Dramatic derby win ‘both merited and lucky’

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Klinsmann Vows To Hold On To Podolski

Podolski has struggled to cement a regular place in the Bayern team this season with the arrival of Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose at the club. He was linked with a loan move away from the Allianz Arena in the January transfer window with Sven-Goran Eriksson a confirmed fan of the youngster.

However, Klinsmann is determined to keep Podolski at the club for the foreseeable future.

"Klinsmann wants to have him in his team and that's why we haven't responded favourably to the offers which came during the winter break" Bayern manager Uli Hoeneß told the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Podolski signed for the Bavarians in 2006 from Cologne but has been limited to just 13 games this season with 11 of those as a substitute.

It has been reported that the 22 year old has already held talks with Klinsmann, who was his national coach during the 2006 World Cup where he performed so well.

"We talked about it a few weeks ago and it was an interesting discussion" said Podolski who is contracted to Bayern until 2010.

The young striker is widely believed to be a favourite of Klinsmann and his international record of 24 goals in 44 games just needs to be replicated at club level.

Mathew Burt

Hitzfeld delighted by wide range of options

22.02.2008
Following Thursday’s 5-1 UEFA Cup victory over Aberdeen, Bayern’s quest for a triple continues apace next week with a Bundesliga clash against Hamburger SV and a DFB German Cup showdown with TSV 1860 Munich. The three crunch fixtures usher in an intense period which – if all goes according to the Munich master plan – would see the Reds playing twice a week right through to the last league matchday on 17 May.

In the circumstances, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is certain to call on every member of his squad at some point. Against Aberdeen, the General made four changes to the team which beat Hanover last weekend, resting Zé Roberto, Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and bringing in Marcell Jansen, Lukas Podolski, Andreas Ottl and Toni Kroos.

All good enough for the team

“If we reach both the finals we’re aiming at, we’ll play another 24 matches this season. You can’t do that by confining yourself to 11, 12 or 13 players,” Hitzfeld explained. “We have a strong squad, all of them good enough for the first team, so resting one or two of them is only normal. We’ve reached the stage of the campaign when we need 15, 16 or 17 players. We have to apportion our resources intelligently, so we’ll continue to rotate the squad.“

“Ottmar’s rotation was just fine today,” general manager Uli Hoeneß observed. All the new faces in the team performed well, with a star turn from Podolski, who took his UEFA Cup goals total to four. “I’m delighted he did so well,” commented Hitzfeld, “he was present right from the start, his movement was good, he went looking for the ball, and his passing was great. He’s coming along well.“

Happy with the burden

Eighteen-year-old prodigy Kroos had an equally good game out on the left, delivering a fine series of set pieces into the Scottish box. “He lived up to all our expectations today,” Hoeneß declared. “I really like two matches a week, I have a better chance of playing,” offered Kroos, revealing his personal recipe for success: “You have to give everything in training and put yourself forward, and then seize your chance in a match.“

That certainly applied to Jansen, who competently survived a buffeting from the robust Aberdeen defenders in the first half, and to Andi Ottl, a solid replacement for Zé Roberto in the holding role. “What the coach is doing is great. We’re rotating a little but we’re still winning, and that’s how it needs to continue,” said Willy Sagnol, himself rested for the first leg in Aberdeen last week.

Plenty in reserve

Perhaps the most important conclusion for Hitzfeld on Thursday was that he can place complete faith in his “second string” players – if indeed such a thing exists at Bayern. “I believe any player can stand in for any other. That’s why we’re so strong,” the General commented, delighted by the range of options on offer. It will come as little surprise if the team to face HSV on Sunday looks different again to the line-up which comprehensively outplayed Aberdeen.

Anderlecht bar Bayern’s path to last eight

22.02.2008
Brussels-based RSC Anderlecht will face Bayern in the UEFA Cup Round of 16 after the reigning Belgian champions eliminated Girondins Bordeaux on Thursday night. Following a 2-1 home success in the first leg, the side coached by Ariel Jacobs drew 1-1 in France to seal a 3-2 aggregate victory.

Thomas Chatelle put the Belgians in front on 34 minutes at the Stade Chalban-Delmas in Bordeaux. Fernando Cavenaghi levelled on 71 minutes for the team lying second in France, but the home side shot themselves in the foot with red cards for Tremoulinas and Chalmé as the visitors held out for the draw.

Tough proposition

The 29-times Belgian champions will now face Bayern for the seventh time in European competition. “It’ll definitely be a lot more difficult than Aberdeen,” commented Uli Hoeneß, well aware that previous meetings with Anderlecht have tended to be tight affairs. Bayern have won three, with two draws and one Munich defeat.

“Anderlecht aren’t doing so well in the Belgian league, but they’re a hard side to beat,“ observed Mark van Bommel. RSC currently lie fifth in the Jupiler League. Bayern will still approach the double-header, on 6 March in Brussels and on 12 March at the Allianz Arena, in confident mood. “We have a slight advantage in that the first leg is away from home. That’s our reward for winning the group,” Hoeneß remarked.

Willy Sagnol: It’ll be an interesting week

21.02.2008
Willy Sagnol was in good spirits after the 5-1 victory over Aberdeen which saw Bayern comfortably through to the UEFA Cup Round of 16. The right-back, who returned to first-team action three weeks ago after an eight-month lay-off, repeated his encouraging display in Hanover last Sunday with a series of good thrusts down the flank. “We have a tough programme ahead of us, but tonight will have given us a huge amount of belief,“ the France star told fcbayern.de after the match.

Post-match interview with Willy Sagnol:

fcbayern.de: Willy, congratulations on getting through to the next round. What does it mean to have beaten Aberdeen so convincingly?
Willy Sagnol: “We have a tough programme ahead of us, but tonight will have given us a huge amount of belief. We have Hamburg at home, then the derby against TSV 1860, and then we go to Schalke. It’ll be an interesting week for us.“

fcbayern.de: Could the games against HSV and Schalke be decisive for the Bundesliga title race?
Sagnol: “It’s probably a bit early to say that. The fact is that if we beat HSV on Sunday, we’ll be nine points clear of them, and that wouldn’t be bad at all.“

fcbayern.de: Last week you asked people to be patient with you, as you still need a while to recover peak form after such a long time out. How far are you along that path?
Sagnol: “I think today showed I’m making progress, but I can definitely add a lot more on top. I still have a few steps to take.“

fcbayern.de: Would you like Girondins Bordeaux in the last 16?
Sagnol: “Of course. A game in France would be tremendous for me, and also for Franck. I’d really enjoy that, although obviously it would be hard work for us.“ [Bordeaux fell 3-2 on aggregate to RSC Anderlecht later in the evening – Ed]

Hitzfeld: There’s always room for improvement

21.02.2008
A disciplined and focused performance for long spells of the game saw Bayern safely through to the UEFA Cup Round of 16 after a deserved 5-1 goal fest against Aberdeen, handing the Bundesliga leaders a commanding 7-3 aggregate win. “I’m more or less satisfied,” Ottmar Hitzfeld said afterwards, although the Bayern coach refused to read too much into the result, “because our opponents have nothing like the same resources as we do.“

Reaction to Bayern v Aberdeen:

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “I’m more or less satisfied, although obviously there are always areas for improvement. There was a phase in the first half when we were only 1-0 up, but we allowed our opponents a clear-cut chance. That shouldn’t be happening against opponents who have nothing like the same resources as we do. We have so many games and so much quality in our squad, so you have to give a chance to as many players as possible. You shouldn’t be scared of taking a risk every now and then.“

Uli Hoeneß: “We’ve seen a very entertaining game of football tonight. We got on the scoresheet early on, but Aberdeen completely held their own. Our team ran for all they were worth, and the referee let a lot of things go. We were still going for goal even after the 90 minutes were up. It was a tremendous game for the crowd. Lukas Podolski has improved dramatically, although he’s been slotting in a lot better in his recent substitute appearances. It’s obvious he’s slowly but surely settling down here in Munich.“

Lukas Podolski: “I always try and give it my best shot. Even if it’s only as a sub, I try and do the best I can. I’m delighted with my good performance, the goals, our victory and a place in the last sixteen. We’ll see what happens over the next few weeks. I’ll try and stay in touch and train well, but the coach decides who makes the team.“

On-fire Munich ease past outclassed Dons

Bayern 5 Aberdeen 1

21.02.2008
UEFA Cup favourites Bayern are through to the last sixteen after an emphatic 7-3 aggregate victory over plucky but ultimately outclassed Aberdeen.

A capacity 66,000 crowd at the Allianz Arena saw centre-back pairing Lucio and Daniel van Buyten net from set pieces to hand the Bundesliga leaders a comfortable half-time lead.

Result never in doubt

Almost incredibly, Bayern failed to commit a single foul in the first 45 minutes and also hit the woodwork twice, but all the Scots had to show for their efforts was a solitary chance and five bookings.

The Dons enjoyed a decent spell as the home team took a breather after the restart, but Lukas Podolski crowned a fine individual display with a quickfire brace twenty minutes from time, before Aberdeen sub Steve Lovell and Bayern’s Mark van Bommel traded goals in the closing stages to round off the scoring.

Hitzfeld opts for rotation

Eyeing his side’s packed programme in three competitions, and with Franck Ribery and Martin Demichelis still injured, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld chose to rotate his squad and made four changes to the side which beat Hannover 96 last Sunday.

Miro Klose, Ze Roberto, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger took a rest, allowing Podolski a first start of 2008, with young Toni Kroos on the left, Andreas Ottl in the holding role, and Marcell Jansen at left-back.

Lucio piledriver

Once Polish match official Robert Malek whistled play underway, the home side set off at a cracking pace and Podolski rattled Aberdeen keeper Jamie Langfield’s crossbar from Toni’s chested pass with just two minutes on the clock.

Kroos showed flashes of great intelligence down his flank, and it was from a foul provoked by the youngster that Lucio crashed an indirect free-kick past Langfield to open the scoring on 12 minutes.

Luca Toni came within inches of connecting and Langfield produced a good block to deny Hamit Altintop as the Bavarians threatened to run riot, but the young Scottish side found their bearings and make a real fist of it for a spell, Darren Mackie whistling a drive narrowly wide of Olli Kahn’s far post.

Daniel doubles it

Bayern were roused from their temporary slumbers and Toni, Van Buyten and Ottl all had shots blocked before the Belgian centre-back twisted acrobatically in a good effort for a man of his height, heading Kroos’ fine set-piece delivery past Langfield to double the advantage on 36 minutes.

Lucio stuck out a leg to a deflection and hit the outside of the post as the home team finished the half strongly, but Bayern chose to sit on their lead after the restart and the Dons enjoyed another good spell up to the hour mark.

First leg goalscorer Sone Aluko again caught the eye as the on-loan Birmingham City youth briefly gave Willy Sagnol a torrid time, and Mackie even had the ball in the net only to see the effort ruled out for offside against Lee Miller in the build-up.

Poldi on target

The Dons seemed to have emptied their locker with that brief flurry and Bayern now assumed lazy command. Klose replaced Toni and Jose Sosa came on for Kroos, although the Germany striker and Van Bommel might have done better with clear-cut openings as the visitors’ heads visibly went down.

It was left to Podolski to show how it should be done as the ex-Cologne man hammered a brace in the space of six minutes, brilliantly retrieving a seemingly lost cause from the touchline and setting up Klose for a drive before netting the rebound himself after 71 minutes, and then scoring a rare headed goal from sub Bastian Schweinsteiger’s corner to crown an excellent overall display.

Dons sub Lovell headed a consolation seven minutes from time as the Bavarians permitted a slight blemish on their night’s work, but Van Bommel immediately restored the four-goal margin with a crisp drive into the bottom corner to round off an entertaining evening’s football.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley


Bayern Munich - Aberdeen FC 5-1 (H-T: 2-0)
Bayern Munich: Kahn - Sagnol, Lucio, Van Buyten, Jansen - Altintop (Schweinsteiger 75), Van Bommel, Ottl, Kroos (Sosa 69) - Toni (Klose 65), Podolski
Substitutes: Rensing, Lahm, Lell, Schlaudraff
Aberdeen FC: Langfield - Maybury, Diamond, Considine - Foster, Nicholson, Aluko (Lovell 79), Severin, Walker (Maguire 62) - Mackie (De Visscher 72), Miller
Referee: Robert Malek (Poland)
Spectators: 66,000 (capacity)
Goals: 1-0 Lucio (12), 2-0 Van Buyten (36), 3-0 Podolski (71), 4-0 Podolski (77), 4-1 Lovell (83), 5-1 Van Bommel (85)
Yellow Cards: Kroos / Maybury, Walker, Aluko, Nicholson, Mackie

Schweinsteiger shines by doing it his way

http://www.fcbayern.t-home.de/en/index.php?fcb_sid=9d42137eb8644e4091fdbcec4385dfc7

19.02.2008

Ottmar Hitzfeld declared himself “unsurprised” by Bastian Schweinsteiger’s commendable display at the weekend. “Experience shows that Bastian needs a few more games than some other players before he rediscovers his rhythm,“ the coach had explained after Bayern’s clash with Bremen a week earlier, a contention the 23-year-old amply proved in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Hannover. “He was outstanding,” Uli Hoeneß commented, “he stamped his authority on the match.“

The general manager’s statement was an unusual one. “I don’t normally single out individuals,” Hoeneß confirmed, “but Bastian’s taken so much flak recently, I want to go on record as saying I thought he was the best man on the park today.“ Quite an assertion, given Luca Toni’s hat-trick heroics.

Two assists

“He did everything we’ve always hoped he’d do,” Hoeneß continued. The Germany international laid on two of Toni’s goals with perceptive passes behind the home defence, but also initiated the move for the Italian’s opening strike and swung over a series of dangerous crosses before and after half-time. He also set up five shooting chances, the best stat of any player on display.

Schweinsteiger began the 2007-8 campaign well, but he ran into a long period of poor form, from which he is only now beginning to emerge. “This is what we want from him,” Hitzfeld remarked, “I rated him as good in Aberdeen last week, and I think the press criticism afterwards was unjustified. He tackled very well up there. It’s obvious he’s fully focused again.“

Not a second Ribéry

Understandably enough, Schweinsteiger’s interpretation of the left-sided midfield role differs considerably from the style favoured by Franck Ribéry. “Bastian is a completely different type of player,” Hitzfeld pointed out, “Franck is really a winger who likes to dribble and take his man on. Bastian is more of a playmaker, in charge of distribution and establishing field position, playing the final pass and controlling the pace of a game.“

The player himself was unwilling to discuss these and other aspects of his individual display. “It’s for others to assess my performance,” he insisted. “It was good to feel the coach has faith in me. I’m keen to give something back to the football club.“

Home truths

Schweinsteiger, already capped 48 times by Germany, described much of a long-running media barrage as “hard to understand. A lot of what’s been written simply isn’t true. I just try and ignore it. I’m only interested in what the coach and my team-mates have to say.“

Bastian’s partner Sarah is another valued reference point. “She’s my sternest critic,” Schweinsteiger revealed. “We’ve had our share of debates.“ The player’s display in Hanover will surely have made for smooth waters at home, as Schweini related with a grin on Monday: “She was prepared to talk to me again yesterday evening.“

Club reaffirms faith in Schweinsteiger

13.02.2008

There need be no beating around the bush: Bastian Schweinsteiger has enjoyed far better periods of form than the trough he finds himself in now. For the first time in a long time, the Germany international finally filled his favoured role on the left of midfield against Bremen on Sunday. Schweini, seeking to deputise for the injured Franck Ribéry, gave a determined display and shot at goal on five occasions, but he was unable to exert a decisive influence on Bayern's 1-1 draw with Werder.

"He did some good things today, he didn't just misplace his passes," Ottmar Hitzfeld analysed afterwards. The Bayern coach replaced Schweinsteiger with youngster Toni Kroos on 66 minutes, but rose to the Germany man's defence in his post-match commentary. "It's still early days after the winter break, and experience tells us Bastian needs a few more games than some other players before he recaptures his rhythm.“

Lahm backs Schweini

Team-mate Philipp Lahm believes it is only a matter of time before Schweini recaptures past glories. "I'm not worried about him at all. Obviously he's falling below his own expectations at the moment. But everyone has phases when it goes less well. We all know he's an exceptional footballer," the full-back declared on Tuesday. "He'll be successful again soon."

Schweinsteiger is guaranteed unconditional backing from his fellow players. "Schweini is a great player and an important member of the team. We need to help him and motivate him," commented Lucio. "This is how a team works: when it's not going so well for one individual, the others have to rally round.“

Rummenigge offers personal help

Schweinsteiger also enjoys the board's complete confidence. "Obviously he can do better than he did against Bremen, but we should cut out the ceaseless criticism of Bastian Schweinsteiger," declared chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, stepping personally into a raging media debate. "Bastian is a young man who needs support during a tricky phase – and he'll get it from Bayern Munich football club. He'll be receiving personal help and support from me," Rummenigge told the tz newspaper.

Schweinsteiger was "a vital player“ at the club, the chairman insisted. "And if he's having a hard time of it, we need to make sure he gets back to having a good time of it. He'll be supported by me personally, and the entire club," Rummenigge continued. The Bayern chief hinted at a forthcoming offer to extend Schweinsteiger's contract, which expires in 2009. "We're interested in keeping him and we'll sit down and talk when the time's right. There's been no change of mind. We have complete confidence in Bastian.“

Pulsating UEFA Cup clash ends in stalemate

14.02.2008

The Bundesliga leaders dominated at Pittodrie but the Scottish Premier League outfit earned a share of the spoils in a stirring UEFA Cup Round of 32 first leg clash.

A 20,047 full house packed into the compact ground on the north-east Scottish coast saw the visitors loose off 16 shots to the injury-hit Dons’ three in the first period, but the energetic home side went in 2-1 to the good courtesy of strikes from 18-year-old Englishmen Josh Walker and Sone Aluko either side of Miroslav Klose’s fourth UEFA Cup goal of the campaign.

The Bavarians cut out the sloppy defending and mounted a more controlled offensive after the break, Hamit Altintop netting at the second attempt after home keeper Jamie Langfield initially saved the Turk’s 54th minute penalty, but the Scots resisted stoutly and hung on to deny Munich a winner despite the visitors’ overwhelming territorial dominance.

Bayern will nevertheless be considered favourites for a berth in the last sixteen as a goalless stalemate or a 1-1 draw will now be enough for the German giants when the sides meet again at the Allianz Arena in Munich next Thursday.

Marcell makes comeback

Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld made four changes to the team held 1-1 by Werder Bremen at the weekend. Three were enforced with Michael Rensing, Christian Lell and Andreas Ottl deputising for Oliver Kahn (illness), Willy Sagnol (fitness) and Mark van Bommel (calf), but Marcell Jansen’s first start after a three-month injury lay-off in place of Phillip Lahm came as something of a surprise.

Roared on by the boisterous home faithful, the side sent out by Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood made light of the loss of six regulars to injury and more than held their own in a furious opening spell, but after Lell warmed Langfield’s gloves from 30 yards and Altintop whistled a drive just over the bar, the visitors seized the initiative and began probing for gaps in the packed home defence.

Sides swap goals

But the stadium erupted on 24 minutes as Aberdeen’s two youthful Englishmen combined to hand the Scots a barely deserved lead. Aluko controlled on the edge of the box after a series of swift passes left the Bayern defence chasing shadows, Walker curling a fine effort past Rensing into the bottom left-hand corner from 20 yards.

Stung by the shock opener, the visitors pressed in search of an instant response. Klose spooned Altintop’s angled cut-back over the bar when it looked easier to score, but the Germany striker swiftly made amends for the miss with smart anticipation and a clean finish on 29 minutes, latching onto Toni’s knockdown from Lucio’s long punt to level the scores.

Dons back in front

Langfield saved bravely from Klose and Ze Roberto rifled a shot into the side-netting as Munich upped the tempo, but the 1,500 travelling Bayern fans were again stunned into silence four minutes from the break when Lee Miller’s flicked pass rent the defence asunder and Aluko beat Lell before coolly slotting home from 10 yards.

Aluko shaved the post from the next attack, but Klose headed goalwards and Ottl fired over as Bayern served notice of intent to recoup the deficit as soon as possible. Hitzfeld opted for a change at half-time too, sending on the more attacking Lahm for Lell at right-back.

Hamit earns draw

With the Dons penned back in their own half after the restart, the breakthrough for the Germans finally arrived after 54 minutes when Spanish match official Senor Iturralde Gonzalez pointed to the spot after Alan Maybury threw out a hand to Ze Roberto’s cross. Altintop stepped up to take the award, but the Turkey star’s shot was weak and Langfield made the save. The Bayern man kept his head and gleefully buried the rebound to tie up the scores.

Ottl hit the post with a header, albeit from an offside position, Altintop drove across the face of goal and sub Lukas Podolski drew an excellent save from Langfield as the visitors went in search of the winner, but the Dons defended resolutely and the only remaining clear-cut chance fell to the subdued Toni in the last minute of normal time when the home keeper made a first fumble of an otherwise impressive performance.

Advantage Bayern

Bayern will be disappointed at creating a wealth of chances but converting only two, although there was no denying the Scots' courage and resolve, and the scoring draw in any case hands the men from Munich a tangible advantage for the second leg in a week's time.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley


Aberdeen FC - Bayern Munich 2-2 (H-T: 2-1)
Aberdeen FC: Langfield - Maybury, Diamond, Considine, Mair - Nicholson, Walker (Touzani 87), Severin, Aluko - Miller, Mackie (Lovell 68)

Bayern Munich: Rensing - Lell (Lahm 46), Lucio, Demichelis, Jansen - Altintop, Ottl, Zé Roberto (Podolski 67), Schweinsteiger - Toni, Klose (Schlaudraff 80)

Substitutes: Kraft, Breno, Sosa, Schlaudraff, Kroos

Referee: Eduardo Iturralde González (Spain)

Spectators: 20,047 (capacity)

Goals: 1-0 Walker (24), 1-1 Klose (29), 2-1 Aluko (41), 2-2 Altintop (54)

Yellow Cards: Mair / Podolski

Hitzfeld: We’ll finish the job in the return

14.02.2008

Bayern were caught cold twice but fought back to equalise on both occasions as Thursday’s UEFA Cup Round of 32 first leg at Pittodrie ended with honours even. “In the European Cup, we used to think a 2-2 draw away from home was as good as a win,” smiled Ottmar Hitzfeld, confident his men are now well-positioned for next week’s return. “We’re at home now and it’s in our own hands,” Miroslav Klose summarised.

Reaction to Aberdeen v Bayern:

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “Naturally we came here to win. In the European Cup, we used to think a 2-2 draw away from home was as good as a win. Aberdeen went to the limit and beyond, we were only average, but we’ll finish the job in the return. We always knew they were a better side than a 5-1 home defeat to Celtic suggests. One of our failings is that we need too many chances to score goals, but we had plenty of shots and the lion’s share of possession, which is fundamentally not bad. The final ball went astray, and we may have shot too early and too often. These are areas where we can improve. Aberdeen have nothing to lose in the return. The players can show what they can do and put themselves forward for a deal with Celtic or Rangers. We knew they’d play the game of their lives, but I’m convinced the return will go decisively in our favour.“

Miroslav Klose: “There are no easy games in Europe. You have to go out there prepared for a fight. We’re upset about conceding two goals because we lost concentration, and we’re gutted. We studied Aberdeen very closely and knew how they’d come at us, but we still weren’t focused enough. But it was good to score two away goals. We’re at home now and it’s in our own hands.“

Zé Roberto: “It was tough out there today. It was very physical and the pitch was a catastrophe, but we’ve shown we’re capable of coming through a fight. We’re happy with the result. It’ll be very different in the return, we’ll play some football. We have a great chance of going through.“

Marcell Jansen: “We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but we’ve come from behind twice and scored two away goals, although we shouldn’t be conceding two goals either. We have to settle the tie at home.“

Brazilian Record Signing Can't Wait For Boro Debut

Boro broke their club transfer record when they signed the 27-year-old from Heerenveen for an estimated £12.5m, so they will be just as eager for the start of a new adventure, which will most likely commence against Fulham this weekend.

"I'm very excited to be here. Middlesbrough is a good team," beamed Alves after having receved his work permit on Tuesday.

"I have the option of training this week and hopefully I will be chosen to play on Saturday," he added.

"I haven't set myself a goal target, I just want to achieve something good for the whole team."

Alves, who has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract at the Riverside, has scored a remarkable 45 goals in 38 league games for Heerenveen since signing from Swedish side Malmo for £3 million in the summer of 2006.

Julio Cesar Tells Ronaldinho: Come To Inter

Ronaldinho is having a miserable season both on-and-off the pitch and seems highly likely to leave Barcelona at the end of the season.

If the Italian press can be believed, Inter and Milan are currently engulfed in a tug-of-war to sign the 27-year-old in the summer.

Julio Cesar is trying his best to persuade Ronaldinho to choose Inter, and promises him that it will put a smile back on his face.

"All those who said that he is finished do not understand anything football,” said the Inter goalkeeper in no uncertain terms.

“Someone like him can always make the difference and will do so again. My advice to him is this: come to Inter and you will be happy again.”

Premiership-outfit Chelsea are the only other club who are believed to be in with a chance of snapping up the playmaker.

Barcelona Seal Garay Deal

The Blaugrana struck an agreement this week after intense negotiations that have been going on behind the scenes for several weeks between the two sides.

Despite having a buy-out clause of €20m, Barça have agreed to pay one installment of €4.75m now, the same amount in the summer and a third lot in December.

Marca believe that the €14.25m deal was struck after Racing began to look around for potential buyers in the January transfer window for the highly-rated central defender.

Frank Rijkaard already has four central defenders at his disposal, but it is believed that one if not more could leave at the end of the current season with Lilian Thuram the first to go.

Garay has also attracted interest from the Premier League with Liverpool's and Tottenham's Spanish coaches said to be well aware of his talent.

The 21-year-old defender has impressed during his time with Racing after he moved to the club from Newell's in 2005 and last season won his first international call-up to the Argentina squad.

Drogba: I Will Join Barça Or Milan

he Ivorian striker has been linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge on a consistent basis ever since the departure of Jose Mourinho.

Drogba revealed in an interview with France Football last October that he would definitely be leaving the club, and that nothing could change his mind.
The two clubs most heavily associated with signing the 29-year-old have been Barcelona and Milan. The player has now admitted that he will be ending up at one of these two destinations at the end of the season.

"The next summer I will go away from London,” Drogba was quoted while on duty at the African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

“For my future there is Barcelona or Milan.”

One key factor in deciding which of these two giants Drogba opts for could be linked to former mentor Mourinho.

The Portuguese tactician has been linked with taking over at both clubs, as Frank Rijkaard and Carlo Ancelotti are both virtually certain to move on to pastures new in the summer.

Drogba has a very close bond with Mourinho, and has never hidden how grateful he is for making him the world-class player he is today.

Modric: Arsenal Wanted Me, But I Want Barça

Luka Modric admitted once more that he has his eye on a big summer switch to FC Barcelona.

He told UEFA.com, "My goal is to move to bigger club during the summer and into one of the world's best leagues.

"I am ready to play in any of the five best leagues, but I am most attracted to Spain, especially Barcelona. I am honored that they are interested in me."

Another club that was once hot on the trail of Modric is Arsenal, whom he might have joined up with in summer.

"Arsène Wenger tried to bring me in at the same time as Eduardo," revealed the 22-year-old.

"I was honoured that such a great manager wanted me; a manager famous for his work with young players, but I decided to wait."

Still, that summer move can't come soon enough for those who want to see the 'new Cruyff' at the Camp Nou or elsewhere, with the player himself having received a famous Cruyff-esque number 14 shirt from a group of visiting journalists from Catalunya.

"The journalist from El Mundo Deportivo cheered me up with this gift," he said.

"When I was in Barcelona with my girlfriend last summer I didn't buy a jersey so I was really pleased to get one now."

Right now, though, he's focusing on his country's imminent meeting with Holland.

"The match against the Netherlands will not be just an ordinary friendly," he warned.

"The Netherlands are among the best teams on the world. It will be a great test. They will show us where we stand right now.

"Some of the biggest names in world football have only the kindest words for the Croatia team. Given our form in qualifying, we don't need to be afraid of anyone."

Deco Says No To Possible Juve Move

The 30-year-old’s place at Camp Nou has comer under increased pressure this season since the arrival of Ivorian star Yaya Toure.

DiarioSport claimed on Monday that Juventus were interested in signing Deco in the summer, as they bid to solve their dreadful lack of creativity in the middle-of-the-park.

"I am honest and I do not like to delude myself. I have a contract with Barcelona that expires in 2010,” said the playmaker.

"I am well where I am. And as far as I know, there has been no contact with the club from anyone.”

Some sections of the press have linked Deco with a transfer to Juventus as part of a swap deal involving Tiago Mendes.

Tiago has been a huge flop in Turin since signing from Lyon last summer, but he is said to be well liked by the transfer directors at Barcelona.

"I want to honour my contract,” stated Deco.

“Neither me nor my agent have been made aware of any negotiations about a possible sale.

“The exchange with Tiago? No. I am at Barcelona. I insist I am at Barcelona.”

Deco will be in action tonight for Portugal in an international friendly against Italy at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich.

Squad problems for Katanec

After making the mistake with calling only 18 players for a friendly match, Srecko Katanec and the Macedonian national team are now facing squad problems with only 16 players available for the match against Serbia.
The new player in the Macedonian national team, Ivan Trickovski from FK Crvena Zvezda, will probably miss the match because of an injury. Ilco Naumoski was the first player who was removed from the squad because of an injury and after Katanec recalled the midfielder Jancevski, Macedonia is left with only 3 striker. Goran Pandev, Aco Stojkov and Goran Maznov are the available strikers and Pandev is not expected to play the whole 90 minutes because of tiredness.
The last bad news came from Germany, where Igor Mitreski's BMW jeep was stolen together with his documents and he is not able to come to Macedonia. So now Macedonia is left with only 16 players available for the friendly match against Serbia on Wednesday.

 

Pagliuca Puts Juve On Alert: I Am Ready To Return

The 41-year-old has been without a club since leaving Ascoli at the end of last season.

As he is unattached he is eligible to sign for a club outside of the transfer window. Juventus have been linked in the press with making a move, as doubts remain over the fitness of Gianluigi Buffon, who has chronic back problems.

"I am in training, and I will continue to play only if I will have an interesting proposal this year. I do not think my age is a problem. Ballotta is almost 44-years-old,” said Pagliuca.

The shot-stopper gave his take on why he has been without a club since exiting Ascoli.

"I had big problems last year, I had a coach who portrayed me in a bad light with many sports directors,” he complained.

“The truth is this: I have played for 19 consecutive years, barely missing a single game. If a person wants to harm you, it can happen on your own street, but I just hope that in a few weeks a decent team needs a goalkeeper. I am ready.”

Pagliuca was one of the best goalkeepers in the world during his heyday, and he won a Scudetto with Sampdoria in 1991, as well as shining at Inter and Bologna.

He won 39 caps for Italy, travelled to three World Cups, and was his country’s number one at USA 94’ and France 98’.

At the latter he made arguably the save of the tournament, with a stunning stop to deny Norway’s Tore Andre Flo in the 1-0 second round victory over Norway

Martin Vasquez named Klinsmann’s number two

Jürgen Klinsmann, named Bayern head coach from 1 July 2008, has made an important first appointment to his future coaching team: Martin Vasquez will join the former Germany boss in Munich as assistant coach, taking up his new job on the day Klinsmann arrives.

The 44-year-old Vasquez, born in the Mexican town of Jalisco on 24 December 1963, played professionally in Mexico (Guadalajara, FC Puebla, CD Veracruz, CF Atlas) and the USA (Tampa Bay Mutiny, San Jose Clash), earning international caps for both countries. He holds an American coaching licence and has worked for clubs in both Mexico and the USA up to now.

Driving force

“I met Martin in 2003 when he was coaching an elite football camp in the USA,“ Klinsmann commented, “I was impressed by his positive leadership style and recommended him to Los Angeles Galaxy. He could have accepted a head coaching position in the MLS, but I’m delighted he’s chosen instead to join me as my assistant at Bayern.“

Klinsmann described Vasquez as a “constant driving force, with great passion and commitment to his players.” Vasquez, who moved to Los Angeles when he was 12, has most recently held the assistant coach position at MLS club Chivas USA. “Martin speaks perfect English and Spanish, and has already started a German language course,“ Klinsmann advised.

League leaders pushed but resume with win

Hansa Rostock 1 Bayern 2


Bayern looked to be cruising in Friday’s Bundesliga restart fixture, but strugglers Hansa made a real fight of it in the proverbial game of two halves.

Franck Ribery silenced the majority of the 29,000 capacity crowd at the DKB Arena on the blustery Baltic coast with the opening goal after just 11 minutes, ushering in an uninterrupted spell of Bayern dominance crowned by Luca Toni’s tenth of the season two minutes from the interval.

Rostock captain Enrico Kern pulled one back seven minutes after half-time as the sides swapped roles in a frantic second period, but the leaders held on for the three points and have laid down the gauntlet to rivals Bremen and the pursuing pack.

Demichelis recalled

Ottmar Hitzfeld made a single change to the side which beat Wuppertal 5-2 in the Cup last Tuesday, restoring Argentine enforcer Martin Demichelis at centre-half alongside Lucio in place of midweek goalscorer Daniel van Buyten.

That meant a first Bundesliga start in ten months for France star Willy Sagnol, and another outing in wide midfield ahead of the right-back for Jose Ernesto Sosa, with Hamit Altintop consigned to the bench and Bastian Schweinsteiger serving a one-match ban.

Elsewhere, Ribery and Philipp Lahm lined up on the left with Ze Roberto and Mark van Bommel in the centre, behind the usual front two of Toni and Miroslav Klose.

One-sided first half

Struggling Hansa made a bright enough start, but Toni and Ze had already loosed off warning shots at keeper Stefan Wächter’s goal before Ze exchanged passes with Klose on the left edge of the box and hared to the byline, delivering an inviting centre for the unmarked Ribery to side-foot home.

With Hansa on the ropes, Klose squandered two glorious chances to double the advantage, electing to pass when slipping the ball past Wächter looked the obvious solution, before failing to beat the keeper with an angled drive.

The visitors operated a containment policy for a long spell after that, before Toni’s drive from outside the box brought a decent stop from Wächter on the half-hour.

Luca’s tenth of term

Rostock finally directed an effort at the target on 33 minutes, although Oliver Kahn had little difficulty plucking Christian Rahn’s looping header from under the bar, and Bayern now picked up the tempo again as Lucio blasted goalwards and Ribery’s shot from Van Bommel’s pass was somehow scrambled clear.

But the Reds were not to be denied for long, and Toni thumped home with his left foot to make it 2-0 on 43 minutes after Demichelis’ run from Van Bommel’s free-kick drew the Italian’s marker, Brazilian centre-back Orestes.

Hansa fightback

Ribery came close in the last move of the first period, but the France superstar failed to appear for the second half with a tweaked hamstring and was replaced by Altintop, with Sosa switching to the left.

The line-up change seemed to throw Bayern out of their stride, and in any case Hansa were a team transformed after the interval, driven on by Rahn’s promptings and the physical presence of towering striker Viktor Agali.

The Reds suddenly looked vulnerable, and Hansa skipper Enrico Kern duly pulled one back on 52 minutes. Kahn initially beat out the striker’s thumping drive, but Rahn returned the loose ball against the bar and Kern stroked into the empty net.

Frantic finish

Young midfielder Fin Bartels was only denied on the hour by Ze’s desperate intervention and Marc Stein’s long throw into the box almost left Gledson with a sight of goal, prompting a concerned Hitzfeld to withdraw Klose for holding midfielder Andi Ottl a quarter of an hour from the end.

The switch allowed the league leaders to draw Hansa’s sting, Toni scooping over the bar with only Wächter to beat and directing a header narrowly wide as the Reds restored parity towards the end.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley


Hansa Rostock - Bayern Munich 1-2 (H-T: 0-2)
Hansa Rostock: Wächter - Langen, Orsetes, Gledson, Stein - Rathgeb - Bartels, Yelen (Dorn 83), Rahn (Cetkovic 83) - Kern, Agali (Hähnge 88)
Bayern Munich: Kahn - Sagnol, Lucio, Demichelis, Lahm – Sosa, van Bommel, Zé Roberto, Ribery (Altintop 46) – Klose (Ottl 77), Toni
Substitutes: Dreher, Van Buyten, Lell, Kroos, Schlaudraff
Referee: Florian Meyer (Burgdorf)
Spectators: 29,000 (capacity)
Goals: 0-1 Ribery (11), 0-2 Toni (43), 1-2 Kern (52)
Yellow Cards: Agali, Stein, Rahn / Van Bommel, Sagnol

Hitzfeld: I’m delighted with the three points

Hansa Rostock pushed Bayern all the way in Friday evening’s Bundesliga restart fixture, but Ottmar Hitzfeld declared himself “very pleased” after his men came away with a 2-1 victory. “We’ve taken the three points, which is what we came here for,“ the head coach remarked, although he was not entirely satisfied with his team. “We showed two sides to our character. I’m happy with our fighting spirit but not with the football we played.“ Influential midfielder Mark van Bommel agreed: “We were totally in control before half-time, but we only muddled through the second half.“

Reaction to Hansa Rostock v Bayern:

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “I’m very pleased. We’ve taken the three points, which is what we came here for. It would have been a lot easier for us if we hadn’t conceded the early goal after half-time. That made us a little nervous. Rostock were suddenly transformed, but we stopped playing football and just started hitting long balls. I’m happy with our fighting spirit but not with the football we played. We showed two sides to our character today: we played very well in the first half and should have been further ahead, but we lost our way after they pulled one back and our opponents grew in stature, although we prevented them creating anything clear-cut.“

Mark van Bommel: “We could have made life a lot easier for ourselves. Rostock’s goal gave them a real boost. We were totally in control before half-time, but we only muddled through the second half.“

Willy Sagnol: “Playing good football was difficult on that pitch. But we’ve come away with the three points and that’s what counts. We should really have been three or four up at half-time.“

Frank Pagelsdorf (Rostock coach): “We were lucky not to be three or four down at half-time, but I have to give my team great credit for coming back from two down and playing some good football in the second half, which isn’t necessarily easy on this pitch. It’s a shame we weren’t rewarded for our second half display.“

Enrico Kern (Rostock): “After the way we came back at them in the second half and made a fight of it, you can’t say we’ve started badly. The second half has given us plenty to build on. Bayern cleverly protected their lead and they’ve gone home with the points.“

Christian Rahn (Rostock): “At half-time, we said to ourselves we needed to go back out and give it everything in front of a capacity crowd. We pulled one back but it wasn’t to be. We need to build on the positives from the game. This is a tremendous group of players, and we’ll definitely stay up.“

Hoeneß still considering future role for Kahn

Иако е легенда овој човек,јас мислам дека му е време да се пензионира и да му го 
препушти местото на некој помлад голман,како што во случајов е младата Германска надеж
Михаел Ренсинг,иначе еве некоја новост и за Оливер Кан.

02.02.2008
Oliver Kahn hardly gives the impression of a man approaching the end of a 20-year professional career in the game, throwing himself into every training session with the energy of a far younger man and demanding as much commitment from himself and his team-mates as ever. Kahn has appeared appropriately determined in Bayern's two post-winter break matches so far.

The 38-year-old has lost none of his onfield vigour either, as demonstrated by Tuesday's Cup encounter with Wuppertal at the Schalke Arena. After the third division side fired a shock equaliser to make the score 2-2, the keeper angrily blasted a ball into the stands, and booted its replacement wildly upfield. Kahn naturally received a yellow card for his characteristic outburst.

Hitzfeld a believer

There was a similar scene in Rostock on Friday, as Enrico Kern initially saw his shot brilliantly blocked by Kahn, but netted at the second attempt. The keeper gesticulated furiously and launched a verbal volley at his statuesque defenders. "I was angry about conceding, especially as I'd just made a great save," the three-time World Goalkeeper of the Year explained: "Winning the first match was important.“

Kahn is determined to end his Bayern career with silverware. "I'll try and give it everything I have for a couple more months," the 38-year-old declared at the winter training camp in Marbella. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is expecting great things of his captain in the remainder of the season. "I've rarely taken charge of a player like Olli Kahn. He never, ever goes easy on himself.“

Break from the game

"My body feels like it could go on for another four or five years," Kahn commented on Friday, "but let's not go there.“ The former Germany star will definitely hang up his gloves this summer, although he has no fixed plans for the future. "There are many options, but I don't think it would be right to commit myself yet.“

However, Kahn is determined to take a break from the game. "I need to work through a few things, take a new perspective, get out into the world. Keeping goal for 20 years has been hard work, and I need to answer one question in peace: do I need something as stressful as that again?“

Hoeneß sees FCB role for Kahn

Should Kahn opt for a return to the game in some capacity, he would be welcome to call on Uli Hoeneß. "I think we'd be well advised to consider bringing Oliver back to the club in some capacity," the FCB general manager commented in Rostock on Friday. Not so long ago, Hoeneß publicly contemplated training Kahn to be his successor. "Intelligent and clever chaps like him don't grow on trees," explained Hoeneß.