Comments on: DFB Pokal: Bayern Munich 4 – 3 RW Erfurt

By: John

John — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:07:59 +0000

my talking about Lucio not have a very bad game was a response to you saying “I never expected such a poor outing from him” as your statement implied that Lucio had a very bad game.

By: Angela

Angela — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:39:24 +0000

John: If you would’ve read my entire comment, you would’ve seen that my reference to having a very bad game was in reference to van Buyten.

By: John

John — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:51:10 +0000

Lucio did not have a very bad game he usually is more aggressive in anticipating and preemptively dealing with the opposition attacks, that game he sat back and dealt with what came to him which is not great but it didn’t make him a liability. Lucio has been the the cornerstone of Bayern’s defense since he signed from Leverkusen and unlike Podolski Lucio has done better than was expected of him, he has tied down some of Europe’s best strikers including Ibrahimovich, Henry, van Nistelrooy even Klose while he was at Bremen, thats why once Lucio has been fit and the game matters he starts and its why he was in the running be be captain and has been made a vice captain. Podolski has been publicly criticized by everybody from Hitzfeld to Hoeneß because of his lack of effort and bad attitude, that has certainly not been the case for Lucio whose defensive performances have been praised especially last season when he and Demichelis set a new record low for goals conceded.

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:55:00 +0000

Elizabeth: Just for clarities sake, while I’m a fan of a lot of the players, the team always comes first. I am perfectly capable of admitting that van Buyten had a bad game. I said so. He definitely had a bad day, but one bad game doesn’t overshadow the entire pre-season. The games up until Erfurt he was defensively brilliant. His talent shined quite a bit and I think our defensive line will benefit from having him. Erfurt just took advantage of the miscommunication between him and Lucio and Lucio’s lack of presence. I have seen Lucio perform much, much better and while it’s no secret that I dislike him, I never expected such a poor outing from him. Demichelis is a much needed link the defense. Lucio, like Podolski, tend to get bugs up their rears and decide that they will play great one game, dismal the next and not even bother to show up at all for the following. It’s rather annoying and they, Podolski especially, need to be working all games like they’re capable of.

Kroos is exceptional. He is one of the few that continues to turn in great match performances and keeps consistent. They should all take a few notes from him on how you’re suppose to be playing the game.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:44:06 +0000

Ugh. What a match. Ugh.

When it comes to the defensive line, all I can say for certain is that Demichelis is sorely missed. I agree that Lucio could, and probably should have done more – but I also have to concede that Van Buyten just had an off night. He has great skills, but Erfurt found his weakness (speed & agility) and made the most of them.

Van Buyten can play better, and I’m a fan of his. But I’m also a fan of FC Bayern – and if he doesn’t pick it up a bit, he’s going to be a liability for us.

That said – Kroos continues to shine. I miss Ribéry, as does the entire squad; am very curious to see, once he’s back, who else will start – Altintop is right on top of his game, Kroos has shown he’s fantastic. And Schweinsteiger isn’t bad, either…

Come on boys, I’m counting on you Friday!

By: Lynn

Lynn — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:13:30 +0000

It’s looking more and more like it’s a mindset problem, really. This kinda reminds me of the German NT too, which can be really great at times, but at certain matches, they just have the wrong mindset and disappoint fans and neutrals alike. We all know this team can be really great if they want to, but it’s as if they are all reluctant to play.

By: John

John — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:20:56 +0000

those areticles which claim Klinsman asked van Buyten to stay are based on an article where Gordon Strachan from Celtic said “Jurgen Klinsmann has come to Munich and doesn’t think Daniel should leave.” and are basically journalists interpretations of that statement. As i said before Klinsman basically gave all the players the same message “I will evaluate you myself so don’t make any decisions based on Hitzfeld’s selections” of course even that was based on Uli Hoeneß’s belief that if the club had a mass exodus then it would cost more to bring in players of equal or better capability. Making sure nobody left was Bayern’s big priority this summer based on purely economic reasoning.

By: Angela

Angela — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:43:57 +0000

John: There were several articles about Klinsmann asking van Buyten to stay. van Buyten himself has even said that he talked to them about leaving and he was asked to stay on and so he did.

Harry: Gol didn’t air this match. I don’t know if they have plans to air it at a later date as they often do that with some of the early games. I watched on a German channel yesterday that was streaming it.

Lynn: I agree with you completely. It’s bothersome when they play a really great game, lots of attacking and lots of forward movement but then they have a game like this where they look like they’re just learning to play together. It’s frustrating.

By: Harry

Harry — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:33:01 +0000

Is it possible to watch the match somehow? Will GolTV air it again, or is there any free stream on the net?

By: John

John — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:32:46 +0000

Klinsmann never specifically asked van Buyten to stay, Bayern simply could not get a better defender for what they could sell Van Buyten for (they inquired to Chelsea about Boulahrouz), Klinsmann simply told van Buyten as he told all of Bayern’s player’s that he would evaluate them for himself and not rely on Hitzfeld’s previous team selections, when Magath was released the Lucio-van Buyten partnership conceded way too many goals, last season van Buyten lost his starting place and Bayern had the best defense in Germany. At Hamburg Boulahrouz covered for him because Boulahrouz style of play is active and aggressive. But at Bayern he has no natural partners.