What a difference an N makes
By: Luke |
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I’ve taken a little break for the international week, but events certainly have not, and with the possibility of a full scale revolt on our hands after this weekend, the first thing I want to do here is a little news roundup.
File under: Malcontents
Uli Hoeness’ unsurprising response to Phillipp Lahm
Luca Toni’s “sort of” apology
Martin Demichelis tries to sound like a leader, fails then decides to tell us where he’d rather be
File under: Double up on Dutch
Beckenbauer and Hoeness begin preparing the hard landing for Louis van Gaal. Bonus: Doctor’s comment on Franck Ribery’s teeth.
From “who are you going to get?” to “I’m about to get fired”
Beckenbauer and Hoeness actually admit an error! (Warning-translation is pretty bad, best to read auf Deutsch if able)
File under: Somebody loves me
Expect to see more Holger Badstuber at left back.
Meanwhile, Badstuber returns the love to his coach.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1. Bundesliga, Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Bayer Leverkusen, David Alaba, Edson Braafheid, Eren Derdiyok, FC Bayern Munich, Franck Ribéry, Franz Beckenbauer, Hamit Altintop, Injuries, Ivica Olic, Joerg Butt, Jupp Heynkces, Louis van Gaal, Luca Toni, Mario Gomez, mark van bommel, Martin Demichelis, miroslav klose, Patrick Helmes, Philipp Lahm, Previews, Sami Hyypia, Simon Rolfes, Stefan Reinartz, Team News, Toni Kroos, Uli HoenessIn Memoriam: Robert Enke
By: Luke | 6 Comments
From the club’s website:
FC Bayern Munich has reacted with distress and shock to the news of the death of Germany international goalkeeper Robert Enke (32) on the evening of Tuesday 10 November 2009.
We, the board of directors, officials, players and members of the club greatly mourn the loss of Robert Enke. Our deepest condolences at this time go to his wife, his daughter and his family.
See also: This remembrance from former Bayern defender Patrick Andersson, a teammate of Enke’s at Mönchengladbach and Barcelona.
Hooray for FC Hollywood
By: Luke | 5 Comments
First of all, apologies to all of you for a slow response to this most interesting of weekends. Although I don’t blame the match, I’ve been pretty sick for three days, but trying to make a comeback today.
Clearly, I don’t want to write a match review. I’d simply make two points about the match itself. It was a relative slight improvement at least over the Bordeaux match, and also you could pretty much see the Hoffenheim or Bremen match as pretty reasonable facsimiles of the performance. Read the rest of this entry »
FC Bayern vs Schalke 04: The Search For a Non-Stereotypical Storyline
By: Luke | 14 Comments
This is a terrific match for a lazy writer. So many storylines fall right into your lap. For this occasion, I could: a) Talk about how how Felix Magath’s dismissal from Bayern looks like a terrible mistake in retrospect and b) make a very negative indictment of Louis van Gaal by some statistical comparison. Or c) How and why (or why not) Neuer and Rafinha will be taking up residence in Munich sooner rather than later and lead into a broader critique of transfer policy or d) how last year’s match at home against Schalke ended the Klinsmann era, and how a loss Saturday could signal the end of the Van Gaal era. I could even just take path e) continuing to complain about Tuesday’s match without really elaborating much about this match. But in the end, we’re going to try to touch on a few different points than all those.
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Tuesday: Abomination
By: Luke | 5 Comments
I don’t think the match requires a whole lot of analysis. Those of you who’d like to engage in that sort of thing are welcome to do some in the comments, but I’m going to refrain from it here. I’ve been more hesitant than most to indict this squad for its uninspired play, and this coach for his arrogant and single-minded decision making. But this performance opens the door for criticism from top to bottom. I still believe that the players are more of the problem than the coach. But this was a match where, by late in the 2nd half, I was running through the short list of old Bayern players who could take to the bench in January if necessary. It’s not an inspiring thought.
This is no time for reasoned analysis. So please dear readers, feel free to add your verbal vomit, expletives and other negative feedback, and I’ll try to restore order to the blog in a few days. After all, we still have a couple trophies to try to win.
Bayern vs Bordeaux-A very quick preview
By: Luke | 2 Comments
Sorry to say, that I simply don’t have the time to properly preview this critical Champions League match. We’ll have to dispense with the liveblog for this one as well, although I will be watching. We’ll hope to have a recap posting up not long after the match.
With both Müller and Van Buyten suspended, Braafheid an injury doubt and Robben apparently not in the starting 11 plans, the group that takes the field is quite a question mark. Clearly, Martin Demichelis will step in for Van Buyten, and my best guess would be to see Altintop in the midfield. If Braafheid can’t go, it seems that Pranjic is probably the only option they have. I’d prefer to see Toni get the start with Gomez on the bench, just because I have a little more confidence in Gomez’s ability to create in the pinch. But, it’s hard to have a whole lot of confidence in anyone’s ability without Müller on the pitch as the spark.
Another day, another roster cut
This time, it’s Andreas Görlitz, as it was announced he will be allowed to leave the club in the winter break. It was 5 years ago today that Görlitz suffered the knee injury from which he seems to have never fully recovered. It’s very easy to forget this was a guy who was actually capped twice for Germany in 2004. Bayern gave him every opportunity to try to fulfill the promise he once had as a young player, but it was a bit surprising that he was brought back from Karlsruhe after a 2 season loan spell. He started regularly there, and maybe that’s the ticket for Görlitz going forward. Perhaps it’s better not to reflect on the player he might have been, but know that he will still have many years ahead playing in a different situation
VfB Stuttgart vs FC Bayern Munich: Liveblog
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Category: Team NewsThe Trial of Markus Babbel
By: Luke | 1 Comment
Once again, Bayern Munich goes into an away match against a familiar opponent that has its back against the wall. That would be VfB Stuttgart of course, and it makes for a little more of a dramatic storyline that Stuttgart’s coach is long time Bayern defender Markus Babbel. You can follow the action with our liveblog at 10:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday. I want to say a thank you to everyone who checked in on our mid-week Pokal match liveblog. The readership was tremendous, we had about double the audience we’ve had for most of the league matches, and I’m really glad that we are bringing the excitement of Bayern Munich to more of you and a sense of community as well. Read the rest of this entry »
Adios, Jose Ernesto Sosa
By: Luke | 6 Comments
The club has confirmed that Jose Ernesto Sosa has been loaned to his old Argentine club Estudiantes de la Plata for the remainder of the season. So begins the pruning of the Bayern roster that Uli Hoeness promised just a couple days ago. With Sosa’s contract in Munich set to expire in 2011, the loan in this case is clearly a permanent move, with the details to be handled later.
For his part, Sosa greeted the news humbly. “I cannot complain. My fellow players have always treated me fairly. I just did not use my chances,” he told the club website.
Sosa came to Munich in 2007 for a fee of 6 mil. Euros. He managed just 2 goals and 1 assist in 35 Bundesliga matches over the last 2 1/4 seasons, and undoubtedly the critics will point to him as just another example of Bayern’s poor personnel decisions over the last few years.
But his place in Bayern lore will always be secure, because of one magical moment in Madrid. It was Sosa who delivered the cross to Luca Toni, who headed in Bayern’s third goal in the dying seconds of extra time to earn a 3-3 draw and passage through on the away goals rule, completing the most improbable and emotional of comebacks against Getafe in the UEFA Cup in 2008. Long live the one shining moment of Jose Ernesto Sosa.
On the couch in Frankfurt
By: Luke | 3 Comments
![freud[1]](http://bayern.theoffside.com/files/2009/10/freud1-211x300.jpg)
Bayern fans have done their fair share of head-scratching lately. We assemble a squad of forwards that is the envy of everyone, and yet we can’t score goals. We very slowly nurse players back from injury with the goal of having them ready to contribute right away following thorough rehabs, and yet they remain invisible. Inevitably, the explanations for these shortcomings turn to some mental aspect of the game, or some intangible quality like leadership.
While a 4-0 victory in a DFB-Pokal match against perennial also-ran Eintracht Frankfurt may not be an announcement that Bayern is ready to take on the world, it sure seemed like the team got rid of a lot of psychological baggage. Let’s review the charts.
Patient: M. Klose
History: Player has possible psychological aversion to scoring goals for club. Player known to display excessive unselfishness near opponent’s goal, often compounding goal scoring issue.
Result of Frankfurt therapy: Player scored 2 goals, moved into 2nd place among active players in career DFB-Pokal goals. (Who’s first? See below) Unselfishness rewarded by providing impetus for subject T. Müller’s goal when selfish play would likely not have resulted in a 3rd goal.
Prognosis: Player has left behind his goal-scoring aversion. Will now attend physical therapy to regain signature goal-scoring acrobatics.
Patient: M. van Bommel
History: Aggressive tendencies, leadership through rhetoric more than positive actions
Result of Frankfurt therapy: Player made first significant offensive contribution in quite some time with a lovely floating ball to teammate M. Klose that led to first goal.
Prognosis: Pleasant surprise offensive contributions to continue, though patient could also bite opponent’s ear off without warning. Supervision recommended.
Patient: L. Toni
History: Patient has history of hysterics and play-acting. Unable to score goals. May require leg braces (frequent falls) or vision correction as kicked balls often bounce off posts. May also have inner ear disorder, but claims symptoms are merely “how he celebrates”.
Result of Frankfurt therapy: To staff’s surprise, patient required little therapy and used his own head to solve his goal-scoring problem.
Prognosis: Patient will need frequent reinforcement from peers in order to maintain goal scoring levels. Could benefit from extended visit to warmer climate.
And there you have it, a somewhat clean bill of psychological health. I’m just glad we didn’t have to include Gomez, Rensing or Louis van Gaal in the analysis. We’ll discover who our quarterfinal opponent will be on Sunday
DFB-Pokal Goal scorers
I indicated above that Miro Klose moved into 2nd among active DFB Pokal goal scorers. Klose now has 17, and the active leader is Claudio Pizarro with 21. I was not surprised to see that Gerd Müller was all time leader with 78 (in 62 matches). What I was surprised to see was that 2nd all time is Cologne’s Hennes Löhr with a mere 39 (in 64 matches)! Yet another of Der Bomber’s unbelievable records.
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