 2-0 to Osasuna at the weekend, but Demichelis knows the Spaniards will be “totally motivated“ when they arrive in Bavaria. “They’re not just coming to Munich for a kick-about, they want to make the next round.“

Fired-up Demichelis

Bayern are the team under pressure on Thursday, Demichelis acknowledged: “Getafe have nothing to lose.“ The men in red know they will need “total aggression, full concentration and high motivation,“ the Argentine commented. “The best thing would be to score early. It won’t be easy, but we believe strongly in ourselves. We have to go out there and show what we can do.“

Demichelis has already taken one of Getafe’s stars to one side and informed him of Bayern’s iron resolve to win the UEFA Cup. Argentina number one Roberto Abbondanzieri also keeps goal for the Spanish club side. “I’ve spoken to my good friend,” Demichelis reported, also revealing the placing of a small wager between the pair. The Munich star will be even more determined to open his UEFA Cup scoring account this week – and it will not bother him in the slightest if the ball goes in off the prominent bump on his forehead.

Readying for run-in with fun in the sun

2008-04-03T04:48:00.000-07:00

The obvious but erroneous conclusion from observing team training at the Säbener Strasse on Monday would have been that the Bayern stars were busily preparing for a couple of weeks on the beach. Instead of skills development or a practice match, Franck Ribéry and Co alternated between football tennis and basketball – visibly and audibly enjoying themselves in the process.

“We’ve pretty much played twice a week since the winter break, so a day like this does you good,” commented Philipp Lahm after the relatively gentle workout. The Germany international and his team-mates started the session in the weights room before moving out onto the sun-drenched practice ground.

Special regeneration programme

“It’s fun and I’m happy to be doing it,” said Ribéry, lingering on the field for another round of football tennis with Daniel van Buyten after the rest of the squad had retired to the dressing room. And who won the Franco-Belgian duel? “Me of course, as usual,” the France star grinned, looking forward to his ‘prize’, a lunch paid for by Van Buyten.

The Bayern camp is certainly in upbeat spirits despite a distinctly average display in Nürnberg on Saturday. Results elsewhere meant the Reds maintained a seven-point advantage at the top of the standings, and with five matches at home and only three away until the end of term, appear well placed for a 21st domestic crown. That persuaded Ottmar Hitzfeld to start the week with “active regeneration“, as assistant coach Michael Henke told fcbayern.de: “It was a special programme today.“

Ribéry wary of Getafe

Normal service will be resumed on Tuesday. “As of tomorrow, we’ll turn up the heat and start gearing the lads up for Thursday,” Henke explained. Spanish La Liga cracks Getafe visit the Allianz Arena in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals this week.

Ribery warned his team-mates not to underestimate Thursday’s opponents: “They must be good, or they wouldn’t still be in the competition.“ The 24-year-old revealed he had consulted Barcelona pair Lilian Thuram and Thierry Henry for advice regarding Getafe when the players met up on France duty last week, a conversation which is certain to have thrown up one or two interesting insights.

Podolski doubtful

“They told me Getafe are technically good and hard to play against, so it’s important we win at home, preferably without conceding a goal,” observed Ribéry, promising fireworks for the crowd: “We’ll go after them and get on the attack.“

Lukas Podolski, scorer of the 81st-minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Nürnberg, was unable to train on Monday with a swollen ankle and reported to the medical unit for treatment. “He’s doubtful. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s fit to train tomorrow, or at least take part in final training on Wednesday,” Henke explained.

Patience a virtue for Sagnol

Martin Demichelis missed the trip to Nürnberg with facial bruising, but trained on Monday despite still sporting a black eye. “He managed the whole session so it shouldn’t be a problem for him,” Henke remarked.

By contrast, Willy Sagnol will be sidelined for a few more days with the after-effects of a slipped disc. The Frenchman received a pain-killing injection from club medical chief Dr Müller-Wohlfahrt and is currently restricted to jogging. Sagnol is hoping to resume the team programme next week, and put in an extra afternoon shift on Monday.

Hoeneß: That’s what strikers are paid for

2008-04-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

In numerical terms, Lukas Podolski went almost 750 Bundesliga minutes without a goal before Saturday’s trip to Nuremberg. In the world of the striker, 750 goalless minutes is not such a dramatic occurrence. However, a 384-day drought is the stuff of raised eyebrows.

Back on 11 March 2007, Podolski opened the scoring for Bayern in a 1-1 home draw with Werder Bremen, but more than a calendar year was to pass before he once again tasted the joy of a domestic league strike. “I’m always delighted when I score,” the 22-year-old declared in characteristically neutral tones following the weekend draw with 1. FC Nürnberg.

Podolski as super sub

Saturday’s goal was also Podolski’s first in the Bundesliga after coming on as a sub. As so often this term, the former Cologne man again started on the bench in Franconia. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld initially sent out Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose, before replacing the luckless German with fellow-countryman Podolski at half-time.

Lukas insists he does not hold it against Hitzfeld personally, “but to be honest, I’m fed up with the Bayern subs’ bench,” the player told the Bild tabloid after netting for Germany in Switzerland last Wednesday – where he also came on as a sub. “But I’m not made to be a sub, my goal is to be a regular,” he said on Saturday.

Hitzfeld: Goal will help him

“I think it’s terrific Lukas scored today, but that’s what strikers are paid for. Everyone has to contribute to our success, and he made a fine contribution today,” offered general manager Uli Hoeneß, professing incomprehension at the media debate over the player: “I don’t understand the drama associated with him. Lukas became an important part of the team ages ago.“

“He’s on a par with the other strikers,” agreed Hitzfeld, who recently acknowledged that the fight for places in the team was a straight performance-based contest. “The goal will give him a real boost. He went out there and exploded today,“ the General observed.

Start against Getafe?

Poldi may well have done enough to earn a start in Thursday’s UEFA Cup meeting with Getafe. The Germany hitman has already notched up five goals in the competition so far. “I’ll train as well as I can, and then we’ll see who the coach picks,“ Podolski declared, neutral as ever.

‘I’m determined to play at the Euro’

2008-04-03T04:45:00.000-07:00

Ottmar Hitzfeld made no secret of his feelings on hearing of Hamit Altintop’s injury. “It’s come as a bad shock,“ the Bayern coach exclaimed after the Turkey international sustained a broken metatarsal. Altintop, an ever-present this term apart from three matches on the sidelines with a previous injury, underwent corrective surgery in Munich last Thursday. fcbayern.de phoned the player in hospital and found him in resilient mood.

Interview: Hamit Altintop

fcbayern.de: Hamit, this is a dumb question, but how are you feeling today?
Hamit Altintop: “I’m lying here flat on my back and the lads are on their way to play Nürnberg, so you can imagine how I feel. The decisive weeks lie ahead. Every game is like a final, and I’d have really liked to help the team. I’ll make sure I’m at the stadium for all the remaining home games, I’ll cheer the team on and offer my support as best I can.“

fcbayern.de: How did the injury happen?
Altintop: “I was playing for Turkey in a friendly against Belarus, and an opponent unluckily landed on my foot in a challenge.“

fcbayern.de: What happened after that in Minsk?
Altintop: “They took my straight to hospital locally. The doctors suspected a break and put me in plaster. My brother then accompanied me to Vienna and then on to Munich, where I saw Bayern doc Müller-Wohlfahrt on Thursday. He took one look at the MRI scan and sent me for immediate surgery.“

fcbayern.de: You’ve already had the operation. How did it go, and how long do the medics think you’ll be out of action?
Altintop: “The operation went very well. Now we’ll have to wait and see how the bone heals. It’s hard to say whether I’ll play again this season.“

fcbayern.de: What about this summer’s Euro 2008?
Altintop: “I’m determined to play at the Euro. Obviously, it would be fantastic if I was able to feature in the match when we take delivery of the championship shield.“

fcbayern.de: Has anyone been assigned to help you mentally over the next few days?
Altintop: “No. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, you have to cope with them as a footballer and find the strength to come back from them.“

Local boy Lell billed as Germany contender

2008-03-27T15:46:00.001-07:00

Christian Lell must by now have realised that Ottmar Hitzfeld holds him in high esteem. The defender has made 32 appearances for Bayern this term, more than any other recognised full-back in the Munich squad. Nevertheless, a statement by coach Hitzfeld mooting Christian as a potential candidate for the German senior side has taken the FCB youth product by surprise.

"I'm a bit overwhelmed to be honest,“ Lell said, obviously struggling for words on being quizzed about Hitzfeld's remarks. "If he keeps it up, he'll definitely be a candidate for [Germany coach] Jogi Löw,“ the General told a news conference on Thursday.

Carpe diem

"Obviously I'm delighted if Ottmar Hitzfeld chooses to say something like that,“ Lell responded, denying he had been harbouring any hopes of making the Germany team, let alone leaping aboard the Euro 2008 express at the last minute. "I'm just going to continue trying to perform to the best of my ability,“ he continued. He has done exactly that in convincing fashion of late.

Lell has simply stretched out both hands and seized the chance presented by Willy Sagnol's injury-related absence for the whole of the first half of the season, and spells on the sidelines for Philipp Lahm and Marcell Jansen. "That's the reason I've made so many appearances and had the chance to show what I can do,“ Lell reflected.

Profitable time on loan

"After an unbelievable first half of the season, I just hoped it would carry on,“ he continued. He missed last Saturday's Bundesliga encounter with Leverkusen due to suspension, but could be back for the weekend trip to Nuremberg. "I'm personally not surprised Christian's played so often,“ Hitzfeld observed.

Lell himself regards his progress as part of a development process. "I agreed to go out on loan to Cologne in order to gain experience.“ In a spell with the Rhineland club from 2004 to 2006, he appeared in the first and second divisions, and also the third division north. "All in all, I'd say it was a complete package," he smiled. Perhaps not quite: a call-up for Germany would complete the set.

Klose, Podolski, Ribéry on target for national teams

2008-03-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Bayern's international stars returned to Munich from a round of friendly internationals in midweek with a record of four victories, a draw and two defeats. The biggest smiles belonged to Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Franck Ribéry, who not only ended up on the winning side, but also showcased their talents in imposing style in the final tests before the naming of squads for this summer's Euro 2008.

Germany took on Euro co-hosts Switzerland in Basel and rattled up an impressive 4-0 victory, Klose opening the scoring on 23 minutes with his 38th goal for his country, thereby overtaking Oliver Bierhoff to go seventh in the German all-time scoring chart. The remaining goals in Germany's 800th senior international fixture came from VfB Stuttgart star Mario Gomez (61, 67) and 58th minute sub Podolski (89), who now has a remarkable 25 goals in 46 appearances for his country.

France down England

"We were prepared to run and we were well-organised,“ analysed Philipp Lahm, one of four Bayern men in the Germany starting line-up alongside Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Marcell Jansen. With 74 days remaining until the start of hostilities this summer, the Germans restored a lot of the reputation lost in a lethargic 3-0 win against the other co-hosts Austria a short time ago. "We can get even better once we've had a decent period of time together,“ reflected Lahm, "we'll be an even better team at the Euro than we were today.“

Over in Paris, France underlined their European championship ambitions with a 1-0 victory over England, Ribéry scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot on 32 minutes after a foul on Nicolas Anelka. Ribéry was the most dynamic player on display in a tactical encounter at the Stade de France, where the home side were rarely threatened by a disciplined but toothless England, for whom David Beckham earned a 100th and potentially final international cap.

Wins for Lucio and Micho

Lucio emulated Ribery in completing 90 minutes on Wednesday, helping Brazil to a 1-0 success against Sweden in London. Inter hitman Pato struck for the Lucio-captained Seleção, who were without superstars Ronaldinho and Kaka. Two goals settled the issue in Cairo where Argentina took on African champions Egypt. In a low-paced match, Agüero (66) and Nicolas Burdisso (84) netted for the Gauchos, for whom Martin Demichelis featured until the 82nd minute.

Hamit Altintop spent considerably less time on the pitch for Turkey away to Belarus in Minsk. The Bayern man was forced out of the action after just 22 minutes and watched as the match ended 2-2. The home side twice took the lead through Vitali Kutuzov (34) and Aliaksandr Hleb (64), but Tuncay Sanli (37) and Tümer Metin (72) levelled for the Turks.

Toni out of luck

Bayern's losers on the night were Luca Toni and Daniel van Buyten. The Italian and his team-mates fell 1-0 to Spain in Elche, although the result was a shade harsh on the Squadra Azzurra who failed to convert a string of decent chances. Toni, who played the first half for the Italians, was unlucky to see a 12th-minute header ruled out for an alleged offence, and Mauro Camoranesi hit the bar shortly after half-time. The Spaniards' winner came from an opportunistic David Villa strike 13 minutes from time.

In Brussels, Van Buyten and Belgium fell to a sobering 4-1 home defeat against Morocco. Soufiani Alloudi (14) and Tarik Sektioui (35) struck as the Belgians turned in a dismal first half display, but the Red Devils fought back and Axel Witsel reduced the arrears on 51 minutes. However, Nabil El Zhar (83) and Abdessalam Benjelloun (90) netted in the closing stages to seal the Moroccan victory.

Kahn rolls back the years as Toni rolls on

2008-03-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

One has 21 winners’ medals from his time with Bayern, the other has yet to taste trophy success at club level. One is a few months short of ending an illustrious playing career, the other is in his prime. One prevents goals, the other scores them. Oliver Kahn and Luca Toni appear to have little in common, except for their ability to win matches at opposite ends of the park.

In Saturday’s meeting with Leverkusen, Toni’s 34th appearance for Munich, the Italian opened the scoring for the 13th time this term. He also scored the only goal of the reverse fixture last autumn. “It’s no coincidence,“ Ottmar Hitzfeld reflected, “Luca’s always on the scene in the penalty area. He’s ruthless and has an amazing nose for goal.“

Lahm’s assist, Toni’s goal

Toni struck again on the hour to make it 26 goals for the season and 16 in the Bundesliga, where he is once again out on his own as leading scorer. “Obviously I’m counting the goals,” he declared, “my job is to keep scoring and help the team win the Bundesliga and a Cup or two.“

The 30-year-old praised provider Philipp Lahm. “At half-time, I told him I’d like to score with my head and asked for his help,” the striker revealed. Twelve minutes after the restart Lahm duly served up an inch-perfect cross for the Italian to nod home.

Kahn called into action

Toni was suspended in midweek “so he was totally fired up for Saturday,“ Hitzfeld reported. The prolific marksman has made the leading scorer crown his declared target, “but also to please the team and the fans. I hope I can keep it up, or the club will start complaining!“

Toni will have gone home in good spirits on Saturday, and so will Kahn. The Bayern skipper had a relatively quiet afternoon, as Bayer only managed four shots at goal – although one of them called for Kahn to use every inch of his 6 ft 2 in frame. The keeper had already dived to his right for Bernd Schneider’s 29th-minute drive, but Sergej Barbarez applied a hefty deflection from less than ten yards out. Kahn still managed to keep out the near-unstoppable effort with the tip of his left boot.

Like a young ‘un

“It was a spectacular situation,“ Kahn reported, “it was deflected but I somehow got a foot to the ball.“ The reaction save was not all down to good fortune, the shot-stopper insisted. “If you work and train properly, you make your own luck in that kind of situation.“ Mark van Bommel emphasised the importance of the save at a time when Bayern were only 1-0 up: “It would have been a completely different game if Leverkusen had equalised before half-time.“

Even in his final season as a pro, the 38-year-old’s hunger for medals remains undiminished. “Oliver’s having a fantastic season with no errors. He played like a 25-year-old today,“ Uli Hoeneß beamed. The general manager’s words were later reported back to the keeper. “What does he mean by ‘today’?“ the veteran quipped.

Bayern Cool On Boruc Reports

2008-03-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

He has strongly asserted that current reserve keeper Michael Rensing will be the one to inherit the mantle of the great Oliver Kahn when he retires at the end of the season.

Reports from Scotland this week claimed that Bayern were set to make a €13 million bid for the Celtic keeper after sending goalkeeping coach Sepp Maier to spy on the Polish keeper in action.

“There is absolutely nothing in the story” Hoeneß stressed. “It’s a strange story. Sepp Maier wasn’t there. From beginning to end, there is no truth in it” he added.

Speaking after Bayern’s 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Bayer Leverkusen, Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described the story as “complete nonsense”.

“It’s grotesque to think that Sepp Maier is looking for a goalkeeper for Jürgen Klinsmann. We certainly won’t be spending €13 million on another keeper.”

The Scottish tabloid ‘The Daily Record’ reported that 28 year old Boruc would be brought in to succeed Oliver Kahn in the Bayern goal.

Rummenigge however has repeated the claim that Michael Rensing is the confirmed successor to Kahn.

“We have assured him that he is our number one. That assurance remains. Therefore everything else is just not an issue” he said.

Eleven Reds away on international duty

2008-03-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Ottmar Hitzfeld rewarded his players for beating Leverkusen by cancelling training on Easter Sunday and Monday, potentially the last time the Bayern boss will feel able to hand his men two free days in a row this term. Should Munich make it to the UEFA Cup final, the Bundesliga leaders will play twice a week from now until the end of the campaign.

However, this week is an exception, as Bayern are not due in Nuremberg until Saturday. Even so, there will be no additional rest for almost half the first-team squad, as eleven Bayern stars have been called up to represent their countries in a round of international fixtures to be played in North Africa and Europe.

Euro 2008 warm-ups

The matches may only be friendlies, but they are more significant than usual for eight Munich stars, as they offer a final chance to impress before the naming of squads for this summer’s Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

As normal, Germany accounts for the single biggest Bayern contingent. Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Lukas Podolski and Marcell Jansen have been called up by coach Joachim Löw to meet Euro co-hosts Switzerland in Basel.

Prestige at stake

Considerable pride is at stake when Franck Ribéry and his France team-mates take on England in Paris, although Willy Sagnol (neck) misses out with injury. World Cup holders Italy and Luca Toni travel to Elche in Alicante province for an equally prestige-laden meeting with Spain. Minsk is the destination for Hamit Altintop and Turkey in a run-out against Belarus.

Belgium meet Morocco in Brussels, but the home team failed to make it to Euro 2008, so Daniel van Buyten and his men will have their thoughts trained on the forthcoming qualifying contest for the next World Cup. Martin Demichelis and Argentina also face North African opposition, as the Gauchos travel to Cairo for a meeting with freshly-crowned continental champions Egypt.

No injuries, please

World Cup qualifying is already underway in South America, and the Argentines will be using the midweek fixture as preparation for their next two competitive matches in June, which include a clash with arch-rivals Brazil. The Seleçao are also in action on Wednesday, when captain Lucio leads out his men against Euro hopefuls Sweden in London.

Bayern’s current international stars are due back in Munich on Thursday, where the coaching staff will be waiting anxiously for news of any injuries. “The most important thing is that we get the players back in good health,“ commented head coach Hitzfeld.

Bayern in good shape for title run-in

2008-03-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Bayern stars danced for joy in front of the Allianz Arena faithful after sealing a place in the German Cup final in midweek, but Saturday's celebrations were tinged with a note of caution. "That was a major step towards the championship," said Ottmar Hitzfeld after a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, which took Bayern nine points clear of their Rhineland visitors and extended their lead over second-placed Hamburg to seven points. However, no-one in the Munich camp is prepared to claim the title just yet.

"It's a good cushion now, but we still have to watch ourselves," commented Uli Hoeneß. Added Oliver Kahn: "We've put ourselves in a very good position, nothing more and nothing less.“ Hitzfeld warned his men to be watchful and wakeful, "because complacency is a real danger.“ The coach has not forgotten that his side pulled out a seven-point lead two weeks ago and promptly slumped to a second defeat of term in Cottbus. "I hope the players learned their lesson from that.“

Profligate Bayern

That would certainly appear to be the case up to now. Following a convincing display in the Cup against Wolfsburg, the Bavarians utterly dominated for long spells against third-placed Bayer. "It was classy. We had the look of champions at times," FCB general manager Hoeneß enthused, describing the élan and poise with which Hitzfeld's men created chance after chance as "well worth watching. It's a long time since I've seen as many scoring chances as that in a top-of-the-table match.“

With the exception of a ten-minute spell around the half-hour mark, Bayern easily bossed proceedings on Saturday and were rewarded with a Luca Toni brace on 17 and 59 minutes, taking the Italian to 16 league goals for the season. "After that, it was just a question of the margin of victory," reflected Hitzfeld, although Bayern declined to accept a string of presentable openings. "We were profligate in front of goal," complained the General, whose team were almost punished for their wastefulness.

Bayer flattered

Dmitry Bulykin pulled one back out of the blue to make it an unnecessarily anxious last seven minutes for the men in red. "We just made life difficult for ourselves," Hitzfeld lamented. "We should have been 5-0 up before Leverkusen scored," argued Hoeneß, "it would have been disastrous and totally unjust if Leverkusen had made it 2-2.“

However, Bayern shut up shop and the visitors never seriously threatened to sneak off with a point. "We were a class apart at times," Hitzfeld said in praise of his men, "it was an extraordinarily good display." The match stats backed the coach's point of view, as his side delivered 21 shots to their opponents' four, and won 56 percent of their challenges. "Looking at the 90 minutes, we're flattered by the scoreline. We deserved to lose the match,“ Leverkusen coach Michael Skibbe conceded.

No neighbourly gestures

Hitzfeld has rewarded the stars with two days off before ordering his men back to the training ground on Tuesday ready for the weekend trip to fellow Bavarians 1. FC Nürnberg. "The job is to perform away from home, which we failed to do in Cottbus," observed Philipp Lahm. Bayern are in no mood to be generous to their relegation-threatened neighbours. "Nuremberg have had plenty of opportunities to pick up points," Hoeneß pointed out, "we can't go there and hand out neighbourly gifts. We want the title, so we need to take points wherever we go.“

The general manager called for an equally good performance in Nuremberg. "If we play like we did today, no-one in Germany can hurt us," he said, looking forward to the title run-in with some confidence. With nine games still to play, "it's in our own hands," Mark van Bommel noted. The squad needed to concentrate right to the end, Hitzfeld thought. "Then we'll be very difficult to stop."

Luca double sends Reds seven points clear

2008-03-23T11:25:00.001-07:00

Luca Toni netted twice as Bayern saw off third-placed Bayer far more easily than the scoreline suggests, stretching their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to seven points over Hamburg.

The 69,000 full house at the Allianz Arena erupted on 17 minutes to acclaim Toni's ninth opening goal of the league campaign, but the leaders were careless with a string of chances after that and were grateful to captain Olli Kahn for preserving the half-time lead with a blinding save from Sergej Barbarez.

If Bayern enjoyed the better of the first period they utterly dominated the second, Toni completing his brace on the hour to put the men in red firmly on the way to victory. Only Bayer keeper Rene Adler stood between Munich and a cricket score for long spells after that, but Leverkusen sub Dmitriy Bulykin pulled one back out of the blue with seven minutes remaining, although the outcome was never really in doubt as the home side shut up shop to seal a fully merited win.

Luca and Philipp restored

Ottmar Hitzfeld relaxed his exhaustive rotation policy of recent weeks, making just two changes to the side which beat Wolfsburg in the Cup on Wednesday. Philipp Lahm replaced the suspended Christian Lell, with Toni back in the side for Lukas Podolski.

Bayer boss Michael Skibbe caused a raised eyebrow or two with a much more attacking formation than expected, fielding veteran Bernd Schneider in a midfield playmaking role behind four nominal forwards in the shape of Stefan Kießling, Barbarez, Tranquilo Barnetta and Theofanis Gekas.

Luca, yet again

Toni had the ball in the net after just five minutes only to be ruled offside, and the highly-rated Adler tipped Ze Roberto's deflected shot over the bar, but Lucio was forced into a crucial intervention at the other end after Barnetta's backheel sent Kießling scampering clear.

But Bayern clearly held the upper hand and were rewarded after 17 minutes when Franck Ribery released Miro Klose on the edge of the six-yard box, the Germany striker unselfishly squaring for Toni to burst between two defenders and slot home from close range.

Heroics from Kahn

Leverkusen full-back Hans Sarpei made a desperate late clearance when Ze elected to cross from Klose's sublime defensive-splitting pass, but there was a let-off for the home side on the half-hour when Barbarez diverted Schneider's drive goalwards, only for Kahn to hack the ball clear with his left foot despite going the wrong way in anticipation of the original shot.

After a brief lull, the Bavarians mounted another onslaught as the half drew to a close, but Klose declined three highly presentable openings, first directing a header wide, then falling victim to a Sarpei block, and finally seeing Adler pull out a stunning reaction stop to keep out a firm downward header from Hamit Altintop's cross.

Luca completes brace

Klose was out of luck again from the first chance after the restart, nodding over from close range after Demichelis' header back across goal, but Toni made no mistake with the next opportunity, rising above the statuesque Bayer defence and planting a firm header past Adler from Lahm's energetic dash into the box and cross to the far post.

The Italian blasted over with only Adler to beat and the keeper made yet another great stop to deny Demichelis as Bayern threatened to overrun the despondent visitors, but Adler's resistance continued with a brave double block from late sub Podolski.

Reds ease to finish

Bayer appeared to have thrown in the towel, but Bulykin's late strike from fellow sub Paul Freier's neat lay-off set up a far more nervous finish than the course of the match ever deserved. In truth, any result other than a home win would have been a minor travesty, but the men in red held out comfortably enough to take another giant stride towards a 21st domestic league crown.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

Bayern Munich - Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 (H-T: 1-0)


Bayern Munich:		Kahn - Lahm, Lucio, Demichelis, Jansen - Altintop, Van Bommel, Zé Roberto, Ribéry (Schweinsteiger 77) - Toni, Klose (Podolski 77)

Substitutes:		Rensing, Van Buyten, Ottl, Sosa, Kroos

Bayer Leverkusen:		Adler - Castro, Haggui, Friedrich, Sarpei - Schneider Rolfes - Kießling (Bulykin 78), Barbarez (Vidal 46), Barnetta - Gekas (Freier 46)

Referee:		Mr Meyer (Burgdorf)

Spectators:		69,000 (capacity)

Goals:		1-0 Toni (17), 2-0 Toni (59), 2-1 Bulykin (83)

Yellow Cards:		Van Bommel / Vidal, Castro, Sarpei

Welcome return for Miro’s trademark flip

2008-03-23T11:24:00.001-07:00

It has been a rarity of late, but Miroslav Klose drew gasps and applause with his trademark mid-air forward somersault in celebration of the goal which finally killed off VfL Wolfsburg in the Cup last Wednesday. The 29-year-old had actually decided to abandon the acrobatic celebration, because his two small sons had attempted to copy their dad at home, “and we suffered a few bruises,” the striker revealed to FCB.tv last autumn. So why did the Germany international temporarily put aside his reservations in midweek?

“He only does it after really vital goals,” Ottmar Hitzfeld reported. Klose’s strike came just as the player was going through a rough patch. “I’ve had a very average phase,” he himself agreed on Wednesday.

Mentally free

Since the midpoint of the season, Klose has netted twice against Wuppertal in the Cup and twice in the UEFA Cup, but only once in the Bundesliga. “It was weighing heavily on him,” pondered Hitzfeld, “so I’m delighted Miro’s finally scored again. He was looking fragile for a long time, he was thinking too hard. Hopefully that will free him mentally today.“

The initial omens were not good against Wolfsburg, as the striker passed up four chances in the first hour, either shooting wide or being denied by the excellent Diego Benaglio in the VfL goal. But Klose’s confidence soared after a superb lay-off for Franck Ribéry’s opener, before himself stabbing home the second from close range.

Battling back

“I’ve worked hard to get back, and it’ll keep on improving from now on,” the player smiled, visibly growing in stature in the phase following his goal. “Even a player of his class had to fight to regain his belief,” commented Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, “but after that he had all the confidence you need as a striker.“

Hitzfeld feels Klose had already turned the corner in any case. “He’s been working very hard for the team, went looking for the ball, put himself about in the box, and looked like scoring in the first half. I was sure he’d get his goal eventually,” the coach observed.

One for the boys

Bayern fans will hope Klose’s next goals are not long in the coming, although the somersault celebration will remain a rarity, for the sake of the player’s children. “It was OK to do it because my boys were already in bed,” Klose grinned in midweek. The next match kicks off at the family-friendly hour of 3.30 pm on Saturday – a less propitious time for acrobatics.

FCB eye chance to stifle Bayer threat

2008-03-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Bayern are fired up and ready to go in the last top-of-the-table clash of the season this Saturday, when third-placed Bayer Leverkusen visit the Allianz Arena (Live in English from 3.15 pm on FCB.tv Web Radio). After draws with Bremen and Hamburg, and victory away to Schalke, a win at the weekend would see the Bavarians put nine points between themselves and the men from the Rhineland.

“The pressure’s on Leverkusen, not us,” commented Bayern captain Oliver Kahn, “we could knock Leverkusen out of the title race.“ Victory over Bayer would hardly hand Bayern the championship shield on a plate, but given the fixtures through to the end of the season – almost all the remaining title aspirants still have to face each other – it would represent a major stride towards a 21st German league title.

No more slip-ups

“I hope we keep going where we left off against Wolfsburg,” remarked chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Bayern bounced back from last weekend’s shock 2-0 defeat away to bottom club Energie Cottbus with a thoroughly convincing win over the Wolves in the German Cup semi-finals. “We need to prove we can get the job done in the Bundesliga. We can’t afford any more slip-ups, because it’s still tight at the top, despite our five-point lead.“

“Wednesday’s win will give us a real lift. If we beat Leverkusen, we’ll keep a title rival safely at arm’s length,” coach Ottmar Hitzfeld agreed. However, the General and his men know Bayer are certain to prove a tougher proposition than Wolfsburg in the Cup.

Hitzfeld expects stern challenge

“They’re an attacking team who pass the ball exceptionally well. I do think it’ll be a very hard match,” offered Miroslav Klose, keen to return to the Bundesliga goal trail after netting against the Wolves. “Leverkusen are dangerous rivals. They’ll definitely be looking for a point, or even all three. We just have to play like we did against Wolfsburg,” Franck Ribéry added.

“Leverkusen are having a good season. The team has bags of potential,” Hitzfeld warned ahead of final training in Munich on Friday. “If you let them get going, they can wipe the floor with anyone,” the General continued, urging his men to produce a solid and disciplined performance: “We’ll have to put in a lot of very hard work.“

Skibbe aiming for a point

Hitzfeld made no secret of his relief at the return of Mark van Bommel from suspension. “He’s a leader who drives the team on. I’m delighted he’s available again.“ Luca Toni, banned in the Cup, also returns to the line-up. The General is without Christian Lell (suspended) and Willy Sagnol (injured).

Leverkusen have won many admirers this term with an attractive brand of attacking football, “but we’d be happy to come away with a point,“ boss Michael Skibbe confessed. His players would like more than that: “Every series comes to an end, and it’s time this one did,“ midfielder Simon Rolfes declared in the light of Bayer’s failure to win in Munich for some 18 years, but Skibbe remained realistic: “Bayern are outstanding and dependable, and that won’t change over the remaining games. We’re not consistent enough yet.“

Probable line-ups:

Bayern Munich: Kahn - Lahm, Lucio, Demichelis, Jansen - Altintop, van Bommel, Zé Roberto, Ribéry - Klose, Toni
Also in matchday squad: Rensing, Van Buyten, Breno, Ottl, Sosa, Schweinsteiger, Podolski, Schlaudraff, Kroos

Bayer Leverkusen: Adler - Castro, Haggui, Friedrich, Sarpei - Vidal, Rolfes - Kießling, Barbarez, Barnetta - Gekas

Referee: Florian Meyer (Burgdorf)

Bayern’s record in the fixture: P28 W21 D5 L2 F64 A25

Kahn: Triple would be my dream outcome

2008-03-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Mark van Bommel manoeuvred within a couple of yards of the glittering DFB Cup during the warm-up, while Uli Hoeneß stole a lingering glance at the trophy in the course of a pre-match TV interview, but two halves of football later, the Munich club as a whole had taken a giant stride towards laying hands on the highly-prized object. Following Wednesday’s 2-0 semi-final win against VfL Wolfsburg, only Borussia Dortmund stand between the men in red and a 14th Cup triumph in the final on 19 April.

Even seasoned skipper Olli Kahn was moved to dance for joy in front of the south terrace faithful, as he contemplates a record seventh final at the end of an illustrious professional career. “I’ve never got the hang of these win celebrations,” he grinned. “He was definitely pleased,“ Miroslav Klose reported from the dressing room afterwards, and even Ottmar Hitzfeld declared himself “surprised that Olli jumped around like a youngster. It just show how much pressure has been released.“

Patient and composed

A meaningless defeat to Anderlecht and a shocker in Cottbus had placed Bayern on the brink of an unthinkable third reverse in a row. “Olli knows Bayern Munich is a sensitive object which can explode at any time. We’d have gone up in flames if we’d been knocked out tonight,” commented Hitzfeld, although his team efficiently snuffed out any threat posed by the visitors from Wolfsburg.

The 13-times Cup winners dominated the 90 minutes against the side with the best Bundesliga record since the winter break. “We were everywhere from start to finish. We were so focused that Wolfsburg hardly got close to our goal,” Hoeneß remarked. Added Hitzfeld: “We were always closer to scoring than Wolfsburg. We were patient and kept stepping up the pressure.“

Bouncing back

Franck Ribéry (60) and Miroslav Klose (66) scored the goals as Bayern not only booked a trip to Berlin, but also erased the memory of the painful defeats. “After Cottbus I was afraid we might have hit a trough,” reflected Hoeneß, “but we talked about it this week, and the team showed the right reaction today.“

Hitzfeld praised his troops for restoring lost pride against Wolfsburg. “My players showed their true colours,” the head coach declared, hoping the berth in the final “will give us a real and major impulse. We’ve set ourselves a clear target. We want to add a second trophy to the League Cup in four weeks time, and that’ll be a huge boost for the championship too.“

Saturday versus Leverkusen

Bayern can take another step towards the Bundesliga title with a home win over third-placed Leverkusen on Saturday. “Today’s victory will give us a real lift,” Hitzfeld considered. “We can knock Leverkusen out of the title race,” added Kahn, “if we win, they’re nine points behind us.“

“We want the lot, the league, the Cup and the UEFA Cup, everything we can win,” the keeper continued, “that’s obviously my dream outcome.“ Bayern are slowly but surely coming close to realising their captain’s dream, as Hoeneß noted: “We’ll pick them off one after another.“ Hitzfeld’s former charges Borussia Dortmund stand in the way when Bayern go for the first leg of the triple on 19 April in Berlin.

‘The team sent out a clear signal’

2008-03-20T06:02:00.003-07:00

20.03.2008

Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge radiated satisfaction after Bayern beat Wolfsburg 2-0 in the German Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. “I think it was a fully merited win,“ Rummenigge summarised. fcbayern.de picks the highlights of the chairman’s post-match statements to reporters.

Interview: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

Question: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, was that the kind of display you want to see from Bayern?
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: “It was a good game. We were focused and determined, and very creative in the second half too. After a poor display against Cottbus, the team bounced back and proved its quality tonight. I think it was a fully merited win.“

Question: “Could it be that the defeat to Cottbus was a wake-up call at exactly the right time?
Rummenigge: “We were all upset by the performance in Cottbus, so it was vital the team sent out a clear signal today. Sometimes a defeat like the one in Cottbus can be helpful. We’ve beaten everything there’s been to beat since Christmas, so maybe we’d started thinking we’d pick up the title as an afterthought. Obviously that’s not possible, so Cottbus certainly wasn’t counterproductive. We dropped three crucial points, but the team learnt its lesson.“

Question: Martin Demichelis was missing in Cottbus. How did you rate his performance tonight?
Rummenigge: “He was world-class. He’s reacted totally professionally to his disciplinary suspension. It was exactly the reaction we were hoping for.“

Question: Were you pleased to see Miroslav Klose return to the scoresheet?
Rummenigge: “It was important for Miro to score. We need an in-form Klose. He brilliantly laid on the opener for Franck, and it was obvious that even a player of his class needs that kind of confidence-booster. After that he had the belief you need as a striker.“

Question: What are you expecting from the final against Borussia Dortmund?
Rummenigge: “You obviously go all-out to win a final. We’ll probably be burdened with the role of favourites, but we don’t have a problem with that. We’re delighted we’ve made it to Berlin, and now we want the trophy.“

Question: You have a pivotal match on Saturday, when a win against Bayer Leverkusen would effectively see off another title rival.
Rummenigge: “I hope we can continue where we left off today. It won’t be easy against Bayer Leverkusen, they’re at least as good as VfL. But we don’t want Leverkusen coming any closer, so we have to beat them. We can’t afford any more slip-ups, because it’s still tight up there, despite our five-point lead.“

Hoeneß: We played well from start to finish

2008-03-20T06:02:00.001-07:00

20.03.2008

The 62,000 at the Allianz Arena sang songs in anticipation of the DFB Cup final trip to Berlin and treated the players to a standing ovation after Bayern's 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg in Wednesday's semi-final. The 19 April meeting with Borussia Dortmund will be Bayern's 16th appearance in the final as the Reds chase a 14th Cup triumph. The Munich camp was an understandably happy place after the ultimately comfortable victory over the Wolves.

Reaction to Bayern v Wolfsburg:

Uli Hoeneß: "We've made the final with something to spare. The team played very, very well from the first minute to the last today. It'll definitely be a great final, yellow-and-black against red, arch-rivals over the last 20 years, and I do believe it'll be a fantastic day.“

Oliver Kahn: "It was a very, very important match for us as a team, after the last couple of matches failed to go according to plan. It was never easy today against a good Wolfsburg side. It was especially hard in the first half, but we improved in the second period, we totally dominated possession and prevented Wolfsburg creating any clear-cut chances.“

Miroslav Klose: "Once you've made it to the final, you obviously go full out to win it. I've played in the final once, but it was a lost cause after four minutes – when Bayern were already 2-0 up.“

Alexander Madlung (VfL): "We gave the ball away much too cheaply in the first half, and we were extremely lucky not to concede the opener a couple of times. We did our best after half-time and made a few chances, but we stupidly lost possession to gift them a goal, and it was obviously hard after that. Bayern were smart and deserve their place in the final."

Diego Benaglio (VfL keeper): "Obviously we're gutted, because we wanted to make it to the final. We came here in search of victory but we've failed. I've always thought Bayern are probably the best team in Germany, that's not up for discussion. We had the chance to make it to the final but we've not taken it.“

Franck and Miro fire jubilant Reds to final

2008-03-20T06:01:00.001-07:00

Bayern 2 VfL Wolfsburg 0

19.03.2008

Bayern booked an April 19 date to face Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final after a patient and disciplined display against stubborn Wolfsburg.

The 63,000 who braved the snow flurries swirling round the Allianz Arena saw Bayern enjoy much the better of the play and the chances in a lively first half, but Franck Ribery headed wide with the goal at his mercy after just two minutes, and the visitors survived until the interval.

The Wolves resisted until the hour mark, but a double whammy in the space of six minutes from Ribery and Miroslav Klose deservedly sent Bayern on the way to a 16th appearance in the DFB Cup final, where the Bavarians will go in search of a record 14th triumph.

Four new faces

Ottmar Hitzfeld made four changes to the side which fell to Cottbus at the weekend, restoring back-in-favour Martin Demichelis in place of Daniel van Buyten and bringing in Marcell Jansen for Philipp Lahm.

Mark van Bommel returned from a Bundesliga suspension at Bastian Schweinsteiger's expense, with Lukas Podolski in the starting line-up for the banned Luca Toni.

Breezy start

After FIFA ref Herbert Fandel whistled play underway on a freezing evening in Munich, Wolves number one Diego Benaglio was much the busier of the two keepers in an action-packed opening phase.

Van Bommel's free-kick caused pandemonium in the VfL box in the first move of the match, before Ribery squandered a glorious chance by heading wide from Lell's ball behind the defence just a minute later.

Lucio denied

Kahn twice saved from Wolves playmaker Marcelinho as the visitors fought to relieve the pressure, but Hamit Altintop twice came even closer at the other end, before Klose planted a firm header just wide.

The Wolfsburg rearguard settled now and Bayern had to work harder for their chances, but it still took a fabulous reaction save from Benaglio to deny Lucio midway through the half, with Ribery arrowing a drive narrowly past the upright a short time later.

Even stevens

Christian Gentner sprayed dangerous balls across the face of Kahn's goal in the closing phase before the break, but Benaglio was again in action to beat away Van Bommel's drive in the final chance of the half.

The contest was evenly-matched for the first ten minutes after the restart, but Bayern picked up the pace again and Benaglio hurled himself to push aside Klose's header.

Franck and Miro on target

The keeper was finally beaten on the hour when Klose expertly controlled Gentner's loose touch 30 yards from his own goal, slipping a neat pass through to Ribery for the France star to open the scoring despite Benaglio getting a hand to the ball.

Klose himself doubled the advantage six minutes later after Jansen fed Podolski for a thunderous drive which Benaglio could only parry, the Bayern striker reacting first to the rebound and gleefully netting at the far post.

Reds in driving seat

Munich were firmly on top now and Podolski might well have extended the lead only to bullet a header wide from a Ze Roberto cross ten minutes from time, but the match had effectively run its course and the men in red were the team celebrating at the final whistle.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

Bayern Munich - VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 (H-T: 0-0)


Bayern Munich:		Kahn - Lell, Lucio (Van Buyten 73), Demichelis, Jansen - Altintop, Zé Roberto, Van Bommel (Ottl 82), Ribéry (Sosa 89) - Klose, Podolski

Substitutes:		Kahn, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Schlaudraff

VfL Wolfsburg:		Benaglio - Riether (Dzeko 68), Costa, Madlung, Schäfer - Santana (Krzynowek 84), Josue, Gentner - Marcelinho - Ljuboja (Dejagah 60), Grafite

Referee:		Mr Fandel (Kyllburg)

Spectators:		62,000

Goals:		1-0 Ribéry (60), 2-0 Klose (66)

Yellow Cards:		Van Bommel, Lucio / Costa, Riether

‘We’re hard to play, and even harder to beat’

2008-03-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

19.03.2008

Felix Magath, who led Bayern to DFB German Cup triumph at the Berlin Olympic stadium in 2005 and 2006, is just one game away from returning to the capital, this time with his current team VfL Wolfsburg. However, none other than Magath’s former club bar the Wolves’ path to Berlin. Interviewed for the Bayern-Magazin matchday programme, the VfL coach pondered his return to the Allianz Arena and revealed how his feels his team could upset the favourites.

Interview: Felix Magath

Question: Felix Magath, you’re back at the Allianz Arena for the second time this term. The first reunion wasn’t an especially happy one, was it?
Felix Magath: “I saw a number of familiar faces at the Allianz Arena back in November, people who helped make my time at Bayern happy and successful. So I’m not just thinking of our 2-1 defeat, which was very tight in every sense of the word.“

Question: Bayern have lost two matches in a row, but your team is the best in the Bundesliga this calendar year and won 1-0 in Bremen at the weekend. What’s your take on the pre-match situation?
Magath: “We needn’t fool ourselves into thinking Bayern will underestimate us. Obviously we’re rank outsiders on Wednesday. Anything less than a place in the final would be a disaster for Bayern. We’ll have to play as well as we did in Bremen. Our central defence was well organised and structured. We were difficult to play, and even more difficult to beat.“

Question: How will you counter the threat from Franck Ribéry?
Magath: “They have plenty of players capable of deciding a match. Bayern have better than average players in every position. We can’t focus all our efforts on one man. Obviously, Ribéry is exceptional, but we should basically be looking at ourselves.“

Question: You won the trophy twice with Bayern. Have you been telling your players about Berlin?
Magath: “The final at the Berlin Olympic stadium is very special, and the players know that. One or two of my players have experienced Cup finals in their home countries. I’m sure my players are up for it without any help from me!“

Question: Do you need to motivate your players especially for this match?
Magath: “You don’t need anything special before a semi-final. Everyone knows you make it to the final, or you’re out. There’s no playing for a draw. In any case, professional footballers should have self-motivation to spare before every match.“

Question: A Cup triumph would be the greatest success in VfL history. Are the fans dreaming of glory?
Magath: “Despite an unbroken decade in the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg is not a club accustomed to success. Part of taking the club forward will be learning to expect victory in crucial matches more than we do now.“

Question: VfL are in contention for a UEFA Cup place. Which would you prefer: the Cup final or fifth in the league?
Magath: “We’ve actually set ourselves different targets. This season, the priority always was to keep VfL well clear of the relegation zone, and we’ve succeeded so far! In years to come, we aim to climb the Bundesliga and start competing for a place in Europe.“

Question: When will we see Wolfsburg in the Champions League?
Magath: “I’ve set myself three years to establish VfL in the top third of the table and therefore in the hunt for a European place. Once we’ve managed that, we’ll se what the future looks like for VfL Wolfsburg.“

Toni Set For Milan Move?

2008-03-20T05:51:00.001-07:00

AC Milan are set to begin negotiations with Bayern Munich in the hope of signing their star striker Luca Toni, according to La Repubblica.

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The Rossoneri have identified a top-class centre forward as their number one priority in this summer’s transfer market.

Toni only signed for Bayern Munich last summer from Fiorentina, however he has been a huge hit in Germany, and is currently the joint top-scorer of the Bundesliga with 14 goals.

Milan are ready to bid €10m for the giant hitman, as they aim to begin their rebuilding process following a hugely disappointing season.

The chances of Toni moving to Milan are said to be promising as the Milan vice president is known to have a good relationship with Bayern supremo Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

A possible obstacle however could be Toni’s current annual salary of almost €6m a season. The striker, who turns 31 in a couple of months, may also wait and see if Milan qualify for next season’s Champions League before consenting to the move.

Toni has never played in Europe’s premier club competition, and Milan are struggling to qualify as they are currently fifth in Serie A, four points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina.

Schweinsteiger Slams Effenberg Criticism

2008-03-20T05:47:00.000-07:00

Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has angrily hit out at criticism aimed at him by former Bayern star Stefan Effenberg.

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The German international has claimed that Effenberg’s comments made in the ‘Bild am Sonntag’ show a lack of respect.

Effenberg told Schweinsteiger that he needed to find a new club in his column for the tabloid paper. "Bastian has not only stopped in his development, he has even taken a step backwards" he wrote.

The 23 year old midfielder did not take kindly to those remarks and has hit back at the former Bayern captain.

"I respect Effenberg as a player, but not as a person. If you have your heart in the right place, you don't do things like this.

"He played so many years for Bayern, so I don't understand this."

Schweinsteiger has seen his form take a dip since the World Cup in 2006 due a mixture of injuries and personal problems.

Mathew Burt

Bid For Amauri - Agent Urges Roma

2008-03-20T05:45:00.002-07:00

The agent of Palermo star Amauri has again urged Roma to make an offer for his client.

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The Brazilian is regarded as one of the top strikers in Serie A, and will leave Palermo for a big club in the summer. Juventus are currently seen as the clear favourites to sign the 27-year-old.

However Amauri’s agent Mariano Grimaldi has come out in the past and said that his client would like to move to Roma, as he enjoyed his stay there last year while recovering from a serious injury.

"Amauri was happy in Rome,” Grimaldi again told Tutto Mercato Web.

“He met many friends, was in love with Roma and their style of game. There is every chance that he could go to Roma.”

Grimaldi believes that Amauri’s style of play would fit in nicely with that of Roma coach Luciano Spalletti.

"Certainly the game of Luciano Spalletti suits the player,” he said.

“Amauri can be the second striker. Let us not forget that at Chievo he scored 13 goals as the second striker.

“Not only look at the last two seasons in which Amauri played as the first striker. He could combine very well with Francesco Totti."

Juve Set To Bid For Lucio – Report

2008-03-20T05:45:00.001-07:00

Juventus are set to launch a summer transfer bid for want-away Bayern Munich defender Lucio, according to the Corriere dello Sport.

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The 29-year-old is widely considered as Brazil’s best central defender, and has been at Bayern since signing for them from Bayer Leverkusen in 2004.

However he yesterday admitted that he may leave the Bavarian giants after revealing his desire to play in Italy, Spain or England.

"I have already said the leagues in Spain, Italy and England - three of the strongest in the world - all interest me" Lucio told Abendzeitung.

"If interest is shown from any of these countries, I would be very pleased. Bayern have already told me they want to keep me. But all clubs say that to their players if they are still under contract.”

The Corriere says that Juventus have watched Lucio on a number of occasions this season, and are ready to make a summer bid.

Lucio has played 70 times for the Brazilian national team, and was a star at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea, where he picked up a winners medal.

The classy stopper, who is famous for sparking counter-attacks by bringing the ball out from the back, rejected moves to Juventus and Roma in order to join Bayern in 2004.

Gianni Wilson

Sivori’s Son Urges Juve To Sign Cavenaghi

2008-03-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

Nestor Sivori, son of Juventus legend Omar, has urged the Bianconeri to sign Bordeaux striker Fernando Cavenaghi.

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Omar Sivori is widely regarded as one of the best players, not only in Juventus’ history, but in the history of football itself.

The Argentine played for Juve from 1957 to 1965, achieving great success, while after his playing days he worked as a full-time scout for the club in Argentina, until his death in 2005.

Sivori’s son, Nestor, is a scout and agent himself, and he has urged his father’s beloved club to sign Bordeaux hitman Fernando Cavenaghi.

“If you asked me to suggest the names of three River Plate players: I would say the striker Radamel Falcao, the midfielder Oscar Ahumada, and the 19-year-old attacker Andrés Rios,” said Sivori, whose father also had a big attachment with River.

“But there is an ace who more than anyone else deserves to be a Bianconero. Fernando Cavenaghi of Bordeaux. He is 24 and he scored again at the weekend.

“He is a bomber like Crespo. He is already Juventino in his soul. My father made him love the Old Lady, as they always used to speak when Cavenaghi was in the River Plate youth team. My dad was like a father to Cavenaghi.”

Sivori also criticised the Juventus hierarchy for their transfer policy last summer, saying that many of the players bought were not up-to-standard.

"It is not easy to play for Juve, we need to know the level of players. For example, I saw that last summer Almirón, Criscito, Tiago and Andrade joined. They are not Juve players,” he concluded.

Gianni Wilson

Sheva Loan Move In The Works?

2008-03-20T05:43:00.001-07:00

The latest reports out of Italy suggest that Milan and Chelsea are busily hammering out a deal that will see Andriy Shevchenko return to the San Siro on loan at the end of the season.

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The Ukrainian bomber has barely managed a sputter since his high profile move to Chelsea in 2006, and the latest suggestion is that the Blues have reached a point where they will settle with just having him off their payroll despite having splashed out a record fee for him less than two years ago.

The fact that he doesn't play a prominent part in Avram Grant's plans has been obvious from the start, and that was underlined recently when as his teammates prepared for the win over Olympiacos in the Champions League, Shevchenko was playing against Reading reserves at Brentford's Griffin Park.

Milan's fans would welcome the prodigal son with open arms, even though a recent poll suggests that not many of them regard him as an adequate solution to their striker crisis, which was exasperated by the potentially career threatening injury to Ronaldo last month.

Shevchenko, who has a rather unspectacular record of 20 goals in 68 appearances for Chelsea, is now considered fourth in line in the striker's pecking order at Stamford Bridge behind Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou.

Derek Wanner, Goal.com

Diarra Moving Closer To Inter - Report

2008-03-20T05:42:00.001-07:00

Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra is looking increasingly likely to join Inter Milan in the summer, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport.

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The Mali international has been tipped to leave Madrid for quite sometime now due to his frosty relationship with Coach Bernd Schuster.

Inter have identified the signing of a top-class centre midfielder as their priority in this summer's transfer market, and Roberto Mancini's first-choice is Diarra.

Madrid are demanding just under €20m for the 26-year-old, a fee that Nerazzurri President Massimo Moratti is more than happy to cough up.

Diarra joined Madrid from Lyon in the summer of 2006 for a whopping €26m, however he has never really hit top form in the Spanish capital.

His relationship with Schuster took another turn for the worse last month when he was fined €300,000, a month's wages, for returning to Spain late from the African Cup of Nations.

Diarra's other former clubs in Europe include Greek islanders OFI Crete, and Dutch-outfit Vitesse Arnhem.

Anthony Sormani

Pienaar Could Sign Permanent Everton Deal

2008-03-20T05:41:00.001-07:00

South African international midfielder Steven Pienaar could sign a permanent deal with English Premiership side Everton FC before the end of this week...

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The Liverpool Echo reports that the player could be a full-time Everton player by the end of the week.

Pienaar is currently on loan at Everton from German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, and has impressed Toffees boss David Moyes so much that a permanent deal move is now in the offing.

There are reports, however, that other top clubs like Arsenal and Valencia are interested in the services of the talented and skilful midfielder.

But it is believed that Pienaar has settled in well at Goodinson Park and would prefer to remain with the Liverpool-based side.

The Echo further added that Everton have already agreed a fee with Borussia Dortmund, and that negotiations with the player's advisors are at a late and encouraging stage.

The South African has made 33 appearances for the Blues so far, scoring twice and contributing a wealth of assists.

Awenlimobor Sylvester

Diego Happy In Bremen

2008-03-20T05:40:00.002-07:00

Werder Bremen star Diego has put an end to the recent rumours suggesting a move to the Santiago Bernabéu.

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Reports have claimed that the Brazilian player could leave Werder Bremen to join the Spanish giant in the summer, with Diego's father, who is also is agent, having allegedly claimed that his son would be eager to sign with the Merengues.

But the former Porto midfielder has denied the speculation, saying that he is more than happy with life in Bremen.

"The rumours about my father are not true - he would never force me to go to another club," Diego told German TV channel DSF.

"All he wants is for me to be satisfied and that is at Werder Bremen."

Diego also confirmed that his stay at Werder Bremen will not depend on qualification for the Champions League, despite his side currently being in fourth place in the Bundesliga.

"Even if we do not qualify for the Champions League, I want to stay at Werder Bremen," he added.

Luís Mira

Spurs To Launch Kameni Bid

2008-03-20T05:40:00.001-07:00

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos is apparently eyeing a summer move for Espanyol keeper Carlos Kameni, something that probably spells the end of Paul Robinson's career at White Hart Lane.

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The British press are reporting that Spurs have struck a €7m (£4.5m) deal with the Spanish club for the Cameroon shotstopper, who is now discussing personal terms with the Lilywhites.

An agreement could be signed and sealed whin the next few weeks, although Kameni would obviously have to wait until the end of the season before linking up with his new club.

It is reported that Tottenham will put an offer of £30,000-a-week and a three-year contract on the table for the keeper, though Kameni himself is understood to favour a longer tie-up.

Robinson's Days Numbered

Either way, it seems likely that a deal will be struck, almost certainly spelling the end of Paul Robinson's tenure at White Hart Lane. The England international is said to be attracting interest from both Middlesbrough and Aston Villa.

Graeme Waterford, Goal.com

Real Madrid Target Huntelaar

2008-03-20T05:39:00.001-07:00

According to reports coming from Spain, Real Madrid are rumoured to be chasing the signature of Ajax striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar...

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The Dutch international is currently Eredivisie's leading in the the goal-scoring tally, having netted twenty-seven times this season.

The Spanish capital club are reported to be scouring the market since Ruud van Nistelrooy was confirmed to be facing some time on the sidelines, with the Merengues wanting more first-team options for next season so that such injuries cannot jeopardise the team's plans to the same extent next season.

Although coach Bernd Schuster sees Didier Drogba as his number one pick for the team, Real Madrid sports director Predrag Mijatovic is said to have his eyes on Huntelaar as the 24-year-old still has plently of time ahead of him to improve.

The former Montenegrin player has reportedly been following the Dutch striker for two years, having guaranteed before Wesley Sneijder's signing that Huntelaar would become a target for Real next season.

However, Real Madrid are not the only club interested in his services, as Chelsea, AC Milan and Roma are claimed to be monitoring the Ajax player. It's said that a bid in the region of 35 million euros may be required to prise the Dutchman away from the Godenzonen.

Luís Mira

Ronaldinho: I Won't Be Destroyed

2008-03-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

Barcelona star Ronaldinho told the German edition of Vanity Fair magazine that his critics will never be able to bring him down...

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The Brazilian attacker was defiant in the face of recent criticism, stating that he would turn his form around despite what the naysayers feel about the matter.

He said, "There are jealous people who'd love to destroy me, but they will never do it. Nobody destroys Ronaldinho.

"There isn't a critic in the world who can take away my spirit."

Allegations of malingering and poor attitude have dogged the former Paris Saint-Germain man of late, but he remains adamant that both he and his club are on the patch to success.

"Barça can use a strong Ronaldinho to help them win titles," he continued.

"Life is boring unless we're winning trophies, and I also find it frustrating if I can't help out on the pitch by playing.

"I'll do whatever it takes to be a champion with Barcelona."

Brushing aside suggestions that he was preparing to leave, with AC Milan and Chelsea said to be among his possible destinations, he added, "With Barça I have a wonderful future.

"The lads here are my family, and I'm just as happy as I was in my first day here.

"I will stay, and I'll do everything that I can to regain my best form."

Milan To Sign Gomez Or Berbatov – Report

2008-03-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

AC Milan will sign either Stuttgart’s Mario Gomez or Tottenham Hotspur’s Dimitar Berbatov in the summer, according to the Corriere dello Sport.

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The Rossoneri have identified a top-class centre forward as their number one transfer priority.

While Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor are more high-profile options, their price tags have scared Milan off.

Instead the dethroned European Champions are looking at two slightly cheaper alternatives in Gomez and Berbatov.

The 22-year-old Stuttgart star Gomez has a Spanish father and a German mother, but has opted to play his national football for the country of his birth, Germany.

The striker, who was Player of the Year in Germany last year, has been in fine form again this season, and is currently the joint top-scorer in the Bundesliga with Luca Toni, on 14 goals.

Berbatov meanwhile is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the English Premiership, and he has once again been in stunning form this season, scoring 21 goals in 44 appearances for Spurs in all competitions.

The Bulgarian, who was on target again last night in the 4-4 draw with Chelsea, would be open to the move, as he is desperate to play for one of the giants of Europe.

Berbatov would cost in the region of €25m, although it is possible defender Milan Dario Simic may be included as part of the deal.

Roberto Rossi

Liverpool handed Arsenal assignment

2008-03-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Arsenal FC will take on Liverpool FC in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after the draw was made in Nyon, Switzerland.The European Champion Clubs' Cup prior to the 2007/08 quarter-final draw (©UEFA)

All-English affair
Arsenal, who eliminated holders AC Milan in the first knockout round and reached the 2006 final, also experienced an all-English quarter-final in 2003/04 when losing to Chelsea FC, while five-time European champions Liverpool, beaten by Milan in last year's final, have played Chelsea six times in the competition in the last three seasons. AS Roma, who knocked out Real Madrid CF in the last round, face another quarter-final against Manchester United FC, European Champion Clubs' Cup winners in 1968 and 1999, who defeated the Italian side 8-3 on aggregate at the same stage last term.

Schalke debut
FC Schalke 04, who got past FC Porto on penalties to make the last eight for the first time, will have home advantage for the first leg of their tie against FC Barcelona, winners of this tournament in 1992 and 2006. Chelsea, semi-finalists in three of the last four campaigns, will visit Fenerbahçe SK, competing in the last eight for the first time and conquerors of two-time UEFA Cup winners Sevilla FC, in their first leg. The ties will be played on 01/02 and 08/09 April.

Final route
Today's proceedings at the House of European Football featured a straight draw involving all eight clubs without seedings or country protection. As well as the quarter-finals, the draw was also made for the semi-finals, meaning teams know who they will meet over two legs on 22/23 and 29/30 April should they progress. If Chelsea advance, they will tackle either Arsenal or Liverpool in another all-Premier League tussle, while Schalke or Barcelona will encounter Roma or United in the last four.

Moscow final
The final will be held at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, on Wednesday 21 May at 20.45CET (22.45 local time). The first batch of 10,500 tickets are available for sale to fans worldwide via uefa.com until 12.00CET on 19 March.

2007/08 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals
1st leg: 01/02 April
2nd leg: 08/09 April

1	Arsenal FC (ENG)	v	Liverpool FC (ENG)
2	AS Roma (ITA)	v	Manchester United FC (ENG)
3	FC Schalke 04 (GER)	v	FC Barcelona (ESP)
4	Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)	v	Chelsea FC (ENG)

007/08 UEFA Champions League semi-finals
1st leg: 22/23 April
2nd leg: 29/30 April

1	Winner quarter-final 1	v	Winner quarter-final 4
2	Winner quarter-final 3	v	Winner quarter-final 2

2007/08 UEFA Champions League final Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Wednesday 21 May
Winner semi-final 2	v	Winner semi-final 1

Getafe get Bayern in draw

2008-03-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

FC Bayern München will face competition debutants Getafe CF in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals after the draw at UEFA HQ in Nyon threw up some intriguing ties.

German testsEight teams are still in contention to lift the UEFA Cup in May (©Getty Images)
The German giants will meet Getafe, Spain's sole hope of claiming a fourth UEFA Cup in five seasons, as they attempt to etch their name on the trophy for the second time following success in 1995/96. Bayern are one of three previous winners in contention, along with domestic rivals Bayer 04 Leverkusen, victors in 1987/88, and PSV Eindhoven. Leverkusen beat FC Barcelona in the last eight 20 years ago, and will have to overcome Russian champions FC Zenit St. Petersburg if they are to maintain their challenge.

Rangers reward
Rangers FC survived a stern examination from another Bundesliga side, Werder Bremen, to reach the last eight and their reward is a quarter-final against Sporting Clube de Portugal, losing finalists against PFC CSKA Moskva in 2004/05. The fourth fixture brings together the two teams that required penalty shoot-outs in the last 16, ACF Fiorentina and PSV Eindhoven – winners in 1978. The ties will be played on 3 and 10 April.

Final route
Today's proceedings at the House of European Football featured a straight draw involving all eight clubs without seedings or country protection. As well as the quarter-finals, the draw was also made for the semi-finals, meaning sides know who they will meet over two legs on 24 April and 1 May should they progress. If Bayern and Leverkusen advance, they could meet in an all-German semi-final.

Manchester final
The draw was conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and 1964 European Footballer of the Year Denis Law, who is the final ambassador. The final will be held at the City of Manchester Stadium on Wednesday 14 May with kick-off at 20.45CET (19.45 local time). Eleven thousand tickets are available for sale to fans worldwide via uefa.com until midnight CET on 16 March.

1	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	v	FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)
2	Rangers FC (SCO)	v	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)
3	FC Bayern München (GER)	v	Getafe CF (ESP)
4	ACF Fiorentina (ITA)	v	PSV Eindhoven (NED)

1	Winner quarter-final 3	v	Winner quarter-final 1
2	Winner quarter-final 2	v	Winner quarter-final 4

2007/08 UEFA Cup final
City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
Wednesday 14 May

Winner semi-final 1

Winner semi-final 2

2007/08 UEFA Cup final City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester Wednesday 14 May
Winner semi-final 1	v	Winner semi-final 2

REAL MADRID TALKING WITH JOSE MOURINHO?

2008-03-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Spanish daily "Marca" can be sensationalist or way ahead of its
times, it hard to figure, but what is certain is that the big clubs
use the paper as a vehicle to send messages to their own teams
& in accord with their personal interests. Common universal practice.
Today the paper publishes that REAL MADRID has been in contact
with JOSE MOURINHO & that the club may have lost confidence
with its current coach Bernd Schuster.

It´s no secret that Mourinho wishes to come back & coach either
in Spain or Italy, & his visit this week to promote sporting wear
has sparked speculations. The rumours say that talks began when
Fc Barcelona closed the gap to 2ºpoints in the "Liga" competition,
& President Calderon comments "...I want to keep on confiding on
Schuster", may be a hint.

Mourinho has all the cards, various coaches are on a fineline in
Europe : Schuster, Rijkaard, Anceloti...& the best offer will take the
in demand coach.

Back to Schuster, this story could be an elaborate plan to "motivate"
the Real Madrid coach into action. If he wins the Spanish League it
will give him greater credibility & strenght to continue, if not ,
his future looks dim.

But winning this is´nt a sure thing, is´nt it! Fabio Capello won the
League last year & look what happened. Stay tuned!

Labels: Rumours

UEFA CUP 2008: GETAFE MAKE HISTORY

2008-03-13T17:37:00.001-07:00

GETAFE has made club history by defeating 1-0 tonight BENFICA
in their 2º leg UEFA CUP game, & passing into the Q/Finals.
This working class & humble outer city of Madrid club is having a dream
run under coach Michael Laudrup, which is attracting the European
Football community attention.

Getafe went into this game with a 1-2 advantage & dominanted the
game, with the reward for Getafe coming in the 77th min when ALBIN
(above) scored a chipped goal to secure 100% the game, the next stage
pass & to make history for Getafe - overall aggregate score 3-1.
Congratulations to Getafe & SFS wishes that the luck keep smiling &
leaning on Getafe´s side.

Labels: Getafe, Uefa Cup

AC MILAN LOOK TO REAL MADRID YOUNG STARS FOR THEIR FUTURE PLANS

2008-03-13T17:36:00.003-07:00

The insinuations made by AC MILAN that players like SERGIO
RAMOS, PEPE & ROBINHO could enter into their plans for the
next season has set alarm bells sounding at REAL MADRID.

With the transfer market laws so "fluid" at the moment, an example,
the "Webster Case" were it can apply to 21 year old Sergio Ramos,
Real Madrid does not wish to risk & lose any of its young stars.
Therefore according to daily "Marca" Real has began talks with each
of the cited players representatives to better their conditions & terms
so as to secure them against Milan, & Chelsea FC who is also swimming
around in circles.

ATLETICO DE MADRID JOIN THE DIEGO BANDWAGON

2008-03-13T17:36:00.001-07:00

DIEGO RIBAS, Brazilian International & WERDER BREMEN
midfielder, is the player that ATLETICO DE MADRID will go
after & make their most serious offer, if they can guarantee
themselves a place in next years CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The news comes from Sp. daily "AS", who also make mention of the

fact that Atletico will not be alone in this endevour. The Brazilian
is on many agendas, from Real Madrid, Fc Barcelona, Juventus to
Manchester Utd...etc, plus the market price oscilates between 25 -

30M€. Atletico can only consider making such an investment if they

participate in next yaers Champions, & the way things are going this

year that is not a sure thing. Stay tuned!

FC BARCELONA ALREADY PLANNING FOR 2008 -2009

2008-03-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

The Barcelona based Sports daily "Sport" has published an article
were they give a glimpse into the new look FC BARCELONA project
for 2008 - 2009. According to them, Barça is well advanced in its plans
with many players on their agenda & with pre-agreements. Here is the
run down of who will go & who will replace in each blocks. Remember
these are the media speculations however attractive they wish to sell
them.

According to "Sport" , Barça directives have the following names up
their sleeves:

Defense: Zambrotta will leave at the end of the season for AC Milan:
players on list to replace him - Dani Alves (30-35M€), Willy Sagnol
& Phillip Lahm ( both these last two have pre-agreements with Barça)

Thuram will leave at the end of the season; replacement in mind Ezequiel
Garay ( Santander) or Martin Caceres (Recreativo).

Midfield: In case Deco leaves, very likely, Barça have in mind Diego
(Werder Bremen, although Atletico & Real Madrid are in there as well),
Luka Modric (Dynamo Zagreb), Xavi Alonso (Liverpool FC) & Frank
Lampard (Chelsea FC).

Forward: Barça has a few players here in mind Frank Ribery (Bayern
Munich, will be difficult), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla, but player talking with
Real Madrid), Benzema (Lyon, very though & unlikely) & Drogba (Chelsea,
although Real Madrid & AC Milan in there as well)

Coach: If Frank Rijkaard leaves, Mourinho is on their list.

Lets see how things develop. Stay tuned!

Home Loss Disappoints Hitzfeld

2008-03-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

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An early headed goal from Lucio had
threatened to see a similar onslaught to the first leg, but goals from Serhat and Iakovenko led the Belgian visitors to a surprise win inside the Allianz Arena.

“Beyond the first twenty minutes, where we played very good football, created lots of chances, and could have gone 2-0 ahead, I am not happy” declared Hitzfeld.

“Through two unnecessary goals, we allowed ourselves to lose out rhythm. After that we didn’t play well.

“We put pressure on them, but were unable to create clear goal scoring opportunities.

“It’s understandable that Breno lacked a certain security on his competitive debut but he showed how strong he is. I am disappointed that not all players showed a high level of performance.

Anderlecht trainer Ariel Jakobs was understandably happy with the famous if hollow win.

“Bayern is a big team, but the 5-0 defeat a week ago was too high. That was very hard on my team.

“To play well and to win at the Allianz Arena is a good thing though, which will help us mentally.”

Mathew Burt

Bayern Through Despite Home Loss

2008-03-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

Bayern Munich were handed a rare and surprising home defeat at the hands of Anderlecht but still make it through to the quarter-final 6-2 on aggregate.

Lucio headed the Bavarians in front early on, before goals from Serhat and Iakovenko put the Belgian side ahead before half time.

Despite the introduction of Frank Ribery in the second half, Bayern were unable to score another goal and lost the second leg. Pride may have been dented but the result in the end was academic.

First Half

Bayern began the first half in the same vein as much of the first leg by attacking Anderlecht. Within the first minute Lukas Podolski beat the Belgian defence to latch onto a through ball only to steer his shot past Zitka and onto the post.

Three minutes in and Brazilian defender Lucio headed a Sagnol cross powerfully goalwards only for Sare to clear with his head. Bayern didn’t have to wait long for the opening goal which took the aggregate score to 6-0.

Another free kick given away by Anderlecht on the right saw Sosa curl in a super ball that saw Lucio rise the highest at the far post t head past Zitka, who really should have done better with the effort.

Five minutes later and that lead could have been doubled but Miroslav Klose was too unselfish after the Anderlecht defence had been split apart again. Through on goal, the Bayern striker looked to play in Mark van Bommel rather than take the shot himself. His pass was under hit allowing Juhasz to clear the danger.

Klose went close again on 16 minutes after good combination play with Jose Ernesto Sosa down the right. His first time shot missed the goal by a narrow margin with the Belgian goal looking far from secure.

However on twenty minutes Anderlecht grabbed an equaliser on the night. Iakovenko was given plenty of room on the right, lofted the ball into the centre, where Serhat was on hand to fire easily past Michael Rensing.

Despite the equaliser, Bayern were still dictating the play and continued to press. Anderlecht were however courageous and were spending a fair amount of time in the Bayern half. On the half hour mark Podolski broke quickly down the left and cut the ball back from the bye-line but Zitka was able to grab the ball.

Bayern were then shocked by a bolt from the blue which handed the lead on the night to the visitors from Belgium. Iakovenko took advantage of a slip from Philipp Lahm and unleashed a shot from the edge of the area. Michael Rensing could and should have done better as he was beaten at the near post.

The visitors had two further chances before the break with both coming right at the end of the half. On 45 minutes, Iakovenko had the beating of Breno before screwing his shot just wide of the far post. During stoppage time Serhat found himself through on Rensing but was forced to wide to endanger the goal.

The Bayern players were met with whistles from the stands at half-time as an indication of the fans desire for more from their team.

Second Half

The start of the second half saw changes for both sides. Ottmar Hitzfeld sent on Franck Ribéry for Toni Kroos, while Anderlecht were forced to replace keeper Zitka with back-up Schollen.

Replacement keeper Schollen was called upon very early on to make a fine save from Miroslav Klose who was a little imprecise with his shot.

Fellow substitute Franck Ribéry soon made his presence felt with a well taken shot on the Anderlecht goal, but Schollen was in place with a good reflex save.

The pressure from the home side increased and they threatened to equalise, but two efforts from Miroslav Klose were unable to find a way through.

Franck Ribéry was became all the more dangerous and on 75 minutes set off on a mazy run that left three defenders in his wake, before being fouled for a free kick, which was wasted.

As much as Bayern huffed and puffed, there was no way to blow down the Anderlecht defence that had been so porous in the first leg. In the end the home defeat at the Allianz Arena was more a dent to Bayern’s pride than a hindrance to their winning of this season’s Uefa Cup.

1-0 Lucio (9)

1-1 Serhat (20)

1-2 Iakovenko (35)

Bayern Munich: Rensing, Sagnol, Breno, Lucio, Lahm, van Bommel, Ottl (Schlaudraff 73), Sosa, Kroos (Ribéry 46), Podolski, Klose (Altintop 87)

Anderlecht: Zitka (Schollen 46), Gillet, Juhasz, Deschacht, de Man, Biglia, Sare, Iakovenko (Boussoufa 66), Hassan, Goor, Serhat (Gillis 91)

Mathew Burt

Bayern set to continue Asian promotional drive

2008-03-12T04:00:00.001-07:00

Bayern’s Asian promotional drive has already featured visits to Japan and China, and is now set to incorporate Indonesia and India on a ten-day post-season tour of the region, the club announced on Tuesday. The aim is to drive awareness of and affinity to the German Bundesliga in general and the Bayern Munich brand in particular.

On 17 May, a day after the final Bundesliga match of the season against Hertha BSC Berlin, a Bayern delegation will set off for Jakarta ready for a friendly match against the Indonesian national team three days later. The Munich party then moves on to China for the Allianz Cup return leg against the Chinese Olympic football team in Guangzhou on 24 May, before a third and final exhibition match in India on 27 May against Mohan Bagun AC, the oldest club in Asia.

Global reach

“We’re delighted that Bayern will play on 27 May in Kolkata [Calcutta],” commented Indian Consul General J.S. Mukul at a news conference in Munich on Tuesday. “Bayern will attract a great deal of attention in India and bring a new dimension to the Bavarian-Indian relationship. This is the beginning of a good footballing partnership between India and Bayern.“

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge expressed delight at the ten-day tour of the region. “We see ourselves as a global club, desiring and requiring an overseas presence. This is a one-off opportunity to visit three of the biggest countries in the world,” Rummenigge commented. Compared to previous years, when Bayern visited Asia shortly before the domestic season, a post-season trip would be “a pleasant bonus.”

Kahn’s final match as a pro

A clutch of Bayern’s internationals will be away at the Euro 2008 tournament in Switzerland and Austria, but Rummenigge promised the club would field “a high-quality team”, featuring the likes of Mark van Bommel, Martin Demichelis, Lucio, Zé Roberto, Daniel van Buyten and Andreas Ottl, together with captain Oliver Kahn, set for his final match as a professional in Kolkata.

“Any European footballer would dream of the setting Oliver Kahn will have for his last match,” commented Kumar Sankar Bagchi, managing director of Bayern’s hosts in India, Bengal Peerless Group. The match will be staged at the Salt Lake stadium, the second-biggest arena in the world, in front of a crowd likely to be at or near the 120,000 capacity.

Building partnerships

Apart from the three friendlies, the Bayern stars will undertake a range of other activities away from the field of play. “Our objective is not simply to play an exhibition match and collect our fee. We want to contribute to the development of the game,” Rummenigge advised. “Our aim is to build partnerships over and above the friendly character of the match.“

One plan is to hold training sessions for kids and youths together with the stars and led by Ottmar Hitzfeld and Michael Henke. Exceptionally talented youngsters my be invited to the FC Bayern Football School in Rust for further skills training supervised by qualified coaches.

Bayern pledge to entertain loyal fans

2008-03-12T03:59:00.002-07:00

How does a team react to leading 5-0 before the home leg of a knockout tie has even kicked off? That is the main question surrounding Bayern’s meeting with Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening (Live in English from 8.30 pm on FCB.tv Web Radio).

After the crushing victory in Brussels six days ago, Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men are virtually assured of a place in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, to be played on 3 and 10 April. An unprecedented calamity would have to occur for the men in red not to progress: no team has ever overturned a five-goal deficit in the UEFA Cup. The sole concern might be a certain lack of motivation in the home ranks.

Keep on winning

However, Bayern fans need not worry on that score. The players have pledged to treat a near-capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena to entertaining and exciting football. “It’ll be close to a full house. We want to put on a show for the crowd,” promised seasoned midfielder Mark van Bommel. “We should show respect to our fans, play as well as we can, and maybe treat them to a goal or two,” agreed Daniel van Buyten.

That would represent a continuation of the streak which has seen Bayern win their last four games in all competitions. “We’re committed to winning the match,” insisted Hitzfeld, “we need to keep our confidence high, so we can’t afford a defeat.“ The Bavarians face a thorny-looking Bundesliga trip to Energie Cottbus on Saturday. “The Anderlecht game will help us maintain our rhythm,” Van Bommel remarked.

No Schweinsteiger and Zé

Hitzfeld is certain to rest a clutch of his regulars and use the midweek match to cast an eye over some of his squad players. “People will see a couple of players they may not have seen very often,” the coach confirmed. The General has already announced a debut for winter signing Breno. “I’m intrigued by him,” the coach admitted. Brazilian talent Breno will be paired with fellow-countryman Lucio or Martin Demichelis. Bastian Schweinsteiger misses out with injury, Zé Roberto has only just resumed training after the flu, and Luca Toni is suspended.

“Every player should give everything he has and earn himself another chance,” Hitzfeld demanded, pointing to the “immense competition for places“ at the club. “The men in the team will have to perform if they want to put themselves forward for more,” the coach repeated, although he declined to mention specific names.

100 percent required against Anderlecht

Hitzfeld regards his rotation policy as a motivating factor for the squad. “All the players who start will give it 100 percent,” Belgian centre-half Van Buyten declared. “We’re all fired up at the moment, regardless of our opponents or the competition. It doesn’t matter which team we send out, it’s going well. We’re enjoying ourselves, and maybe we’ll manage another minor spectacle.“ The 60,000 plus crowd would surely have no objection.

Boss promises strong line-up in midweek

2008-03-12T03:59:00.001-07:00

Breno enjoyed a taste of the Allianz Arena atmosphere on Saturday, as the Brazilian was part of the 18-strong matchday squad for the 2-0 victory against Karlsruher SC. However, the newcomer was not called upon to enter the fray and spent his afternoon on the bench, or warming up behind Oliver Kahn’s goal.

Things will be different on Wednesday when the youngster will make his first-team debut for his new club. “Breno will definitely play from the start,” coach Ottmar Hitzfeld confirmed as Bayern began preparing for the UEFA Cup Round of 16 return against RSC Anderlecht.

Kroos also likely to start

Bayern lead 5-0 from the first leg in Brussels last week, and are effectively through to the last eight barring an upset of monstrous proportions. Hitzfeld is planning to continue his rotation policy, “but I can’t yet say what the line-up will be,” the coach remarked, although he hinted at a start for Toni Kroos.

Breno and Kroos will likely be joined by Lukas Podolski and Willy Sagnol, both rested at home to Karlsruhe after featuring against Anderlecht. Podolski is standing by to replace the suspended Luca Toni, while Mark van Bommel is eligible for the match despite a Bundesliga ban. Andreas Ottl, who played alongside Van Bommel in defensive midfield against the Belgians, could well repeat the role in midweek.

Zé still absent

Breno’s fellow countryman Zé Roberto remains doubtful. The midfielder last featured in the Bundesliga nine days ago, but has been unable to train since then with a severe dose of the flu. It is also possible that Michael Rensing may again deputise for Oliver Kahn, as he did last Thursday.

With an eye on next Saturday’s tricky away trip to relegation strugglers Energie Cottbus, Hitzfeld may opt to rest a few more of his regulars. However, the Bayern coach will not send out a ‘B-team’: “The 60,000 crowd have a right to watch a decent side,“ he declared. Some 61,000 tickets for the match had been sold by Monday afternoon.

‘Strikers win matches, defenders win titles’

2008-03-12T03:58:00.001-07:00

“Strikers win matches, defenders win titles“, according to a German football saying. Indeed, Bayern’s 20 championship-winning seasons to date have frequently featured the best goals-against record in the section. “The trophy won’t go to the team which scores the most goals, it’ll go to the team with the best-organised defence,” Ottmar Hitzfeld confirmed at the start of the campaign. The seasoned coach is very likely to be proved right yet again, as his defenders lay a rock-solid foundation for this term’s assault on the title.

Bayern have conceded just 11 goals in 23 Bundesliga matches to date, the lowest total in the club’s history at this stage of a season. The midpoint of the current campaign saw a new club record of eight goals against, and a league record of just two conceded at home. Munich are well on course to challenge Werder Bremen’s fabulous effort of 22 goals against in 1987-8. “I’m still ambitious enough to want this record,” declared Oliver Kahn, praising his team-mates in the strongest terms: “This season’s defence is the best I’ve ever played behind at Bayern.“

Team effort

A grinning Marcell Jansen said he was delighted at this “huge praise” from the skipper, “although obviously that’s put us under pressure now.“ However, the rearguard looks unlikely to cave in any time soon. “We’re consistent, we make hardly any mistakes, and we communicate well,” reasoned Kahn, pleased with the men guarding his goal in his last season as a pro. The keeper and his deputy Michael Rensing have kept clean sheets in 14 out of 23 matches, although there is some way to go to match the league record of 19 games without conceding set by Bremen (1987-8) and Bayern themselves (2001-2).

“We’re doing well because we take a fundamentally aggressive approach, and the strikers think defensively too,” reasoned Jansen, praising the effort of the collective. Even Franck Ribéry and Luca Toni contribute, explained Mark van Bommel: “Everyone leaves his ego in the dressing room.“ The almost impregnable defence creates a solid platform for attack. “You need to rely on your defenders,” continued Van Bommel, “we know we’ll take a point, even on days we don’t score.“

Unaffected by rotation

This was not entirely the case last term. “We simply conceded too many goals,” recalled Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The Reds only kept eight clean sheets last season, a performance they have already bettered this year. “But it’s not just down to the back four,” Rummenigge continued, “we’re working hard in midfield too.“ Added Jansen: “The players in the holding positions keep it very tight and tackle brilliantly.“

Hitzfeld has generally favoured two holding midfielders this season, although he has recently tried out a variant with just one man in front of the back four, without any negative effects so far. The General’s rotation policy, with three changes to the back four against Karlsruhe, has also done nothing to undermine the team’s solidity at the back: the Bavarians have negotiated the last four matches without conceding.

Better than before Christmas

“We’re working hard in training, and we all know our jobs,” explained Daniel Van Buyten, praising the defenders’ excellent mutual understanding. “It’s all about communication, we all try and help each other,” agreed Jansen. Hitzfeld feels his players have come on since the first half of the season, and are even more consistent than before Christmas. “We have more class, more stability in our organisation, and we’re better equipped to win European matches now.“ Not to mention a decent chance of winning the league.

Praise for Ribéry and Toni’s ‘breathtaking’ skills

2008-03-12T03:57:00.000-07:00

If the Bayern squad was a deck of cards, the club’s rivals might accuse the Bavarians of a little sharp practice. The deck barely contains anything below a ten – and features at least two aces of trumps in the shape of Franck Ribéry and Luca Toni. The pair each produced a moment of sheer class to hand the Reds a 2-0 win at home to Karlsruhe on Saturday, prompting the Allianz Arena faithful to parade hitherto unsuspected language abilities.

“That was a good one from our fans,” smiled Uli Hoeneß, as the strains of Oh Champs-Elysée and Bello e impossibile rang out from the south terrace. “They were reminding the players we’ve not forgotten where they come from.“

Man of the match

Ribéry and Toni appear to have found a second home in Munich. “Franck’s life is all about football and family. Bring those two together, and you get what we saw today,” pondered Hoeneß, after another display of maximum-speed mastery from the France superstar. “Incredible”, “breathtaking“ and “astounding”, the official enthused. “He’s going at top speed, but he can still accelerate and keep control of the ball. And not just a couple of times per half, it’s six, seven or eight times.“

“The club, my team-mates and the fans give me the energy and confidence to dribble, sprint and score. The backing is important to me,” Ribéry himself declared, after leaving four defenders for dead and firing through the legs of a fifth for his 64th-minute goal. “He was outstanding, he was everywhere. Congratulations to the player,” KSC skipper Maik Franz generously remarked.

Not for sale

“I liked the goal because it mattered. The result was still in doubt at that stage,” mused Ribéry, “but scoring isn’t my main job.” The Frenchman is now on eight for the season, but has provided 15 assists, taking him to 23 scorer points in 29 competitive appearances.

“The oil magnates can try what they want but we won’t sell the player,” Hoeneß declared firmly after the match. Ribery is committed to Bayern until 2011, but the fans would ideally keep the player in Munich for life, handing him another standing ovation as he left the field on Saturday. “I’ve noticed there’s more and more applause for me now,” the 24-year-old commented.

Ribéry a la Zidane

“It’s a while since I’ve seen that for an individual player,” confessed Oliver Kahn afterwards. The Bayern captain felt moved to draw a comparison with the great Zinedine Zidane. Ribéry “has a very different style,” but “in terms of technical ability, he’s a second Zidane.” Franck is also setting benchmarks for pace. “I’ve never seen a player who’s so good at such high speed,” Kahn enthused.

Ottmar Hitzfeld, on the other hand, sounded a note of caution. “He won’t manage 90 minutes in every match. He sprints a lot and plays a high-energy game,” the coach admonished. “If he plays 80, 90 minutes back-to-back, he’ll tear a muscle sooner rather than later.“

Goal from nothing

Luca Toni is also a high-energy player, using all of his 1.96m, 94 kg frame to upset opposing defenders. The Italian also possesses the born striker’s nose for goal, brushing aside his Karlsruhe marker on Saturday before opening the scoring with a cross-shot from the tightest of angles, all in the act of falling to the ground.

It was Toni’s 12th opening goal of term, part of an amazing record showing 24 goals and nine assists in 32 appearances. He leads the scoring charts in the Bundesliga (14) and the UEFA Cup (7). “Luca Toni is a pure goal-getter,” offered Hitzfeld, “and they’re not just tap-ins, or he’d never have been leading scorer in Italy. He’s an impressive presence in the box.“ Added Hoeneß: “Luca scores even when it isn’t a chance.“

Team above all

“That’s what makes a good striker,” Toni responded. “It would be nice to finish as leading scorer,” he continued, but success as a team came first, the 30-year-old insisted. No matter how Hitzfeld chooses to shuffle his cards, Toni and Franck Ribéry represent both the aces and the trumps.

‘We’ll probably bring in one or two new players’

2008-03-12T03:56:00.000-07:00

Cameras and reporters are never far away when Uli Hoeneß appears in public. That was the
case after Saturday’s 2-0 win against KSC, but also on Sunday when the 56-year-old was the star guest on DSF sport TV’s Doppelpass magazine show. fcbayern.de reviews the highlights of the official’s statements on both occasions.

Uli Hoeneß on…

… the situation in the Bundesliga following the Karlsruhe match:
“It wasn’t exactly perfect today, it left a lot to be desired. But these are the games you have to win if you want to end up as champions. It’s been a good weekend for us, but a lot could happen yet. I believe we’ll finish top at the end, because we have the best squad, and I think we’ll succeed in all three competitions.“

… on Ottmar Hitzfeld’s rotation:
“Ottmar has to keep squad morale high. That’s smart when you have so many talented and fit players. Rotation is good provided it works. You can do it as much as you like provided it works. It’s a question of timing. It’s fantastic at the moment, but there have been times when it didn’t work so well. We made eight changes to the team in the summer, and it needed time to gel, you’d normally need one or two seasons. Rotation only works if you have a functioning team. That wasn’t the case in November, so it didn’t work then. Ottmar and I are close friends, we talked about it for four or five hours, and he agreed he’d overdone it. It wasn’t Ottmar’s best phase.“

… on Karl-Heinz Rummenigge’s outburst after the Bolton match:
“We’re all only human. They equalised right at the end, and Karl-Heinz and I were furious. I advised him not to comment, but he couldn’t escape the reporters. But I honestly believe he regretted what he said the instant he’d said it. He wasn’t in any way trying to undermine Ottmar Hitzfeld.“

… Oliver Kahn’s suspension before the winter break:
“It was a courageous decision by Ottmar Hitzfeld, and we all supported him. It was a wake-up call to the team. They saw the coach wasn’t afraid to have a go. It’ll have made the players think hard about their behaviour in the future.“

… the importance of Franck Ribéry:
“The team looks for Franck a lot, because they know something will happen when he’s on the ball. We’ll need some balance soon, more play down the right and through the middle. But we mustn’t complain as long as he keeps it up. His pace with the ball at his feet is incredible. He’s going at top speed, but he can still accelerate and keep control of the ball. And not just a couple of times per half, it’s six, seven or eight times. The others work very hard for him, because we don’t expect him to defend much. Franck benefits from our willingness to support him.“

… on Ribéry’s future, given his contract with FCB until 2011:
“The oil magnates can try what they want but we won’t sell the player. It doesn’t even come into question.“

… on transfer negotiations with Ribéry and Luca Toni:
“Eight weeks before they signed, neither Franck nor Luca ever imagined they’d end up in Germany. We invited Luca here with his partner, we showed them the city, we invited friends who we knew had an influence over them. We slowly but surely won over the extended Toni family. For Franck, we simply offered Marseille enough money until he was ours.“

… on transfer plans for the new season:
“We’ll probably bring in one or two new players, but definitely not six, seven or eight. Great teams grow together, so we don’t need four or five new faces. We’ll certainly let a player or two leave, as we’d like to see a smaller squad, not a bigger one. You need a good atmosphere, and it doesn’t improve with a bigger squad.“

… whether he will continue sitting on the bench after Jürgen Klinsmann takes over:
“I wouldn’t have a problem giving up my seat. I’m minded to offer that to Jürgen Klinsmann. You need to move on at some point, and when better than now? I’m excited, there will be big changes.“

… his future as Bayern President from autumn 2009:
“That’s the plan, provided I’m elected. My contract as manager expires at the end of December 2009, and I definitely won’t extend it.“

… on the demise of the chip-in-ball experiment:
“You could consider installing a camera in the goal frame, but we should let human beings make mistakes. If we iron out every error it would be sterile, and I wonder if it would be the game we all love. I certainly don’t want ten interruptions per game while they check if a player was three centimetres offside or not.“

… on proposed changes to the match schedule:
“We should be flexible. If the league has three or four teams playing Thursday in the UEFA Cup, the TV situation has to be adapted. The station which would have broadcast on Saturday should do so on Sunday. Our experience at Bayern is that Sunday matches go down well and are very well attended.“

FCB 'a long way from home and dry yet'

2008-03-12T03:55:00.000-07:00

The chant of “We’re gonna win the league!” started after 67 minutes, initially on the south terrace, before spreading to the entire Allianz Arena. Bayern had just taken a 2-0 lead over Karlsruher SC, while second-placed Werder Bremen were conceding two goals in as many minutes against VfB Stuttgart. The Munich crowd saw that matchday 23 could be a milestone on the way to the league title.

“We watched events unfold in Stuttgart with a broad smile," confessed Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld following the champions’ 6-3 victory over Werder. The Bavarians’ 2-0 success against KSC took the men in red seven points clear at the top of the standings “It’s been a nice afternoon,” said a beaming Uli Hoeneß.

33 points still to play for

Nevertheless, no-one in the Bayern camp was prepared to describe the day’s events as anything more than another step on the road to the trophy. “It’s a reassuring lead, but nothing’s decided yet. We’re a long way from home and dry yet. Bremen and Hamburg could still win the league,” said Hitzfeld, firmly dampening any signs of complacency. “It’s by no means over, but it’s a reasonable gap back to second place,” Hoeneß offered.

Oliver Kahn agreed wholeheartedly. “I’ve been through so much, and experienced countless title races. There are 11 games to go, and that’s a long, long way,” the skipper intoned. The Bundesliga clubs all have 33 points still to play for. “Teams have thrown away bigger leads before now,” Kahn warned.

Kahn believes in the squad

However, Kahn does not believe Bayern will join that group: “I just don’t have that feeling with our team at the moment.“ The captain’s team-mates provided plenty of convincing evidence against Karlsruhe. The Bavarians triumphed at home for the first time since Christmas, comfortably enough without ever sparkling, and have now won their last four matches in all competitions.

“It wasn’t exactly perfect today, it left a lot to be desired. But these are the games you have to win if you want to end up as champions,” analysed Hoeneß. Luca Toni’s excellent finish on 41 minutes and a world-class effort from the (yet again) outstanding Franck Ribéry (64) saw the Reds complete an ultimately routine victory. “We weren’t any worse in recent home games, but we hit the target this time,” declared Kahn, also praising another solid defensive performance on the day.

Strength in depth

In truth, Karlsruhe failed to create a chance worthy of the name. “I think we’re playing to our strengths at the moment: confidence, experience and authority,” mused Hoeneß. Less than 48 hours after the trip to Anderlecht, and despite another six changes to the starting line-up, the result was never in serious doubt. “Karlsruhe pushed us to the limit today. We had to cover a great deal of ground. We wouldn’t have won with the same line-up we had in Anderlecht,” Master of Rotation Hitzfeld insisted.

Bayern’s decisive advantage may not be restricted to one-off talents such as Ribéry and Toni, but also their large and fundamentally well-balanced squad. “Yes, that’s our strength at the moment,” Kahn agreed. No matter how many changes Hitzfeld makes, the team functions as a unit. Miroslav Klose felt able to draw only one conclusion: “The only team who can beat us is ourselves.“

Hitzfeld: That rounds off a good week for us

2008-03-12T03:54:00.000-07:00

Bayern’s 2-0 victory over Karlsruhe extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to seven points over rivals Bremen, prompting understandable satisfaction in the Munich camp. Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld felt his side opened the scoring at exactly the right time, before intelligently controlling the play after going 2-0 up. “I’m obviously delighted with the week we’ve just had,“ he summarised.

Reaction to Bayern v Karlsruhe:

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “I’m obviously delighted with the week we’ve just had. We’ve exploited a Bremen slip-up in the title race for the first time. It was important to lay our home complex to rest, as we’ve not won here in the Bundesliga since November. I hope that means we’ve removed the mental block here at home. We worked hard and scored the opening goal at just the right time. We were clever after going 2-0 up. We were up against a strong team who never gave up. We defended well when KSC came back at us yet again towards the end. We were under pressure, because we knew Bremen faced a tough challenge in Stuttgart and we had a chance to move seven points clear. Klose played well. With a little more luck he’d have scored a goal or two.“

Oliver Kahn: “We maintained our standards despite a difficult away match. We kept it tight at the back and created plenty of chances, but the title race is far from over. We need to ensure we hold onto our slight advantage. KSC have done well away from home up to now, they kept plugging away until the final whistle. Right at the end, the thought briefly crossed my mind that KSC is where it all began for me.“

Edmund Becker (KSC coach): “We wanted to prove it’s no accident we’re doing so well in the table. We more or less succeeded defensively in the first half, but we didn’t have a lot to offer up front, we never threatened Bayern. We had our best spell in the second half until the 65th minute, we had a lot more of the possession, but that’s exactly when we went 2-0 down, and we no longer had it in us to pose any kind of danger to Bayern. Overall, I’m disappointed, I’d been hoping we’d play better football. Basically, I think we showed them too much respect.“

Maik Franz (KSC captain): “Ribéry was the outstanding player today, he was everywhere. We weren’t good enough to match Bayern today. We’ve played good football in recent matches, but you have to hold your hands up and accept our opponents were the better team. We still have to play the teams who are on a level with us.“

Ribery sparkles as Reds stride seven points clear

2008-03-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

Bayern 2 Karlsruhe 0

World-class moments from superstars Luca Toni and Franck Ribery saw off game KSC as Bayern took full advantage of their league rivals’ misfortunes.
A 69,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw the Bundesliga leaders slowly but surely turn the screw after a cautious opening, deadly striker Toni breaking the deadlock with his eleventh opening goal of the season. Plucky Karlsruhe came at the Reds after the break, but a scintillating run and shot from Ribery settled the issue as Munich cruised to their first home win of 2008.

Ottmar Hitzfeld’s 150th win with Bayern in his 450th match as a Bundesliga coach takes the Bavarians onto 50 points from 23 matches, fully seven clear of second-placed Bremen after Werder crashed 6-3 away to champions Stuttgart.

Half-a-dozen changes

Just as he chose to do in the preceding matches against Schalke and Anderlecht, Ottmar Hitzfeld made six changes to his starting line-up, remaining true to his rotation policy despite the five-goal midweek gala in Brussels.

Oliver Kahn, Christian Lell, Marcell Jansen, Ribery, Miroslav Klose and fit-again Luico returned to the team, with Michael Rensing, Willy Sagnol, Philipp Lahm, Andreas Ottl, Lukas Podolski and the suspended Mark van Bommel making way.

Keeper Miller on form

Bayern had the better of a cagey opening phase, Ribery causing the visiting defence problems from the off and falling in the box after a collision with KSC’s on-loan Munich man Andreas Görlitz, although referee Dr Drees waved away the Reds’ penalty appeals. The promoted club sporadically threatened, although the final pass invariably went astray, and the home side shifted up a gear to make it one-way traffic from the midpoint of the half.

The match at times resembled a personal duel between the Bayern forwards and in-form KSC keeper Markus Miller, who closed down the angle to deny Klose, scrambled across goal as Ribery’s drive hit the side-netting, dived to beat Toni to a dangerous Ribery cross, and capped the lot with an excellent save to turn aside the France superstar’s well-placed free-kick.

Another Luca opener

Hamit Altintop whistled a drive narrowly wide, but the sides appeared destined to turn round deadlocked until Toni’s moment of magic on 41 minutes, the big Italian skilfully controlling Lell’s intelligent pass before holding off KSC captain Maik Franz and drilling his shot across Miller and in off the far post.

Bastian Schweinsteiger came within inches of connecting after Toni’s flick in the last move of the half, but it was a different story in the first quarter-hour after the restart as the promoted visitors enjoyed their best spell, Massimilian Porcello forcing Kahn into a decent take.

Fabulous Franck

But the KSC flurry petered out on the hour, and Klose might have done better from a good position on the edge of the six-yard box, before Ribery showed how only he can do it with the glorious dribble and finish to make it 2-0 on 64 minutes, the Frenchman leaving four Karlsruhe defenders trailing in his wake in a genuinely world-class demonstration of pace and skill.

Hungary ace Tamas Hajnal tested Kahn as the courageous visitors sought a way back, but the better chances came at the other end where Jansen rifled a drive narrowly wide and Klose guided a header wide with the goal gaping. The luckless Germany striker gave way to Jose Sosa, the Argentine soon testing Miller from 18 yards, but the biggest cheers were reserved for the news flashes from Stuttgart and the significant defeat for Bayern’s chief title rivals.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

Bayern Munich - Karlsruher SC 2-0 (H-T: 1-0)


Bayern Munich:		Kahn - Lell, Lucio, Van Buyten, Jansen - Altintop, Demichelis (Ottl 86), Schweinsteiger, Ribéry (Kroos 89) - Toni, Klose (Sosa 80)

Substitutes:		Rensing, Lahm, Breno, Schlaudraff

Karlsruher SC:		Miller - Görlitz, Stoll, Franz, Eichner - Timm (Freis 46), Mutzel (Kapllani 80), Porcello (Staffeldt 76), Iashvili - Hajnal - Kennedy

Referee:		Dr. Jochen Drees (Mainz)

Spectators:		69,000 (capacity)

Goals:		1-0 Toni (41), 2-0 Ribéry (64)

Yellow Cards:		Demichelis / Stoll

Free-scoring FCB seek sparkle at home

2008-03-12T03:50:00.000-07:00

07.03.2008

The Bayern squad basked in Thursday’s 5-0 triumph against Anderlecht for all of ten minutes before turning their attention to the next item on the agenda. The travelling fans were still in their block at the Constant Vanden Stock stadium in Brussels, applauding their heroes through a series of warm-down exercises out on the pitch, before the stars reported to the dressing room for stretching, massage and ice-baths in a 60-minute regeneration programme ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga meeting with Karlsruher SC. “We’re delighted with the win, but we’re focused on the Bundesliga again now,” commented Daniel van Buyten.

FCB are back in the thick of the battle for league points just 43 hours after the final whistle on Thursday, although the second half in Anderlecht was anything but energy-sapping for the dominant visitors, and Ottmar Hitzfeld even allowed himself the luxury of early substitutions.

Anderlecht result of strategic importance

“Our comfortable UEFA Cup win suits us strategically. You play a huge number of games in the UEFA Cup, but now we’re free to concentrate on the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup,” Oliver Kahn remarked. The captain took a break for “mental refreshment” in midweek, although he clearly enjoyed what he saw on TV.

Kahn even believes the Anderlecht triumph will inspire Bayern to greater heights in the domestic league. “You derive a huge amount of belief from a match like that, especially the conviction that we’re exceptionally hard to score against right now,” the captain explained at the Säbener Strasse on Friday.

Kahn: Beware my former club

The league leaders will need all the self-belief they can muster on Saturday, not least because they have failed to win at home in the Bundesliga since Christmas, drawing 1-1 with both Bremen and Hamburg. Moreover, KSC rate as the surprise package of the season so far. The promoted club lie a solid fifth in the standings, and the more enthusiastic fans are already dreaming of a UEFA Cup run next term.

“KSC are in superb shape. They have nothing to lose and believe in themselves. They’d like nothing better than to take a point or two off us,” warned the keeper, a Karlsruhe native and KSC youth product until departing for Munich in 1994. “They have the potential to retain fifth place until the end of the season.“

Zé Roberto sidelined

Both Kahn and Hitzfeld identified KSC as one of the toughest teams still due at the Allianz Arena this term. “It’ll be a very different game compared to Anderlecht,” admonished Hitzfeld, describing the promoted outfit as “a level stronger“ than the Belgian champions. “They’re on a roll. They’ve been sensational so far and would love to stay in the spotlight. That’s why they’re so dangerous.“

“We want to win the league, so we have to focus on the bread and butter straight away,” the coach continued. Hitzfeld is still without Zé Roberto (flu) and Mark van Bommel (suspended), while Martin Demichelis is rated doubtful after collecting a knock in Brussels. In any case, the General is certain to continue his current rotation policy.

Weakened KSC

KSC captain Mario Eggimann serves a ban, while injury accounts for Godfried Adoube. Andreas Görlitz, on loan to Karlsruhe from Bayern and contemplating a return to Munich this summer, is a definite starter. “What matters is that we play it our way and keep it tight. If we do, I’m not worried,” summarised Hamit Altintop.

Franck’s sublime curler proves nice little earner

2008-03-12T03:48:00.000-07:00

000

07.03.2008

By way of crowning a scintillating second-half cameo, Franck Ribéry rounded off a rousing European evening for Bayern in Anderlecht with a glorious 20-metre free-kick brilliantly curled into the corner formed by post and bar, a flash of footballing precision and genius which had even the Belgian fans on their feet and applauding.

Only a calamity of unthinkable proportions can now prevent the Bundesliga leaders from advancing to the UEFA Cup last eight. “Bayern were simply too good for my team tonight,” RSC boss Ariel Jacobs admitted afterwards, “they don't belong in the UEFA Cup, they should be in the Champions League.“

Prolific Toni tops the charts

Bayern are aiming to rejoin the continental elite next term, but this season’s radically overhauled team is blazing a goal trail across Europe, with an average of three goals per UEFA Cup fixture so far, and no fewer than 18 in their last four matches.

Luca Toni is the competition’s top scorer at the present time after raising his total to seven with the goal to make it 2-0 in Brussels, while strike partners Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski each moved onto five for the tournament on Thursday. “You’re always delighted to score, simple as that,” Poldi said afterwards. Hamit Altintop, who opened the scoring with a monstrous 30-yard drive in Anderlecht, has also contributed three goals from midfield.

Ribéry a sure-fire bet

After coming on as a half-time sub, Ribery initiated many of Bayern’s flowing counter-attacks and provided the assists for Podolski and Klose, before opening his UEFA Cup account with the 86th-minute set-piece. Quite apart from being a thing of beauty, the sublime curler also proved a nice little earner for the France superstar.

“Before he took the free-kick, I said to Franck: 100 Euro for you if you score – 100 Euro to me if you don’t. I thought it would be easy money,” revealed Mark van Bommel, settling his lost wager aboard the team bus on the way to Brussels airport. “Franck’s recent efforts in training have all gone over the fence. I’d have taken on the bet in the circumstances,” joked Oliver Kahn the following day.

Amused General

Ribéry was visibly delighted by his goal, dashing to the bench and embracing coach Hitzfeld and manager Uli Hoeneß with outstretched arms. “He was completely euphoric and said something about winning a bet,” a grinning Hitzfeld related on Friday. The General was given plenty to smile about by his European sharp-shooters in Anderlecht.

Van Bommel: “Call Me Up, Dad”

2008-03-06T04:33:00.000-08:00

The Bayern ace had withdrawn from the Oranje in the autumn of 2006, citing personal differences with the boss. But the tide has turned in the past few weeks.

Van Basten will step down at the end of the European Championship and Bert van Marwijk will take over on July 1. Married to Van Marwijk’s daughter, Andra, the 30-year-old central midfielder has now made himself available for selection again.

“It’s up to the coach to select me. After the European Championship my father-in-law will be the coach. That offers no guarantee, but I have said that I am available.” the former PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona man said ahead of Bayern’s UEFA Cup visit to Anderlecht, on Thursday.

On February 24 the U-23 boss, Foppe de Haan, had said that Van Bommel could be selected for the Olympics squad if he became available again and was not called up by Van Basten. However, Bayern have excluded that possibility, as the German season will be under way by the time of the Beijing games.

Madrid And Bayern Watch As Ballack Faces Another Axe

2008-03-06T04:32:00.000-08:00

The Germany captain was omitted from the Chelsea line-up in the Carling Cup final, but returned with a bang at the weekend, scoring in the 4-0 mauling of West Ham.

Out Of Formation

But the Daily Mail claim that Avram Grant will again bench the former Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen man for tonight's Champions League game against Olympiacos as he seeks a new formation.

The Israeli coach experimented with a 4-3-1-2 formation yesterday in training with Joe Cole supporting front duo Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba. The Mail further claims that Makelele, Essien and Lampard were the midfield trio involved in the test.

Unhappy At Chelsea?

Ballack was used in another experiment but is understood to feel like the 'odd man out' in the current set-up, something that has put Spanish giants Real Madrid on standby.

Los Merengues' boss and compatriot Bernd Schuster has not given up hope of signing his compatriot this summer, although some reports suggest that Bayern Munich and new boss Jurgen Klinsmann may not be averse to bringing Ballack back to the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Interested In Kuyt

2008-03-06T04:31:00.000-08:00

The Reds forward has never really hit the form expected of him and has struggled for goals this season, hitting only three in the Premier League thus far.

Rafa Benitez quite often played him out of position wide on the right with Steven Gerrard preferred in the central role.

Kuyt did get amongst the goals against Inter in the first leg of Liverpool’s Champions League tie, but Dutch magazine ‘Sportweek’ claims that Bayern Munich are keeping tabs on the player in preparation for a summer bid.

Bayern look set to lose one of their three forwards Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose or Lukas Podolski, and with the Goran Pandev move apparently dead in the water, Kuyt is seen as a suitable replacement by those in the know at the Allianz Arena.

Liverpool paid £9 million to Feyenoord for the 27 year but are unlikely to consider any potential business until they have secured Champions League football next season with a fourth place finish in the Premier League.

Munich keen to set course for last eight

2008-03-06T04:29:00.001-08:00

Following a first Munich derby success at the Allianz Arena and a first Bundesliga win at the Schalke Arena, Bayern are keen to continue a week of premieres in the UEFA Cup Round of 16 on Thursday evening (Live in English from 6.45 pm CET on FCB.tv Web Radio), when Germany's most successful club go in search of a first victory away to Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht. "We'll do whatever we can to secure the win," remarked Ottmar Hitzfeld before joining the travelling party for the flight to Brussels on Wednesday morning.

Bayern will go for victory at the Constant Vanden Stock stadium, unlikely to be filled to its 21,500 capacity on Thursday, "but a draw or even a narrow defeat would do,“ Uli Hoeneß mused, "it would put us in a good position for the return next week.“ The most important thing would be "to keep a clean sheet," Bastian Schweinsteiger commented.

Bordeaux as warning

To a man, the Bayern party knows the trip to the Brussels suburb of Anderlecht will be anything but easy. "RSC are dangerous opponents," Philipp Lahm observed. Hitzfeld described the Belgians, who feature former Bundesliga stars Bart Goor (Berlin) and Jan Polak (Nuremberg), as "difficult opponents. Anderlecht boast a rich tradition and plenty of European experience. They didn't get past Bordeaux by luck. That should serve as a warning.“

The serial Belgian champions' unexpected success in the Round of 32 against the side lying second in France will certainly focus Bavarian minds. Furthermore, although Anderlecht struggled in the autumn, they have only lost one of their last 13 competitive fixtures, a fact which has not gone unnoticed in Munich. "We’re arriving just as they run into peak form," Daniel van Buyten declared in an fcbayern.de exclusive interview.

Daniel the spy

Anderlecht favoured a three-pronged forward line boasting pace, movement and technical skill, Hitzfeld pointed out, while coach Ariel Jacobs' men defended collectively with discipline and physical strength. "We'll have to be patient," remarked Hitzfeld, preparing to finalise his insider information about Thursday's opponents by talking to Van Buyten on matchday, "once he's read the papers." Hitzfeld is hoping Bayern's solitary Belgian can produce a few nuggets of espionage from the local media.

The coach and his men are well aware of the club's patchy record in Anderlecht. Bayern have lost two (4-1, 2-0) and drawn two (2-2, 1-1) in previous visits to the Constant Vanden Stock stadium, described by Van Buyten as a part of the home team's armoury. Schweinsteiger vividly recalls Munich's most recent visit in the 2003-4 Champions League Group stage, "they're very inspired by their crowd.“ Hitzfeld agreed: "Anderlecht can rise above themselves at home.“

Important absentees

However, even in what Hitzfeld termed RSC's "cauldron“, Bayern will hope to impose their authority on the match. "We have plenty of respect but no fear," Schweinsteiger declared ahead of Bayern's fifth attempt to come away from Anderlecht with a win, despite the absence of Oliver Kahn, Zé Roberto and Lucio. Anderlecht should not be underestimated, commented Kahn understudy Michael Rensing, "but we're Bayern Munich, and we should simply focus on ourselves.“

'Anderlecht are just running into peak form’

2008-03-06T04:27:00.001-08:00

Daniel van Buyten has been much in demand in the build-up to Bayern’s UEFA Cup trip to RSC Anderlecht, as countless Belgian journalists and TV crews quizzed Munich’s solitary Belgian player about his current club.

Shortly before the Bavarian party took off for Brussels, the 30-year-old former Sporting Charleroi (1997-99) and Standard Liege (1999-2001) defender spoke to fcbayern.de, reflecting on the special meaning of a match in his country of birth, his opinion of Thursday’s opponents, and the atmosphere Bayern can expect at the Constant Vanden Stock stadium.

Interview: Daniel van Buyten

fcbayern.de: Daniel, you’re about to fly ‘home’ with Bayern. Is the RSC Anderlecht clash just another game like any other?
Van Buyten: “It’s definitely a bit special for me. It’s the first time I’ve been home with another club for a match against Belgian opponents. And I’m very proud to be doing so with a huge club like Bayern.“

fcbayern.de: What do your family and friends in Belgium think of the match?
Van Buyten: “They’re looking forward to seeing me again. They’ll all be at the stadium, which is obviously wonderful.“

fcbayern.de: What can you tell us about RSC Anderlecht? What kind of team are Bayern about to face?
Van Buyten: “Anderlecht are one of the best clubs in Belgium, they have plenty of Champions League and European experience. They had a tough start to the season, but they’ve pulled themselves together now. We’re arriving just as they run into peak form. They knocked out Bordeaux in the previous round, although Bordeaux were the better team on paper. I saw the match in Bordeaux, and Anderlecht looked good. You should never underestimate Anderlecht. It’ll be a hard game, but if we concentrate, our class will tell.“

fcbayern.de: Do you know any of the RSC players?
Van Buyten: “Anderlecht have four or five Belgian internationals. I’m looking forward to meeting them on the field of play.“

fcbayern.de: You played alongside Mbo Mpenza in Liege. Have you spoken to him?
Van Buyten: “We talked on the phone. He’s delighted we’re about to face each other, although I’m not sure he’ll play as he’s carrying an injury. Anderlecht are obviously fired up about playing a club as big as Bayern. They’ll be highly motivated.“

fcbayern.de: What can Bayern expect at the Constant Vanden Stock stadium?
Van Buyten: “It’s not a big ground, but it is the kind of stadium where you’re aware how close the fans are to the pitch. The supporters really get behind their team as long as they see they’re trying. The crowd is certainly one of Anderlecht’s weapons. RSC will want to have the fans on their side from the outset.“

Hitzfeld opts to rest Kahn and Jansen

2008-03-06T04:25:00.000-08:00

Ottmar Hitzfeld is set to continue his policy of extensive squad rotation in Thursday’s UEFA Cup Round of 16 first leg away to RSC Anderlecht, leaving captain Oliver Kahn and Germany international defender Marcell Jansen out of the squad to face the Belgian champions.

Zé Roberto is also absent after coming down with a stomach infection overnight. The Brazilian has not travelled for the meeting at the Constant Vanden Stock stadium, joining fellow countryman Lucio (muscular problems) on the injury roster. Jan Schlaudraff is the man omitted from the 18-strong matchday squad.

Rensing fired up

Regular keeper Kahn, offered a break for “mental refreshment” by Hitzfeld after the punishing schedule of recent weeks, will be replaced in Belgium by his designated successor Michael Rensing. “I’m feeling good, and I’m delighted at the chance of another appearance,“ the former Germany U-21 keeper said.

Hitzfeld took Rensing aside at the start of the week to inform him he would be playing in Anderlecht. “That was a good idea, because it gave me the chance to prepare mentally,“ commented Rensing, who stood in for Kahn away to Aberdeen in the previous round of the UEFA Cup.

Karlsruhe just 43 hours later

“Michael has deputised well for Kahn often enough, so we’re not in the least worried,“ advised Mark van Bommel. “It’s not much of a change when Micha goes in goal,“ explained Philipp Lahm. Cover for Rensing in Brussels will be provided by reserve goalkeeper Thomas Kraft.

Hitzfeld, who made six changes to the starting line-up for last weekend’s1-0 victory away to Schalke, appears certain to reshuffle his side significantly again on Thursday, especially with Bayern’s home Bundesliga meeting against Karlsruher SC coming up on Saturday afternoon.

It’ll be very tough for my former team-mates

2008-03-06T04:22:00.000-08:00

Bayern travel to face Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht in a UEFA Cup Round of 16 first leg on Thursday, the first meeting between the sides since the 2003-4 Champions League when Bayern drew 1-1 at the Constant Vanden Stock stadium in Brussels, before winning the home leg 1-0. Hamburg utility man and Belgium international Vincent Kompany, who contested both matches for Anderlecht, told fcbayern.de that the men from Munich are favourites to progress: “My former team-mates face a very tough task.“

Interview: Vincent Kompany

fcbayern.de: Vincent, how many calls have you taken from former RSC Anderlecht team-mates over the last few days?
Vincent Kompany: “It’s not like the phone’s been ringing constantly, but I’ve had a few calls from former team-mates. I’m still in touch with some of them, and obviously you do talk about football, including the match between Bayern and Anderlecht.“

fcbayern.de: What have you been telling them about Bayern?
Kompany: “Bayern Munich are the gold standard in the Bundesliga, with an excellent squad and outstanding individuals. My former team-mates face a very tough task.“

fcbayern.de: HSV have drawn twice with Bayern this season. How was that achieved?
Kompany: “We simply played well in both games, and we create chances against everyone we play. You never get many chances against Bayern, but when they do come along, you have to take them without hesitation.“

fcbayern.de: What can Bayern expect in Brussels on Thursday?
Kompany: “A team which is used to the Champions League and thus has plenty of experience. Because Anderlecht are at home in the first leg, they’ll certainly try and get after Bayern.“

fcbayern.de: Are your former club a real threat to Bayern? Who are the danger men?
Kompany: “Anything can happen over the course of two matches. The result from the first leg will be extremely important. Bart Goor pulls the strings in midfield and provides the springboard for attacks, where Mbo Mpenza, Emile Mpenza’s brother, may well be playing. Another well-known face from the Bundesliga is Jan Polak, who was in Nuremberg.“

fcbayern.de: Anderlecht have fallen below their usual standards in the Belgian league this season. Do you know why?
Kompany: “To be frank, I’ve been away too long to offer an opinion. Obviously, I hope things look up for them.“

fcbayern.de: What can the Anderlecht faithful expect from their team?
Kompany: “That they give it their best shot in both games and try to make the quarter-finals. It’ll be very difficult, but not impossible.“

fcbayern.de: Finally, what’s your prediction for the tie?
Kompany: “Bayern are favourites, but I’d prefer not to tip the final outcome.“

Dramatic derby win ‘both merited and lucky’

2008-02-29T04:44:00.000-08:00

28.02.2008
You’d expect a decent turnout on your 108th birthday, and sure enough, Bayern welcomed 69,000 guests to the Allianz Arena on the day marking 108 years since the club was founded. However, few could have predicted what a memorable and enthralling party it would turn out to be.

To a noisy, colourful and fevered backdrop probably beating anything seen at the stadium so far, Bayern and TSV 1860 Munich played out one of the most thrilling local derbies in living memory. “You can't ask for a more entertaining game than that,” commented Uli Hoeneß. “It was legendary,“ added Oliver Kahn after 120 action-packed minutes including two disallowed goals, three sendings-off and an inexorably increasing sense of drama, culminating in the winning goal from a twice-taken penalty two minutes into time added on at the end of extra-time.

Better start by Lions

Goalscorer Franck Ribéry not only wrote himself into Munich derby lore, he earned Bayern a 20th German Cup semi-final appearance and their first-ever derby victory at the Allianz Arena. “The atmosphere was much more intense than in previous derbies,” observed Daniel van Buyten, after joining his team-mates in wild celebrations in front of the south terrace at the end of the match.

“I’m proud of the team,” enthused Mark van Bommel after Bayern’s 105th triumph in the 204th derby. “The late goal showed we believed in ourselves and the possibility of winning right until the end,” added Ottmar Hitzfeld, although the Reds coach was far from satisfied with his side’s first-half performance. “1860 were the better team in the first half-hour,” Hitzfeld conceded. Van Bommel agreed: “We had a very poor first twenty minutes.“

Same all season

The General bemoaned his team’s carelessness with possession and lack of invention: “We found hardly any answers to the Lions’ packed defence.“ Hitzfeld responded by moving Toni Kroos from the left flank to the hole behind the front two after 20 minutes. “That was a great move. We controlled the game after that,” Van Bommel remarked.

Bayern’s dominance steadily increased from then on, but as so often recently, clear-cut openings went begging. “The game was an exact reflection of what we’re missing this term. We almost always dominate, but at the end of the day we get nothing for it,” lamented Kahn, “it’s tough going and problematic right now.“ Luca Toni’s correctly disallowed brace (38, 46) only served to increase the frustration.

Stung by dismissal

In any case, it was not to be the leading scorer’s night, as referee Peter Gagelmann brandished the red card at the Italian for a second bookable offence on 84 minutes. “The players aren’t monks,” Hoeneß raged, but the sending off stung the Reds into action. “The motivation rises and the adrenaline flows,” Van Buyten argued.

Even with ten men, the Bundesliga leaders continued their dominance, before the sides became numerically equal again after 111 minutes when the Blues’ Benny Schwarz also received his marching orders for an off-the-ball dig at Ribéry. “We stepped up a gear after that,” Van Bommel reported, and Bayern’s incessant pressure duly paid off right at the end.

Definite penalty

The match official, who might easily have blown for a penalty when Lucio was fouled six minutes from the end of normal time, finally pointed to the spot when Chhunly Pagenburg felled Klose with the 120 minutes already up. “It was on the line, and that’s part of the box,” Hitzfeld declared. The third sending off of the evening, another double yellow affair for 1860 centre-half Markus Thorandt, had no real bearing on the result.

“After half-time, we controlled the play better, had more of the possession and created more chances, even with ten men,” Hitzfeld opined. The late goal meant the victory was “lucky“, the coach acknowledged, but due to the number of chances, also “fully merited“, Hoeneß argued.

Praise for 1860

“It wasn’t an undeserved victory, although right now it’s a bitter defeat for us,” reflected 1860 boss Marco Kurz, as the compliments poured in for his willing and passionate team. “The Lions gave a good account of themselves and made life very difficult for us,” acknowledged Hitzfeld. “1860 played way above themselves today. But in the last ten minutes of extra-time, we invested a shade more than they did, and the victory was ultimately deserved,” analysed Kahn.

A place in the last four was the best birthday present Bayern could have desired, but otherwise, a ninth consecutive competitive victory over the Blues merely confirmed what the red majority at the ground already knew. “Bayern were the number one team in Munich before this, and will always be the number one team in Munich,” Hitzfeld declared.

Last-gasp Ribery keeps triple quest alive

2008-02-29T04:42:00.000-08:00

27.02.2008
Franck Ribery’s twice-taken penalty in the last minute of extra time saw Bayern through to the DFB Cup semi-finals and claim the bragging rights in the city of Munich after a knife-edge win over bitter rivals TSV 1860 in a match of high drama and three red cards.

The Allianz Arena was a cauldron of noise and colour as the 69,000 full house generated an electrifying atmosphere, although the red majority groaned in despair when young prodigy Toni Kroos spurned the best chance of an evenly-matched first half.

Spate of red cards

The men in blue stood firm for a long spell after the break but the Bundesliga leaders held sway in a rousing final quarter of the match, only for Luca Toni to be sent off for a second bookable offence with six minutes of normal time remaining. Referee Peter Gagelmann added insult to injury by waving aside Lucio’s strong penalty shout as normal time ended goalless.

The tension increased in extra-time when the Blues were also reduced to ten men after Benjamin Schwarz saw a second yellow for an off-the-ball shove on lively sub Franck Ribery, but Ze Roberto and Philipp Lahm were unable to break the deadlock with clear-cut late chances.

A shoot-out looked odds-on, but 1860’s Chhunly Pagenburg clumsily felled Miroslav Klose just inside the box as the clock ticked over to 120 minutes. Ribery kept his cool after being ordered to re-take the ensuing spot-kick for encroachment, nonchalantly flicking home the penalty to earn his side a memorable victory. In a last twist, the Blues finished one of the most dramatic derbies of recent years with nine men when Markus Thorandt received his marching orders on the final whistle.

Three changes for Reds

Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld made three changes to the side held by Hamburg on Sunday. Willy Sagnol came in for Christian Lell as expected, but there were minor surprises too as young Kroos deputised for the injured Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Lukas Podolski was preferred to Klose.

Lions boss Marco Kurz, struggling with the continuing absence of his three most experienced forwards, sent out a side including a trio of 18-year-olds still eligible to turn out for the youth team, but also featuring seasoned former Red Daniel Bierofka and USA international hard man Gregg Berhalter.

Few chances

Bierofka caught the eye as the second division side had the better of the cagey opening exchanges, himself firing off the first shot at Olli Kahn’s goal, and then setting up his captain Danny Schwarz for a 25-yard drive, resulting in a routine take for the Bayern skipper.

Podolski arrowed a shot wide of the far post and Kroos headed straight at 1860 keeper Michael Hofmann as the men in red upped the pace midway through the first period, but play was held up on the half hour after a shuddering collision between Hofmann and Luca Toni, bringing both sets of physios racing onto the field.

The Blues shot-stopper gamely tried to play on but was clearly struggling and soon gave way to former Lions number one Philipp Tschauner. The new man’s first touch should have been to pick the ball out of his net, but Kroos spoiled his nifty work in robbing last man Thorandt by blazing high and wide with the goal at his mercy.

Chances at both ends

Toni had the ball in the net either side of half-time but both efforts were disallowed, the first harshly for an alleged foul on full-back Torben Hoffmann, the second rightly for offside. Ribery had joined the fray for the second period in place of Hamit Altintop and at once injected more urgency into Bayern’s attacking efforts.

Podolski came within inches of connecting with Toni’s flick from Ribery’s corner, and van Bommel went even closer after Tschauner’s excellent reaction save from the Dutchman’s fierce drive, the Bayern men just unable to guide the rebound inside the upright.

The second division side fought back after the hour and Kahn made an excellent stop to deny young Lars Bender as the Blues swarmed forward, but 1860 were dealt a heavy blow when Bierofka crumpled to the turf in obvious distress after turning an ankle. The Munich native was stretchered off to sympathetic applause.

Toni off and no penalty

Klose now replaced Kroos as Hitzfeld opted for attack, but the next chance fell to the underdogs when much-travelled striker Mustafa Kucukovic misjudged a free header from sub José Holebas’ probing cross, prompting the Reds boss to send on Lell for the tiring Sagnol. Tschauner blocked a rare right-footed Ze Roberto effort, before Ribery skied his first-time shot after Lell’s darting run.

The Reds laid siege to the opposing goal in a bid to settle the issue in normal time, but Toni’s harsh dismissal with six minutes remaining added another twist to the tail of an increasingly dramatic contest. Bayern were furious when Lucio was denied a penalty after a blatant bodycheck by Benjamin Schwarz, and Klose was unable to force his header past Tschauner as the 90 minutes ended in stalemate.

Schwarz off and a penalty

The first chance of a cautious first period of extra-time came when Timo Gebhart flashed a drive past Kahn’s left-hand post, but Klose so nearly prodded home after Tschauner’s first minor handling error of the game. Lucio’s header brushed the crossbar as Bayern pressed in the final 15 minutes, and the tension only increased when Benni Schwarz became the second player to receive his marching orders for an off-the-ball shove against Ribery.

Ze Roberto and Philipp Lahm both saw shots beaten out by Tschauner in a frantic finish, before sub Pagenburg’s fateful trip on Klose and the pure drama of Ribery’s twice-taken penalty. There was still time for Thorandt to see the third red card of the game as an utterly memorable match closed amid scenes of pandemonium and uproar.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

Bayern Munich - TSV 1860 Munich 1-0 (aet; F-T: 0-0, H-T: 0-0)
Bayern Munich: Kahn – Sagnol (Lell 76), Lucio, van Buyten, Lahm - van Bommel, Zé Roberto - Hamit Altintop (Ribery 46), Kroos (Klose 65) - Podolski, Toni
Substitutes: Dreher, Ottl, Sosa, Jansen
TSV 1860 Munich: Hofmann (Tschauner 35) - B. Schwarz, Thorandt, Berhalter, Hoffmann - S. Bender (Holebas 58) - Gebhardt, D. Schwarz, L. Bender, Bierofka (Pagenburg 66) - Kucukovic
Referee: Peter Gagelmann (Bremen)
Spectators: 69,000 (capacity)
Goals: 1-0 Ribéry (120)
Yellow Cards: Toni, Kroos, Lahm / Thorandt, Hoffmann, Gebhardt, B. Schwarz
Yellow/Red Cards: Toni (84) / B. Schwarz (111), Thorandt (120)

Van Der Vaart Ready For Bayern?

2008-02-25T03:42:00.000-08:00

The 25-year-old Dutchman was injured playing against Zürich in HSV’s 3-1 UEFA Cup third-round first-leg away victory and his club had announced that he’d remain sidelined for at least two weeks.

The international playmaker indeed missed last Sunday’s 3-0 Bundesliga victory over Bochum and he will definitely be out for Thursday’s home game against the Swiss Super League champions.

No complications

However, to the surprise of many, Van der Vaart trained today and expressed his desire to play in Sunday’s make-or-break clash.

“I was able to sprint for the first time today and didn’t have any problems. The important thing now is that the bruising goes down. I hope to be fit by Sunday, but we still have to wait for the next few days.” he told the club’s official website this afternoon.

Van der Vaart, who is rehabilitating in his homeland and is expected back in Germany on Thursday, joined Hamburg from Ajax on June 1, 2005 for an estimated 5.5 million euros and he’s exploded since, developing to the star he always promised he could be.

This season alone he’s scored 17 goals from midfield in 28 appearances, being the key to the side’s successes.

Firing on all cylinders

Huub Stevens’ men are at the moment third in the league, six points behind leaders Bayern, who they’ll meet in Munich.

They’re also in the hunt for the Pokal, visiting Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals and of course have one foot in the UEFA Cup last-16, where they’ll confront either Galatasaray or fellow German side Bayer Leverkusen.

Panos Bletsos, Goal.com

Premier League Replay: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

2008-02-25T03:37:00.000-08:00

The Good – Fernando Torres

The Liverpool striker was in top form on Saturday, scoring a predatory hattrick that won the match for his side 3-2 at home to Middlesbrough. Having missed out on the previous Premiership match due to Rafa Benitez’s tendency to rest his best players for Champions League fixtures, El Niño returned to action in spectacular fashion.

His cutting edge in front of goal was the difference between the sides. Torres’ first contribution was a 28th minute goal to equalize at 1-1. A long ball up field was allowed to bounce and when it fell to Julio Arca he decided to head it back to his goalkeeper – a full thirty yards from goal. His header instead fell straight into the path of Torres, who pounced on the ball and was quickly in on goal. He easily rounded Mark Schwarzer and even though he slipped he managed to poke the ball in. A skillful bit of improvisation that earned him the goal.

Liverpool took the lead only a minute later, with a quite fantastic second goal by Torres. Fabio Aurelio found him in space just outside the area, and Torres was quick to turn and fire a line drive straight into the bottom corner. No chance for Schwarzer after his defense backed off the Liverpool forward. All Torres needed was a bit of space to get his lethal shot away.

Torres completed his hat-trick after 61 minutes thanks to a mistake by Mark Schwarzer. Both David Wheater and Torres chased after a long ball from the back by Dirk Kuyt, and Schwarzer – inexplicably – raced out of his goal to challenge for possession. But Schwarzer didn’t arrive in time, and when Torres controlled and spotted the keeper off his line, he calmly passed the ball into the empty net.

That’s 15 league goals in only 23 matches for Torres. He almost had a fourth soon after when he used his pure pace to beat Emanuel Pogatetz, and then blasted a shot that Schwarzer did well to parry. It was a fantastic day for Torres and Liverpool, as the Reds capitalized on Arsenal’s slip-up. Benitez as well must have breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that his imported compatriot was on hand to ease the pressure on the manager. Perhaps he’ll be more thankful that his schedule allowed for the Premiership to take priority this week.

Honorable Mention - Cristiano Ronaldo

In danger of sounding like a broken record, the Manchester United midfielder was the best Premiership player this weekend. He made three goals in 66 minutes before being substituted. The first goal came when Ronaldo controlled a ball down the wing, shook off a defender near the goal line, and chipped in a pinpoint cross for Wayne Rooney to volley in from close range.

Ronaldo scored himself on half-time when he went on a blistering run and Michael Carrick put him through. Ronaldo’s finish was exquisite, and was reminiscent of the abilities of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was the last person to score twenty league goals in a season for United.

After United's third, and Ronaldo’s second - another incisive run in behind and then around the keeper to finish confidently - he had scored 21 Premiership goals this campaign.

The Bad & the Ugly – Martin Taylor

The Birmingham defender was sent off in Saturday’s match against Arsenal, when a clumsy tackle on striker Eduardo caused a shocking injury. Gael Clichy had brought the ball up and then found Eduardo, who turned and looked for space. Taylor came in to challenge for the ball, but Eduardo was too quick, and played the ball away from the defender.

However, as Eduardo went to follow the ball, Taylor’s studs were left up and needlessly high on the Croatian’s shin. Then Taylor’s stud slid down, planting Eduardo’s ankle as he tried to leap away. The result, as it appears on the horrifying replay, seems to be a compound ankle fracture. The injury was certainly ugly to watch, and the players on the field as well as Physio Gary Lewin were visibly distraught. Quite understandable, as the extent of the injury was surreal.

As for Taylor, although he caused the gruesome injury, there didn’t seem to be malice in the tackle. However, the level of recklessness and aggression in the tackle was dangerous, and demonstrates the worst kind of footballing attitude.

The Breakthrough Performance – Theo Walcott

The Arsenal striker scored his first ever Premiership goal as part of a brace that earned his side a point away to Birmingham. The Engand international has struggled to earn a regular place in the first team, on Saturday his efforts were the only bright spot on a very bleak day for the League leaders. Four minutes after the interval, he got the Gunners off the mark.

As a corner kick came in, goalkeeper Maik Taylor tried to punch but failed, as Emmanuel Adebayor leaped to win the header above Taylor’s fingertips. The knock-down fell right to Walcott, who could hardly miss from four yards out.

The 18-year old capitalized on a mistake by Liam Ridgewell to grab his second goal only six minutes later. Cesc Fabregas hit a long ball up field, and Ridgewell tried to control with his chest but his touch was too heavy and the ball instead went right to the feet of Walcott. He used his tremendous speed to race across defenders, and when he found space near the middle of the pitch he fired a low shot across his body and into the right-hand corner, an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area.

A beautiful brace by Theo Walcott, although his performance and the point he earned is the only encouragement for Arsenal coming out of the match.

Andrew Discenza

Taylor Makes Eduardo Hospital Visit

2008-02-25T03:36:00.000-08:00

Arsene Wenger and Arsenal fans alike largely seem to have calmed down from their initial demands that Martin Taylor be banned from football for life.

The Birmingham City defender was dismissed in just the third minute of Saturday's 2-2 draw with Arsenal after making a leg, shin and ankle-breaking tackle that will keep Gunners striker Eduardo out of action for around a year.

Hospital Beds

Taylor is said to be extremely distressed by the incident and has paid several secret visits to Eduardo in the Birmingham hospital. The defender has offered the Croatian an apology for the tackle and an explanation of what happened, stressing that there was no malicious intent.

Taylor tried to visit Eduardo for the first time on Saturday, soon after the game, but was unable to because the Gunners player was in surgery. He returned yesterday to speak to the striker. Eduardo is understood to have accepted Taylor's apology and last night appeared more focused on recovery than he was angry at the perpetrator.

I'll Be Back

"I’m determined to overcome this injury," he said. "I don’t remember the incident very well and it is not something I want to see again. All I remember is, when I fell, I looked down at my foot and it had turned the other way. The rest is just a blank. It’s an unfortunate situation but these things can happen in football.

"I am unsure at the moment of the extent of the injury and how long I will be out of action," he continued, "but I know that I won’t be able to play for the rest of the season or be ready in time for Euro 2008 this summer. But I’m not worried about that. My concentration and determination is on making as quick a recovery as possible.”

Eduardo has now been moved to a hospital closer to his home in London.

Ze Roberto strikes as leaders salvage point

2008-02-25T03:03:00.000-08:00

24.02.2008
Bayern came from behind to draw with the side in fourth but had Mark van Bommel sent off at the end of an always absorbing and increasingly dramatic match.

A 69,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw the home side boss the play but struggle for clear-cut openings in the first half against a disciplined and physical Hamburg side, who even stole into the lead on the hour when Ivica Olic netted after an uncharacteristic Lucio howler.

Munich were level just six minutes later after sub Franck Ribery set up Ze Roberto, but despite a flurry of chances in a rousing finish, the Reds were unable to make the breakthrough and saw insult added to injury when Van Bommel received his marching orders for dissent in stoppage time.

The result takes Bayern onto 44 points from 21 matches, extending their lead over Bremen to four points, but the draw also sees Hamburg remain in touch on 38 points in fourth, level with third-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

In with the new

True to his publicly announced policy of rotating his squad to cope with a potential 24 more matches this term, Ottmar Hitzfeld made five changes to the side which swept past Aberdeen on Thursday.

It was a case of new faces all round at full-back where Christian Lell and Philipp Lahm came in for Willy Sagnol and Marcell Jansen, with Ze Roberto and Bastian Schweinsteiger restored to the midfield in place of youngsters Andi Ottl and Toni Kroos. The final switch saw Miro Klose back in the side at Lukas Podolski’s expense, but Hitzfeld opted to hold Ribery in reserve for the time being.

HSV boss Huub Stevens similarly named half-fit superstar Rafael van der Vaart among his substitutes, but started with no fewer than three former Bayern men in his ranks, namely enforcer David Jarolim, midfielder Piotr Trochowski and striker Paolo Guerrero.

First-half stalemate

Once referee Lutz Wagner had whistled play underway on a pleasantly springlike afternoon in Munich, the sides with the meanest defences in the league spent the first quarter of the match feeling each other out, with no quarter given or asked at either end.

Frank Rost was the busier of the keepers, although the HSV shot-stopper could have done little about Ze’s deflected shot or Luca Toni’s header from a Hamit Alintop cross as the leaders created the only early chances worthy of note.

Olic, Guerrero and Nigel de Jong all loosed off speculative efforts for the visitors, but none came as close as Mark van Bommel’s swerving drive five minutes before the interval. But the robust and well-organised Hamburg rearguard otherwise held firm and the sides turned round with the game deadlocked at 0-0.

Goal apiece on the hour

Guerrero’s snapshot forced a first meaningful save from Oliver Kahn and Lell had a decent shout for a penalty waved aside as the tempo increased after the restart, before Ze Roberto starred at both ends, clearing an Olic cross from the danger zone and rifling just wide of Rost’s goal in the next move.

Klose so nearly capitalised on centre-half Joris Mathijsen’s first error of the match, but just as the Reds seemed poised to strike, Jarolim dispossessed Lucio on the hour and played in Olic for the striker to calmly slot home his tenth goal of the season and hand the visitors a shock lead.

Hitzfeld reacted immediately by bringing on Ribery for the ineffective Schweinsteiger, and the France star was in the thick of the action at once, slipping a loose ball back into the danger area after Lell’s energetic thrust into the box for Ze to slot into the empty net and level after 66 minutes.

Van Bommel off in frantic finish

Podolski replaced Klose for the last quarter of an hour, and Rost was soon diving to smother at Toni’s feet before Van der Vaart finally appeared in place of the HSV goalscorer for the final ten minutes. Toni had the ball in the net only to be pulled back for an offence and then saw Rost brilliantly deny his close-range effort as Bayern pressed for a late winner, but Van Bommel’s completely unnecessary sending-off and associated ban capped an ultimately disappointing afternoon for the league leaders.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

Bayern Munich - Hamburg SV 1-1 (H-T: 0-0)
Bayern Munich: Kahn - Lell, Lucio, van Buyten, Lahm - van Bommel, Zé Roberto, Hamit Altintop, Schweinsteiger (Ribery 61) – Klose (Podolski 74), Toni
Hamburg SV: Rost - Demel, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, Benjamin – Jarolim (Boateng 82), de Jong, Trochowski, Kompany, Olic (Van der Vaart 78) – Guerrero (Zidan 86)
Referee: Lutz Wagner
Spectators: 69.000 (capacity)
Goals: 0-1 Olic (60), 1-1 Ze Roberto (66)
Yellow Cards: Lell / Jarolim, Kompany, Guerrero, Boateng
Yellow/Red Cards: Van Bommel (90, dissent)

Van Buyten targets win over former team-mates

2008-02-25T03:02:00.001-08:00

24.02.2008
Daniel van Buyten is not in the Bayern side as a goalscorer. His designated job is completely the opposite, to prevent the opposition scoring, and yet the Belgium international has chalked up two goals of his own since the mid-season break, both of them crucial strikes for his team.

The centre-half headed home shortly after half-time to put his side 3-2 up in the Cup against Wuppertal, a match the Reds went on to win 5-2. And on Thursday, he banished any lingering doubts as to his side’s superiority over Aberdeen with the Bavarians’ second in the 5-1 UEFA Cup gala.

Superb attitude

“It was about mental strength today, because we knew we had more quality. We concentrated hard, and that was decisive,” the 30-year-old commented afterwards. Just as in the previous weekend’s victory in Hanover, Van Buyten was deputising for the injured Martin Demichelis, Lucio’s regular partner at the heart of the defence this term. Van Buyten, a regular last season, has only featured in a third of the club’s 31 competitive games in 2007-8 so far.

“You have to be professional about it,” Van Buyten said in answer to a question as to his current role as a squad player. “You have to be ready when the coach calls on you. Maybe you even train harder than the guys in the team, because you need to be totally fit. It’s a difficult situation, but it’s one I can learn from.“

Keen to reclaim place

Sunday’s visitors Hamburger SV are one of the Belgian’s former clubs. With Demichelis still injured, Van Buyten is set for another starting appearance. “I may have a run in the side coming up. I’ll do the best I can, and try and show the boss I’m worth a place in the team,” he declared ahead of the Aberdeen clash.

Daniel will not require any additional motivating words from Ottmar Hitzfeld on Sunday. “I’ll be the one doing the talking in the dressing room beforehand, because this is a vital match for us. I’m determined to finish on the winning side,” he said. A goal against his former team-mates would represent the crowning glory of a good week for Daniel van Buyten.

Leaders aim to shake off rivals Hamburg

2008-02-25T02:58:00.000-08:00

23.02.2008
Three days after a gala display in the UEFA Cup against Aberdeen, Bayern return to Bundesliga action with the chance to extend their lead at the top of the standings and put distance between themselves and another dangerous rival. Victory over Hamburg at the Allianz Arena on Sunday (Live in English from 4.45 pm on FCB.tv Web Radio) would kill two birds with one stone in the quest for a 21st German title.

“Hamburg are in a different class compared to Aberdeen,” coach Ottmar Hitzfeld pointed out ahead of the showdown with the side in third. HSV are currently six points behind Bayern, so defeat would seriously dent any title ambitions of their own. Furthermore, after second-placed Werder Bremen’s surprise defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, a win for the men from Munich could stretch their lead to a reassuring six points.

Cool heads

“Hamburg keep it very tight and always try for a clean sheet. It’ll be the kind of match where we need a lot of patience,” Hitzfeld continued. Sunday’s visitors boast the second meanest defence in the section after Bayern with just 15 goals conceded, “so we’ll need cool heads and tactical intelligence,“ the 59-year-old concluded.

“You can’t just play carefree stuff and breeze past them, we’ll need to be smart and play thoughtful football.“ The right blend will be a prerequisite against one of the Bundesliga’s founding clubs. Aside from a well-organised back line, HSV boast “a couple of dangerous strikers,” Hitzfeld warned, “and we mustn’t allow them to get going. We need to concentrate for the full 90 minutes. We can’t allow ourselves any period of weakness.“

Six-pointer

Uli Hoeneß understands the pivotal nature of the latest north v south showdown. “Every game is a six-pointer until the title race is over. HSV have played very well recently and are still in it at the top. A win would be good, otherwise we’re still only three points clear,” the Bayern manager admonished.

Bayern will be boosted by the return of Franck Ribéry from a hamstring strain. The Frenchman is part of the matchday squad for only the second time since the winter break, although Hitzfeld has not yet decided whether to start with his creative superstar: “I’ll make the decision on Sunday.“

HSV aiming high

The General is still without Martin Demichelis, currently working his way back from a torn calf muscle. Bernd Dreher will sit on the bench as the number two keeper as Michael Rensing is sidelined with flu. Willy Sagnol is rested, with Jan Schlaudraff and Breno not making the cut.

HSV won on both their last visits to the Allianz Arena and have no intention of rolling over and surrendering the points this time. “I’ve always said Bayern have the best team this season and will win the league, but we’re not going to Munich to hand out presents. We intend to take something from the game,” respected coach Huub Stevens declared.

Bayern matchday squad: Kahn, Dreher, Lucio, Van Buyten, Lell, Lahm, Jansen, Ribéry, Altintop, Zé Roberto, Ottl, Van Bommel, Sosa, Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Toni, Podolski, Klose

Unavailable: Demichelis (calf), Rensing (flu), Sagnol, Schlaudraff, Breno, Fürstner (omitted)

Referee: Lutz Wagner (Hofheim)

Bayern’s record in the fixture: P42 W31 D6 L5 F108 A39