A new coach, a new philosophy, and a lot of new players are just a few of the changes which have taken place at the Allianz Arena.
Second place is just not good enough for FC Bayern, while quarterfinal exits in two knock-out competitions are just unacceptable.
Bayern's defense last season was filled with holes and they were lackluster upfront, due to injuries. Mark Van Bommel also needed to be reminded of the fact that tackling does not necessarily mean kicking your opponent.
Hence, lets take a look at the new signings:
1. Mario Gomez
Thirty million euros is not a small amount of money. This was the amount Bayern paid for the former VfB Stuttgart striker. The 24-year-old becomes the biggest ever transfer in Bundesliga history. He won the Bundesliga with Stuttgart under Armin Veh in 2007.
He was also a part of the Euro 2008 squad of Germany (a tournament he would like to forget). Mario Gomez Garcia is actually half Spanish, but opted to play for Germany.
Career Stats:
German Player of the Year: 2007
2003-05—VfB Stuttgart II: 24 goals in 43 appearances
2005-2009—VfB Stuttgart: 63 goals in 121 appearances
2007-onwards—Germany: 10 goals in 25 appearances
2. Anatoliy Oleksandrovych Tymoshcuk
Bayern was unceremoniously dumped out of the UEFA Cup in 2008 by Zenit St Petersburg. The man who captained that side was Tymoschuk. The best thing is the 30-year-old might be able to replace Van Bommel in the team.
The Ukrainian defensive midfielder played for Shaktar prior to joining Zenit. Apparently his favourite player is Lothar Matthaus
Ukrainian Footballer of the Year: 2002, 2006, 2008
Ukrainian Bravery Order III Degree: 2006
Eurosport best player of the year in Russia: 2007
1997-2007—Shaktar Donetsk: 32 goals in 227 appearances
2007-09—Zenit St Petersburg: 10 goals in 67 appearances
2000-onwards—Ukraine: one goal in 83 appearances
3. Daniel Pranjic
The Croatian man moved to Bayern after quite a tussle over the transfer fee with former club Heerenveen. He plays on the left side of midfield. The 27-year-old has already played for six different clubs.
Career Stats:
2004-05 Dinamo Zagreb: two goals in 29 appearances
2005-09 SC Heerenveen: 32 goals in 128 appearances
2004-onwards—Croatia: 20 appearances
4. Edhson Braafheid
The left-back is a much needed addition to Bayern's leaky defense. The 26-year-old Dutchman moved in from FC Twente. He was part of the Dutch squad, which won the U-21 European Championship in 2006 in Portugal.
Career Stats:
2003-2007—FC Utrecht: two goals in 80 appearances
2007-09—FC Twente: one goal in 76 appearances
5. Ivica Olic
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