Bleacher Report - Articles by Samrin Hasib

Is This Finally Bayer(N)'s Year?

Samrin Hasib — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:15:36 -0500

Bayer smashed four past a hapless Stuttgart while Bayern put three past a struggling, yet brave Hanover.

Ladies and gentlemen of Leverkusen, Bayern are back!

Ivica Olic made sure that Bayern made it past Maccabi Haifa and he also played a huge part in the game against Hanover. His pass for Thomas Muller's opener oozed class. Hanover could have perhaps defended better though. Muller's touch to put it past keeper Florian Fromlowitz was nothing short of brilliant either. Olic added a second when he connected with a Daniel Pranjic cross. Andreas Ottl played a wonderful pass to Mario Gomez who finished beautifully to kill the game off.

Thomas Muller is turning out to be the kind of player who can change a game in a second. Mario Gomez and Ivica Olic are turning out to be the best strikers for FCB, especially Olic. And, Luca Toni might be sent packing in Winter. Things are looking rosy for Bayern.

Bayern didn't dismiss their opponents by any means though. The Hanover manager said that the scoreline was slightly flattering and he was probably correct. Keeper Hans Joerg Butt had to deny Hanover twice due to Bayern's woeful defending. Also, if Hanover had scored, Daniel Van Buyten would be credited with an assist.

The defense may not be looking good. However, it is conceding far less goals. A cross from Daniel Pranjic during the match impressed everyone and maybe, he can stick around in midfield. Andreas Ottl was given a runout and I don't know whether every Bayern supporter is on the same page as I am about this: Ottl on his day is a wonderful defensive midfielder and Bayern could use him. Giving him away could turn out to be as costly as giving away Zvejdan Misimovic turned out to be.

Bayer who won 4-0 will definitely be aware of the fact that Bayern have climbed upto fourth.

This takes us back to the 200, when Bayer lost out the championship on the last day to Bayern, when they finished second due to a loss on the final matchday. Michael Ballack, ironically scored an own goal for Bayer that night while Bayern beat bremen 3-1.

Finally, Uli Hoeness, who took over from "Kaiser" Franz Beckenbauer during the weekend as club President , started off his new career with a win. Most importantly, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Captain Mark also contributed to the win.

The game was won without Robben and Ribery. Leverkusen, watch out!

Bayern Rumours: Franck Ribery to Chelsea, Philipp Lahm to Juventus?

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:45:59 -0500

Recently, strange injuries have kept both Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben out of Bayern's match day squads. Robben expressed his desire to play alongside Ribery when he arrived at FCB.

Has Ribery truly turned into an injury-prone player since the "disaster" of Euro 2008 or is it that he wants to get out of Bayern as soon as possible?

To me it seems to be the latter, as Franz Beckenbauer recently said that pretty soon he will have to play as everybody wants to leave the club. He specifically mentioned Toni and Ribery.

According to Uli Hoeness, Bayern received the best offer for Ribery from Chelsea. Chelsea offered £65 million and Jose Bosingwa to Bayern. However, Hoeness mentioned that Ribery never demanded a transfer.

Since the statement came from Uli Hoeness, to find the true meaning, everyone has to read between the lines. I am not quite sure myself what Hoeness was trying to do when he issued this statement.

Sometimes, due to all the hype surrounding Ribery, the Bavarian lad, Philipp Lahm is overlooked. During the 2008-09 season, many media reports suggested that Barcelona wanted him to play for them. This season, a few reports have suggested that Juventus want him.

Juve are apparently facing problems in their fullback berths and would like to buy Lahm. Also, what actually makes me think that the move could suffice was Lahm's recent interview with a German newspaper. The internal problems of FCB came out from the vice captain's lips, and he was duly fined.

I might be incorrect as his words might have been for the good of his childhood club. The Bavarian lad has seen a lot of turmoil at the club and is probably prepared to give up. He knows he is immensely talented and almost every club in this world would want to have him.

Yet, I doubt whether Lahm would move if an offer came in. After all, all he has known since his childhood is Bayern, aside from one year he spent at Stuttgart on loan.

Finally, let me end with a word on Ribery. The Bayern board wouldn't allow Franck to leave without a tussle. This is what Uli Hoeness, who will take over as President of the club within a few days, also had to say:

"If FC Bayern says no, then Franck stays."

Bayern Grasp Lifeline in Champions League Amidst Internal Problems

Samrin Hasib — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:26:07 -0500

On Tuesday night, the world witnessed a scene few would have predicted before the European season kicked off: Liverpool had been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages.

That's what happens when a team depends on another team for a result.

The big question on Wednesday night: Will FC Bayern Munchen follow suit?

Luca Toni was suspended for the match apparently for his comments midweek about the breakdown of his relationship with Louis Van Gaal. According to the Bayern website, he is carrying a minor injury.

Lady luck once again failed to smile at Bayern on the days building up to the match as Hamit Altintop got injured in a warmup on Sunday. A list of the substitutes will tell you the actual story behind Van Gaal's "starting" XI:

Thomas Kraft, Breno, Christian Lell, Andreas Ottl, Alex Baumjohann, Anatoliy Tymoschuk, and Edson Braafheid.

Miroslav Klose was out with an elbow problem and thus Ivica Olic, who just recovered from an injury, partnered Mario Gomez upfront. The entire team otherwise remained the same with one other exception; Daniel Pranjic joined Mark Van Bommel in midfield.

The FCB faithful received the news of Bordeaux's first goal against Juve. The celebrations had already begun. However, within a few minutes their own players managed to score—this time the scorer was not Daniel van Buyten, but rather an actual striker.

A Mario Gomez shot, palmed away by Haifa's keeper, was sent flying in by Ivica Olic. Who would have thought that Olic would be the man to rescue FCB?

Juventus conceded another goal to Bordeaux in the dying seconds of their clash. Thus, Bayern knew that a 1-0 win in Turin two weeks later would send them through to the round of 16. This is probably the morale-boosting win that Bayern needed to kickstart their season.

Now, the big question: Can Bayern beat Juventus come Match Day Six?

Bayern, to me, deserved the lifeline after all the internal turmoil in the club. It seems the players are falling one by one to injuries.

Yet, the Bayern supporters must be happy at the moment with the return of Ivica Olic, the unexpected, and the rather unsung hero.

Martin Demichelis: It's Crunch Time For Bayern

Samrin Hasib — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:08:35 -0500

Another draw, another point- another day crossed off Louis Van Gaal's tenure as Bayern coach.

Nobody related to FCB in anyway is pleased with the way things are going. The match against Leverkusen could have gone in either direction and at the end both sides settled for a point. Leverkusen will perhaps be happier with the point though as they went back to the top, overtaking Bremen in the process.

Mario Gomez scored for Bayern after the referee played advantage following a foul on Miroslav Klose. I think he can be excused for failing to beat Rene Adler from close range later on; atleast he scored.

Stefan Kiessling nutmegged Daniel Van Buyten easily, scoring his ninth goal of the season in the process. My prediction came true. Van Buyten failed to keep out Kiessling.

Anatoliy Tymoschuk's weak effort saved by Rene Adler summed up Bayern's night. It was a reasonably better display, yet the best chance fell to a man who would most probably be unable to convert it. Stefan Kiessling had a goal ruled out for offside and maybe that was one point of the match were lady luck smiled upon the battered, yet arrogant Bayern.

Martin Demichelis fears that Bayern may just have put their season to bed already with just one-fourth or so of it played. He spoke prior to the clash against Leverkusen. Bayern are almost out of Europe and even if they beat Macabi Haifa on Wednesday, they will have to hope that Bordeaux are still interested in fielding their first eleven despite having qualified already against Juventus.

A season spent in the first year of the Europa League- not bad, for a four time European Champion (three European Cups and one Champions League).

Demichelis is correct in what he has to say. As each matchday passes, Bayern keep on sliding downwards. During Ottmar Hitzfeld's tenure in the 2007-08 season, at one point bayern were referred to as "boring" due to them drawing too many games. Back then, they were top of the table every matchday, now they are nowhere near the top.

Van Gaal had previously mentioned that it would take time to make the team play his kind of football. What he has to realise is that he is not dealing with a whole lot of Mullers; rather he is dealing with a squad filled with seasoned internationals who have played in mostly one role during the course of their careers.

If he wants to play a 4-3-3, he can try it, but he needs a back-up for Robben. Muller is versatile and extremely talented, but he plays as a no:10 mostly.

To sum it all up, these were Demichelis' words:

"I hope it is not too late to turn our season around. Otherwise it is going to get chaotic and even worse."

Bayern vs. Leverkusen Preview: Contenders vs. Pretenders?!

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:37:24 -0500

Wait a second! Who are currently at the top of the Bundesliga table? It must be Bayern! Wait...no...it's Leverkusen!

My opening statement pretty much sums it all up. While Bayern are heading downwards, Leverkusen are heading upwards.

This weekend is far more than a clash for three points. Bayern will be out to prove a point. They will be out to prove that they will forever be the team to best out any other side in the Bundesliga while Leverkusen will be out to prove that they are a lot more than "Neverkusen."

Bayern: It's time for a change

I have always known in life that there is always some peace after a lot of turmoil. Bayern proved me wrong again. I thought that the winter break would finally bring some peace to the Allianz Arena, but Uli Hoeness made sure that I was wrong. He came out and said that Louis Van Gaal must not take matters into his own hands.

Van Gaal hasn't done much favours to himself by constantly changing the lineup every match day, but this also had to do with the fact that a lot of Bayern players were injured. Currently Arjen Robben is back after a layoff but will most probably not start.

What is guaranteed, though, is that Thomas Muller will start. Perhaps, the best thing after Toni Kroos in Bavaria is this young lad. He is a born fighter and will fight till the death. A lot of what will happen in this match wil be down to the defence behind Muller.

Philipp Lahm and Daniel Pranjic will have to stay back (forget Braafheid!) to stop either Toni Kroos or Tranquillo Barnetta from exploiting the gaps they might leave behind.

On the other hand Muller and Schweinsteiger will have to try and score because I can bet on the fact that the Bayern strikers will not be scoring against Bayer's resolute defence (unless you convert Daniel van Buyten to one, of course).

Leverkusen: It's time to get rid of the label "Neverkusen"!

Hans Joerg Butt mentioned that the only Bayer player he is in contact with is Simon Rolfes since he left in 2007. This reflects the revolution of new blood at Bayer. Bayer is now a disciplined team simmering with talent at almost every point. Even with Simon Rolfes, Patrick Helmes and Renato Augusto all out due to injuries, the team is coming out on top in most of its games.

Jupp Heynckes has finally, or at least hopefully, gotten the best out of a team that has always had talent but never had the power to shine on the big stage. This statement from Miroslav Klose will perhaps best sum up the Bayer of recent years:

"They're a good side, they play well and have some good players in the squad. Under Bruno Labbadia they were also a good team. But you've got to be consistently good across the season."

This year could finally be Bayer's time to shine.

Toni Kroos is still under contract with Bayern and he will know how to get to the Bayern wing backs. Bayern's defence has its disadvantages, and Kiessling or Derdiyok will be able to get past Daniel van Buyten or Martin Demichellis with fair ease. It might be strange to say this, but the toughest link to break down in the Bayern defence might actually turn out to be Holger Badstuber!

Predicted lineups

A big question mark hangs over whether Miroslav Klose or Ivica Olic will be in the squad for Bayern. Frank Ribery is definitely out alongside Andreas Goerlitz.

Lineup: Hans Joerg Butt- Philipp Lahm, Daniel Van Buyten, Martin Demichelis, Holger Badstubber- Mark Van Bommel, Hamit Altintop- Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger- Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose.

Bayer's injury list is evergrowing. Simon Rolfes, Patrick Helmes, Michael Kadlec, Renato Augusto, Pierre de Wit and Benedikt Fernandez are all out with injuries.

Lineup: Rene Adler- Daniel Schwaab, Manuel Friedrich, Sami Hyppia, Gonzalo Castro- Arturo Vidal, Bastian Reinartz- Toni Kroos, Tranquillo Barnetta- Stefan Kiessling, Eren Derdiyok.

Prediction

Leverkusen haven't lost over their last five matches, but they did draw three of them. Bayern drew two of their last five matches. Both teams won two of their last five matches (Bayern lost the other game). Leverkusen haven't beaten Bayern since 1989 at Bayern's home ground. Klose and his Bayern side also know that they will be nine points off the top if they lose this week.

Bayern will come up with something to get out of this situation, but looking at Leverkusen recently, they might just have the power to battle this one out.

Bayern 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen.

Is Thomas Muller Destined To Be Bayern Munich's No. 10?

Samrin Hasib — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:04:34 -0500

A Bayern supporter who believes in what Uli Hoeness has to say is a rather optimistic one.

Toni Kroos lit up Bayern under Ottmar Hitzfeld. The teenager was supposed to be the "next big thing" in German football. Uli Hoeness had reserved the No. 10 jersey for the prodigy.

It's only been about two years or so since Uli Hoeness made his rather philosophical statement. The sacred jersey has instead been handed to Arjen Robben, who is neither a Bavarian lad nor a Bayern youth product.

Louis Van Gaal has his downsides but on the upside, he likes developing young, raw talent. He brought Thomas Muller into the team this year as a permanent squad player alongside Holger Badstuber. From a squad player, within a matter of days, Muller became a regular starter.

He is very enthusiastic and very hot-tempered; he is the kind of player you want in your team. He can play as a midfielder as well as a striker—much like Toni Kroos. At 6'1", he shows amazing control when on the ball.

At 20 years of age, Thomas Muller is one of the few bright sparks in Bayern's dismal season. He already has five goals to his name this season. He is very versatile—he can create chances as well as get on the end of them.

He has been at Bayern since he was 10. He scored 16 times in 35 appearances for Bayern Munich II and eight times in 23 appearances for the first team.

Out of those 23 appearances, 18 appearances have come this season and he has struck seven of his eight goals this season.

However, in Bayern Munich things do not work as they do in other clubs. Had Louis van Gaal not been the coach, Thomas Muller might have been out on loan at some club.

Things didn't work out for Piotr Trochowski, Zvejdan Misimovic and more recently, Lukas Podolski at Bayern. Trochowski and Misimovic had both been part of the FCB youth academy.

Thomas Muller could be the player who breaks this trend of Bayern players who were destined for big things but never quite made it at Der Club. Misimovic and Trochowksi are big players for Wolfsburg and HSV respectively but not at their childhood club.

What of Toni Kroos then?

He is currently at loan at Leverkusen and might choose to stay there. I am sure Bayer would love to keep him.

Thomas Muller is currently looking to be the player Bayern can increasingly count on in the future.

Let's just hope he makes it.

What Is Bayern's Best Formation?

Samrin Hasib — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:07:01 -0500

Philipp Lahm's recent criticism of Bayern and their ever-changing formations brought this question into my mind. Prior to the arrival of Louis Van Gaal, Bayern mostly played with a 4-4-2 formation and sometimes with a 4-5-1 formation since 2007.

4-3-3

Louis Van Gaal loves this formation, so does Arjen Robben and all Bayern supporters. This formation has the word "attack" written all over it.

Van Gaal has used this formation plenty of times, but he has made changes to his first team trying to get the best out of his players in an attacking role.

The defence in this formation always consists of Philipp Lahm, Daniel van Buyten and surprisingly, youngster Holger Badstuber. The right-wing berth is filled by either Daniel Pranjic, or Edson Braafheid.

The midfield always consists of Bastian Schweinsteiger playing, mostly on the right wing of midfield. Van Gaal has constantly played about with the other three positions, mostly due to an injury to Mark van Bommel.

When Van Bommel is around, he holds the midfield. Anatoliy Tymoshcuk, Andreas Ottl, Ivica Olic, Thomas Muller and Hamit Altintop have all played in the midfield in a 4-3-3.

The front three have been rotated especially due to injuries. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are usually preferred on the wide areas while, when they are injured, Thomas Muller and Ivica Olic are preferred.

Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez or Olic play the central role.Olic and Muller however can play well on the wide areas upfront and are viable options.

Advantages : The formation makes sure that every end of the field is covered with an almost equal distribution of players at every position (i.e., defence, midfield or up front).

It allows Philipp Lahm to spend more time in defence. Despite Philipp Lahm being an excellent attacker, the Bayern defence need all the help that they can get!

The team can also score more goals due to the presence of more attacking players and create more chances due to more creative players and less out-and-out target men.

Also, Braafheid can be more useful in this formation due to his lack of interest in attacking.

Disadvantages : The formation works at its best when Robben and Ribery are both playing and both are injury prone players.

Also, not many Bayern players have played in 4-3-3 before and it is hard for the older players to adjust to this formation. There is room for only one striker in this formation whereas Bayern has an abundance of strikers.

4-4-2

This one is my favourite formations for Bayern. Upfront, Van Gaal likes to play a big target man with a smaller one, and I am definitely in favour of that.

Van Bommel holds midfield in a 4-4-2. Tymoschuk/Altintop is used alongside him as a holding midfielder or pushed to the wide slightly in front of him. Pranjic and Martin Demichelis Schweinsteiger and Muller usually occupy the two wide positions.

Up front, Klose and Toni usually start. Gomez's life at FCB already seems to be falling apart.

However, Klose has been quarantined due to his sons catching a bout of swine flu and might be out for a while. Gomez, then, could get more chances. Ivica Olic is currently injured.

Advantages : This formation allows Bayern to use more players. The players are more used to this formation and Robben is not needed to make it tick, (though Ribery is). The team have done well before with this formation.

Disadvantages : A 4-4-2 cuts down the team's ability to attack, especially if the strikers are on a goal drought. It also leaves the defence a little short on cover as Philipp Lahm has to come forward more and so does Daniel Pranjic. Edson Braafheid doesn't have an attacking gene in his body and so, is not counted.

The stats

I have not taken into account the friendlies and the first round cup tie against Neckarelz.

In a 4-4-2, Bayern have scored 10 times and conceded six in the league, Europe, and in the cup.

In a 4-3-3, Bayern have scored 13 times and conceded twice.

Using both formations, they have played two 0-0 draws.

Conclusion

Discounting the match against Hamburg, where Bayern played the opening moments in a 3-5-2, the better formation seems to be a 4-3-3. However, this formation needs both Ribery and Robben, or at least one of them alongside Muller to function.

Thus, the best way for Bayern to get out of their current slump is to utilise the 4-4-2 in the best way they can possibly so it.

It's also about time the players start letting go of their egos. They are virtually out of the Champions League. I am quite sure that they don't want to get knocked out of the Bundesliga title race so soon as well.

The image that I have given is to remind all Bayern fans that over-reliance on one player can have bad consequences...

Franck Ribery, Louis Van Gaal May No Longer Be a Part of FCB Come January

Samrin Hasib — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:46:48 -0500

"FC Hollywood" is an absolutely appropriate name for Bayern. Some newspapers are suggesting that Bayern are prepared to sell Franck Ribery at a low a cost as £30 million.

During the summer, Bayern had made it absolutely clear that not even Real Madrid was going to get their hands on the French superstar by slapping an £80 million price tag on him. Ribery had played a big part in Bayern's seasons under Ottmar Hitzfeld and Jurgen Klinsmann.

Ribery is currently injured and has spent a very small amount of time on the field this season. When he has been on the pitch, he has done extremely well and was a big factor in Bayern's win over Wolfsburg and their draw against Juventus.

Louis Van Gaal had wanted to employ Ribery in the role behind the striker in a 4-3-3 formation. Ribery had however disobeyed the coach during the matches and shifted to the wings. Van Gaal decided not to force Ribery into playing in an unfamiliar role and allowed him to continue on the wings.

I personally find it quite surprising that Bayern would want to let go of Ribery considering that a major factor behind their downfall this season is the absence of Ribery's magic.

If Ribery's departure is a disturbing news for Bayern supporters, then the next piece of news will make them feel even worse. Van Gaal is already Bayern's coach this year.

Uli Hoeness and Franz Beckenbauer stated in unison that head coach Louis Van Gaal has until December to turn the club's fortunes around:

''We have lost two points but our game was a marked improvement compared to Bordeaux. I believe that we can continue working in peace and quiet until Christmas and then we will sit down and ask ourselves where we are. We are not going to discuss the position of the coach in public.'' (Uli Hoeness)

The last line of the statement is rather ironic. Uli Hoeness discussed Van Gaal's position with the public by indirectly announcing that Van Gaal will get sacked if he fails to turn the club's fortunes around.

The second line of the interview is ironic as well. There is never any peace or quiet at FCB. Who knows that better than Hoeness himself?

Bayern in Turmoil Following Draw with Schalke As Lahm and Toni Are Fined

Samrin Hasib — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:49:01 -0500

It was almost full time in the 2008-09 season in Bayern's home match against Wolfsburg when Felix Magath took Diego Benaglio off the pitch to bring in his sub keeper.

Most ex-Bayern players and coaches fail to extract revenge from the club that shipped them off or, in the case of coaches, sacked them...everyone except Magath. This time, Magath didn't fail to thwart Bayern either. He handed a debut to 18 year old debutant Joel Matip who did not disappoint as he earned Schalke their point. Matip will not be easily forgotten by the Bayern faithful.

Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni failed to score once again as Bayern failed to produce consistently. By Louis Van Gaal's own admission, they played well for 80 minutes, not 90.

An interesting point in this match was neither Edson Braafheid nor Daniel Pranjic started. I had previously expected Pranjic to start as he is an attacking left back whereas Braafheid is more defensive. Instead, the role on the left wing went to versatile defender Holger Badstuber.

Following the match, Bayern could think of converting Daniel Van Buyten into a striker and Luca Toni into a defender.

Prior to the match, Philipp Lahm spoke his mind about his childhood club and its bizarre transfer policy:

"If you want to measure yourself with Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United you as Bayern need a philosophy. That must be the aim of the club.

Clubs like Manchester United or Barcelona have a system, and then you hire personnel that fits this system.

We hired Arjen Robben because he is very good and an international player. But we didn't hire him because we said: we will play 4-3-3 from now on. This doesn't happen here, that the club says we will do this (system) now and everything is built on that.

On an international level you need at least eight players who have learnt to play their position, who are confident and competitive. I don't see these eight players here. That has nothing to do with the players but with a lacking philosophy over the past years

The club must tell a new coach: this is the way we play. No one in Barcelona would ever play 4-4-2. Barcelona is 4-3-3, that is a fact!'

Bayern had an abundance of home grown talent who they gave away. Do Piotr Trochowski, Zvejdan Misimovic, Mats Hummels and currently Toni Kroos come into mind?

Lahm is also correct in questioning the club's playing philsophy. The club plays attacking football. Under both Ottmar Hitzfeld and mostly under Jurgen Klinsmann the formation was 4-4-2. Most of the players do not fit in a 4-3-3.

Bayern brought in Anatoliy Tymoschuk during the summer transfer window, but he isn't required. Maybe they could have tried to bring someone like Andreas Beck or make good use of Andreas Gorlitz.

Luca Toni on top of all of his club's troubles decided to do a "Kevin Kuranyi." He walked out, rather drove out of the Allianz Arena at half time because he was substituted for Arjen Robben.

If you are not scoring, despite playing with the reserves to gain fitness, I am not sure you can expect a place even in the starting lineup.

Bayern released a statement today stating that they are fining their players:

"With his unauthorised early departure from the Bundesliga match and the Allianz Arena on Saturday, Luca Toni committed an unacceptable breach of club discipline. The board has resolved to levy a substantial fine. In the meantime and notwithstanding the fine, Luca Toni has apologised for his behaviour to the club and his team-mates.

Club vice-captain Philipp Lahm, who gave an interview openly critical of the club, the coach and his team-mates, has violated internal club rules in a flagrant and inexcusable manner as follows:

1) Interviews must be exclusively requested and organised by the club, and submitted to the player for authorisation. This is stipulated by contract and confirmed by every player.
2) Voicing criticism of the club, the coach and team-mates in public is absolutely forbidden at all times."

According to Karl Heinz Rummenigge, "Philipp Lahm will be punished with a fine heavier than any levied before by FC Bayern Munich.”

Bayern are eighth in the table following their draw against Schalke. They have to get things together quickly before the arrival of Bayer Leverkusen two weeks later.

Bayern vs Schalke: It's Time for the Real FCB To Turn Up!

Samrin Hasib — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:28:46 -0500

“Did you sleep well?” Van Gaal asked the assembled pressmen, “because I didn’t.”

Bayern have already played half an hour against Schalke and the scenario is one which is becoming ridiculously familiar to the FCB supporters: 0:0.

A scenario which does not surprise even the most hopeful and positive Bayern fan is a different line up every game. Once again, Louis Van Gaal has decided to experiment with his lineup.

Holger Badstubber usually plays in central defence. This time, however Van Gaal has decided to try on three central defenders, using one on the wing. He has put Martin Demichelis, Daniel Van Buyten and Holger Badstubber in the defence alongside Philipp Lahm.

The midfield consists of both Mark Van Bommel and Anatoliy Tymoschuk. Tymoschuk can play as a defensive midfielder as well as an attacking midfielder. Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger retain their positions in midfield.

The frontline has also begun to look familiar and rather tiring. Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni who have a combined age of more than 60 years form the attack for today.

For Schalke, things are looking pretty at the moment. They currently occupy fourth position which would get them into Europe and help them to, atleast partly get out of their financial troubles. They have started with a pretty familiar line up with Kevin Kuranyi upfront. If Kuranyi scores today, he will score his 100th Bundesliga goal.

I wonder whether Joachim Low is watching the game.

Schalke have started with a resulote defence consisting of the evergreen Marcelo Jose Bordon, Benedikt Howedes as well as Heiko Westermann.

A point to be noted is that Schalke have come back from deficits in their games against Bayer and Hamburg to earn draws. That means if Bayern go into the lead, they have to make sure that the lead is turned into an unassailable one.

My reason for saying this is because Bayern were 1-0 up at one point through a Daniel Van Buyten goal. The match is currently tied at 1-1 as Joel Matip equalized for Schalke. The man standing at the sidelines is none other than Felix Magath. Any surprises there?

The Paradox That I Call the Bayern Munich Frontline

Samrin Hasib — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:50:13 -0400

Bayern had a poor season and finished fourth in 2007. In came Luca Toni, the Fiorentina hitman and scored using quite possibly most of his body parts. I never quite believed in Toni's ability, but he forced me to believe in it during that eventful night in Madrid.

Yep, I am talking about the UEFA Cup match between Bayern and Getafe, which finished 3-3. The hitman scored 39 goals in all competitions and made his strike partner Klose look like an ordinary utility man who was on the pitch for almost nothing.

Forward to 2008 and Toni couldn't score in Europe until the second round in the Champions League. Klose, however, was firing on all fours and broke a German record by scoring seven goals in the Champions League in two rounds.

During these two seasons, when Toni was shining, Klose managed to put in 20 goals while, when Klose was shining, Toni managed to put in a good total of 18 as well. Klose was perhaps the more consistent as he scored 21 in his second season.

Bayern still wanted more and in came Mario Gomez and Ivica Olic. Olic got himself injured and Mario after a good start is on a barren run. For Klose, the goals have dried up for his club with only two in 11 appearances this season and in Toni's case, one. They both ironically scored in the same match, against Frankfurt.

How many more times will Bayern have to rely on Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, and Thomas Muller for goals? The first two remain unfit while the third is a 20-year-old kid. From strikers with the experience of Klose and Toni, more is expected. How many more times will Daniel van Buyten need to score to get Bayern out of trouble. I am quite sure that Bayern will not receive any more help from Michael Ciani or that dude from Mainz.

Louis Van Gaal at the beginning of the season kept Miroslav on the bench, but looks like he is doing what all the other Bayern coaches did with the exception of interim manager Jupp Heynckes—sticking to Klose. Except, there is a difference this time—it paid off for the others, not for him.

Uli Hoeness has shortlisted seven player for the Winter Break. Seven Bayern players are going to be up for grabs, i.e, for sale in December and one of them is Toni. Tymoschuk is also on the list by the way.

Conceding was a problem for Bayern last season and when scoring became a bit of a problem, Klinsmann was seen walking out of the Sabener Strasse for possibly the last time.

In no way am I blaming Louis Van Gaal for this absence of goals. A 1-1 draw is better than a 0-0. Atleast you know that your team can score. Toni Kroos could have provided some goals but Bayern sent him packing for Bayer. It's a question of whether Kroos will come back when the loan deal expires or whether he will do what Mats Hummels did.*

It all somehow makes me miss three players, one of them who could create if not score in the absence of Ribery and Robben and a far less injury-prone person. Does the name "Claudio Pizarro" ring a bell?...hmmmm...the other two are for me to know and you to find out...

* Mats Hummels joined Dortmund permanently after being on loan at the club.

Bundesliga Matchday Eight, Hertha and Union: Relegation And Promotion?

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:25:42 -0400

Poor Jaroslav Drobny! From wherever he was, he had to look at Hertha's second choice keeper make a complete fool of himself. When the evergreen Arne Friedrich put Hertha in the lead, it seemed as if Hertha might be able to get something from the leaders. Instead, what they did was self-destruct.

An own goal by Kaka, and two lobs from David Jarolim and Ze Roberto after some horrible mistakes from the Berlin keeper won HSV the game 3-1. Looks like Hertha might get relegated and ironically be replaced by fierce city rivals Union in the Bundesliga.

Bayern and Koln played out a 0-0 draw, and from Koln's point of view, the reult was exactly what they wanted. All they did was defend and their counter attacks were in the best meaning of the word, poor. Schweinsteiger could have won the game but sent two headers wide, with the second deflecting off Klose's head. Some fans were seen sleeping at halftime during the game.

Bayer Leverkusen took the lead in the league by winning 4-0 against Nuremberg. The goals flowed from Eren Derdiyok, Stefan Kiessling and Simon Rolfes. However, the pick of the strikes came from Toni Kroos who curled a beautiful freekick into the top corner of the net.

Gladbach's poor run of form continued. They lost 1-0 to Dortmund, the sole goal being a long range effort from Argentine striker Lucas Barrois. Maybe Maradona should attend more Dortmund games.

Sofian Chahed and Arnold Bruggink gave Hanover a 2-0 lead but Freiburg fought back. Ivica Banovic scored but Karim Haggui restored the 2-0 advantage. Julian Schuster scored another for Freiburg with eight minutes left on the clock. However Didier Ya Konan and Sergio Pinto scored for Hanover to win their side the game. The final score was 5-2 to Hanover.

Bochum took a 1-0 lead against Wolfsburg through a Vahid Hashemian header. I am sure the name strikes a bell. However, this woke up Wolfsburg and Dzeko equalized after Shinji Ojo was sent off for Bochum.

Andreas Ivanschitz and Aristide Bance put Mainz into a 2-0 lead against Hoffenheim within the first fifteen minutes. Andreas Ibertsberger pulled one back for Hoffenheim in the 87th minute but it was too little too late for the Hoffe. Mainz could have a shot at Europe if they keep up this kind of form throughout the season.

Werder proved to have too much in their veins for Stutt-er-gart. Claudio Pizarro opened the scoring with a header while Aaron Hunt doubled the score to give Werder the 2-0 win.

Schalke on Friday recorded a 2-0 win against Frankfurt. Gerald Asamoah's first goal in ten months gave the Royal Blues a 1-0 lead. Jefferson Farfan added a second from the penalty spot.

Thus Bayer are now top on goal difference. HSV are second and Schalke are third. Werder and Hoffenheim occupy the final two European places respectively.

Mario Gomez has recently been complaining due to having to spend time on the bench. He has been told to shut up by the Bayern hierarchy. Looks like Mario is learning his lesson: In Bayern, pricetags have very little effect.

Man United vs Wolfsburg- Through My Eyes

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:43:48 -0400

The German Champions were taking on the English Champions. Maybe United would coast to a 3-1 win...hmmm. If the real Wolfsburg showed up, maybe they could play out a scoring draw or maybe even win...hmmm.

Wolfsburg started off strongly. In the Pokal, when I saw Christian Gentner playing, I felt he was really good. Maybe he could have finished off his side's first chance with a goal. Maybe he needed a certain Felix Magath yelling at him.

Twenty minutes gone and the scoreline was 0-0. Michael Owen was coming off and Berbatov coming on. I felt sorry for Owen. I wish he could have played more. Berbatov arrived and Man United came alive.

Diego Benaglio's foot saved Wolfsburg from going a goal down while Gentner squandered another chance at the other end. Josue hobbled off the pitch. Wolfsburg are not the same side without the Brazilian. They got hammered 3-0 by Bayern without Josue.

Grafite was giving Vidic a hell of a time. I wish Van Persie could have done so in last season's semi. He was heavily guarded by the United defenders all night.

Josue came back after a while and I was relieved. Wolfsburg attacked at the end of the half, but once again, it came to nothing. The half ended 0-0.

The Wolfe came out with all guns blazing in the second half and Edin Dzeko duly outjumped Patrice Evra and connected with a Makoto Hasebe cross to open the scoring. The Japanese was energetic. I enjoyed his performance.

Prior to that, a Ricardo Costa volley went high and over. I thought that the volley could have been the opener and it really disappointed me. Sometimes, I missed Barzagli. After all, Italian defenders do score sometimes. I have seen Barzagli do it before, why not then?

After three minutes, a Josue foul led to a United freekick. Ryan Giggs stepped up to take it. Hmmm...interesting. Maybe he could do Wolfsburg a favour by blasting it wide. Instead United started riding their luck from then on. A wicked deflection of a Wolfsburg player sent the ball into the back of the net. Benaglio could do nothing about it.

United attacked and attacked and when the ball came to Carrick's foot, he sent it in for the winner. Wolfsburg had just ran out of luck. They didn't however stop attacking. They pressed on until the death and should have maybe grabbed an equalizer at the death.

When Obafemi Martins came on, I hoped he could do something. I hoped for something from Karim Ziani. I got absolutely nothing from Ziani and very little from Martins.

The image I have given maybe sums up Wolfsburg's night.

I didn't know how to feel after the match. I felt bad but, hey, at least Wolfsburg earned respect from the United fans and everyone else!

Bundesliga Matchday Seven: Vedad Announces His Arrival in the Bundesliga

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:19:25 -0400

My round-up comes a day late as my Internet was out of order last night. Let me get started though:

When a club spends a lot of money to bring in big players as well as gets a new coach, better results are expected against the big sides. Once again, Bayern came up short against HSV, losing 1-0. Hamburg striker Mladen Petric scored the winner after excellent work by ex-Bayern star Ze Roberto.

Wolfsburg beat Hanover 4-2. It was good preparation for the biggest match in their Group in the CL away to Man United. Zvejdan Misimovic and Hanno Balitsch traded goals in the first half. Christian Gentner and Makoto Hasebe scored in the second half.

Alex Madlung put the ball into his own net but a superb goal by Edin Dzeko left the result in no doubt.

Hoffenheim snuffed the life out of Hertha. Vedad Ibisevic (finally) scored a hattrick. Raffael pulled one back. However after the break Chinedu Obasi added one and Carlos Eduardo added another from the spot to give Hoffe a 5-1 win over Hertha.

Stuttgart who needed a win badly beat Frankfurt 3-0. Julian Schieber, selected ahead of Pavel Pogrebnyak scored twice. Marco Russ was then sent off leaving Frankfurt a man down. A trademark Thomas Hitzlsperger freekick made the scoreline 3-0 in Stuttgart's favour.

Bremen outplayed Mainz, beating them 3-0. Aaron Hunt, deputizing for Mesut Ozil opened the scoring. Claudio Pizarro scored twice in the second half to round off the win.

Freiburg continued their good form in the Bundesliga with a 3-0 win over Gladbach. Mohammed Idrissou, Yacine Abdesadki and Julian Schuster were the scorers on the day.

Koln's short undefeated run ended againt Bayer. Leverkusen, who were clearly the dominant side had only one goal to show for their dominance which came via Simon Rolfes. Maniche got himself sent off for Koln, capping a disappointing night for his side.

On Friday, Bochum got a good 1-0 win away to Nuremberg. They beat the Bavarian men 1-0 thanks to a well-taken goal by Diego Klimowicz.

Bochum's win in the Ruhr didn't earn them much attention as the whole of the Ruhr area were concentrating on the big derby between Schalke and Dortmund. Schalke took the bragging rights away from Dortmund with a 1-0 win. Jefferson Farfan scored the only goal.

Hamburg and Bayer are tied at the top. Hoffenheim and Schalke follow the leaders while Werder sit in fifth position.

We have to wait and watch to see whether Bayern can bounce back next week against Koln. The last time they met, Koln beat the Bavarians 2-1!

Bundesliga Matchday Six: Hertha In Hot Water

Samrin Hasib — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:05:18 -0400

The Oktoberfest kicked off in Munich with a derby between Nuremberg and Bayern. Nuremberg lost the derby, but left with their heads held high unlike Oberhosen two days later. Surprise, surprise—Ivica Olic opened the scoring after an excellent team move involving Thomas Muller.

However, an equalizer from Eric Maxim Chuopo-Mating was indeed surprising, but, as usual, was the result of poor defending by Bayern. During these times, all you need is a Belgian Colossus. Yep, Daniel van Buyten is the guy I am talking about. His header won Bayern the derby.

It seems to be a case of deja-vu for Bruno Labbadia. Just as his Bayer side last season, Hamburg started well. They however lost to Rapid Wien in the Europa League. Against Eintracht, Ze Roberto opened the scoring with a header, but Marco Russ equalized. Despite numerous chances in the second half, Hamburg failed to find a winner and the match ended 1-1.

Guess what?—They also got eliminated from the German Cup against Osnabruck.

Hertha are in the relegation zone currently. They lost to promoted Freiburg. Ivica Banovic scored a double, while Mohamed Idrissou and Cedric Makladi scored the other two.

Felix Magath's Schalke were beaten by Wolfsburg. Edin Dzeko scored a double (and he missed two golden opportunities against Koln midweek in the cup). Benedikt Howedes scored for Schalke.

Bochum and Mainz played out a highly intense match. Mimoun Azaouagh and Diego Klimowicz scored for Bochum. For Mainz, Andreas Ivanschitz scored the opener. However, it was a magic double from an 18-year-old, Andre Schuerrle which won the game for Mainz.

Markus Babel needs to complete his training really fast. His Stuttgart side are heading downwards. Koln on their day are a good side but Stuttgart should be able to defeat them. Instead, they lost 2-0 due to goals from Sebastian Freis and Wilfred Sanou.

Dortmund and Hanover played out a bad-tempered draw with goals from Nuri Sahin and Didier Ya-Konan. Bayer, who had the chance to go top instead drew 0-0 with Werder, in a match which was expected to be a goalfest.

The most exciting match of the weekend took place between Gladbach and Hoffenheim. Gladbach took a 2-0 lead via Juan Arango and Roberto Colautti. Sejad Salihovic's freekick made the score 2-1. Sub Maicosuel scored the equalizer. Two goals at the death via Chinedu Obasi and Demba Ba gave Hoff the match.

Hamburg and Bayer are tied at the top this week with Bayern in third.

Next week should be interesting: Bayern play Hamburg!

Ten Reflections: The Opening Matchdays In Europe

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:11:59 -0400

Opening days in the Champions League are always exciting. The opening day of the UEFA Cup used to be exciting and its successor, the Europa League has already provided a surprise on Matchday One.

These are the reflections:

1) All Brazilians love to shine on the big stage. You don't need to be a Kaka or a Ronaldinho to shine on the big stage when you are a Brazilian. I am referring to Grafite's hat-trick against CSKA Moscow for Wolfsburg.

In Wolfsburg and his debut for the Champions League, he made sure that his name made it to the top of the scoring charts ahead of his more decorated counterparts.

2) Higuain is fantastic. Walter Samuel is very good and Lucio is a class act as well. I wonder why Maradonna doesn't offer Higuain and Samuel places in the Argentine starting eleven. I also wonder why Bayern sold Lucio.

3) Arsenal's mental strength is hardly appreciated. They were 1-0 down against Man City at the weekend, and despite losing 4-2, they tried to fight back. Against Liege they were 2-0 down, but Nicklas Bendtner, Thomas Vermaelen and Eduardo rescued Arsenal from the jaws of defeat.

You could argue that Arsenal shouldn't have gone 2-0 down and the fact that prior to the second goal, Alex Song might have handled the ball in the box. But hey, a comeback is a comeback and Arsenal showed that a bunch of kids are not necessarily mentally weak.

4) Big names don't always produce big games. Inter Milan vs. Barcelona was a game we expected a lot more from. While Barca created chances and Inter used great tactics to deny them, nobody can deny the fact that the game was a bit of a let down.

5) Thomas Muller could have a big say in the outcome of Group A in the Champions League. Bayern coach Louis Van Gaal allows him playing time every game and he does something incredible almost every game. His goals may have come against Haifa, but I wouldn't be surprised if this guy scores against Bordeaux or Juve.

6) Debrecen, Maccabi Haifa, Unirea and Standard Liege aren't in the Champions League for nothing. Debrecen lost by a narrow margin of a single goal to Liverpool. Haifa unluckily coneded two goals towards the end of the match while Unirea put up a good showing.

7) Rapid Wien are much better than anyone expected them to be. Hamburg went to Austria to get three points and returned with no points alongside a goal difference of -3. This was without doubt, one of the big upsets of the opening day of the Europa League.

8) Everton manager David Moyes definitely wants his team to have a say in Europe this season. They were the biggest winners of the opening day. They beat AEK Athens 5-0.

9) Thomas Schaaf's thinking might have slightly changed to match Rafa Benitez's thinking. In the Bundesliga, Werder is continuing its erratic form whereas, in the Europa League, Schaaf's men started with an away win.

Last season, Werder finished tenth in the Bundesliga, claimed the DFB Pokal and were runners-up in the UEFA Cup. Maybe, Rafa Benitez has effected Schaaf's thinking...

10) Jose Mourinho's press conferences will always be the best ones to listen to. He named his entire starting eleven. He was unsure about only one spot. Yet, his side thwarted Barca and came away without a point despite not scoring against the holders.

That's about it. I am looking forward to a great Matchday Two where Man United play Wolfsburg and Bayern play Juventus.

Your views are definitely welcome.

Bundesliga Matchday FIve: It's Thomas Muller's Time to Shine

Samrin Hasib — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:01:01 -0400

Bayern's bad spell came to an abrupt end with their win against Wolfsburg. They followed it up with a 5-1 win against Dortmund. Ex-Bayern defender Mats Hummels opened the scoring for Dortmund after a very usual defensive error from Bayern.

Mario Gomez tied the score with one of his classic "fox in the box" goals. A wonderful freekick from Ribery and an equally wonderful long-range shot from Bastian Schweinsteiger gave Bayern a two-goal lead. The new German "wunderkind" Thomas Muller scored two quick goals to put the icing on the cake a few days short of his 20th birthday.

Werder Bremen and Hanover played out a 0-0 draw. Thomas Schaaf's men are being as erratic in the league as they were in the previous season. Werder are a side that are expected to compete for the title, but it looks as if it's going to be another season spent fighting for a spot in the Europa League.

Leverkusen and Wolfsburg played perhaps the best match of the weekend. Everything went Bayer's way after Wolves keeper Diego Benaglio got sent off. Simon Rolfes scored twice, with one goal coming on a penalty kick and the other being a cool-headed strike.

However, when Eren Derdiyok, the man who caused Benaglio's dismissal, earned himself a red card, Wolfsburg started roaring back. However, they got caught on the counter attack. Stefan Kiessling scored the third goal for Bayer, which ultimately proved to be the winner. Misimovic and Grafite scored, but the goals only proved to be consolations for unlucky Wolfsburg.

Koln's woes continued with a defeat at home at the hands of Schalke. Jefferson Farfan gave Schalke the lead within two minutes of the game with a header. Lukas Podolski scored a beautiful equalizer but Levan Kobiashvilli answered back with one for Schalke. Schalke finished as 2-1 winners.

Hoffenheim continued a good start to their season, beating Bochum 3-0. The goals came from Marvin Compper, Chinedu Obasi and Demba Ba. However, I was quite surprised to see a certain Vedad Ibisevic missing from the score sheet.

Freiburg lost at home to Frankfurt, 2-0. The goals for Frankfurt came from Maik Franz and Alex Maier.

Nuremberg saw off free-scoring Gladbach, 1-0. Ironically, the goal came from former Gladbach player, Peer Kluge.

Hamburg cemented their status as the team to watch out for in the Bundesliga with a 3-1 win over Stuttgart. A goal from Elijero Elia followed a wonderful long-range effort from Mladen Petric to give Hamburg a 2-0 lead. Stuttgart got one back against the run of play through Pavel Pogrebnyak. Ze Roberto, however, shut down the chances of a VfB comeback with a goal of his own.

Mainz are looking to stay in the Bundesliga. They made their intentions very clear to everyone with a 2-1 win against Hertha Berlin. Maximilian Nicu opened the scoring for Hertha. However, Andreas Ivanschitz levelled the match in the 80th minute with a penalty kick goal. Aristide Bance then scored the winner to keep Mainz in the top half of the table.

That's about it for this week. Bayern and Wolfsburg started well in the Champions League but Stuttgart had a shaky start.

Hamburg are top this week followed by Bayer and Schalke, respectively. Frankfurt are in fourth while Bayern have climbed to fifth.

Next week will be a great one: Schalke play Wolfsburg!

Bundesliga Matchday 4: Wolfsburg Who?

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:30:38 -0400

Wolfsburg had things going their own way until last week, when they were brought down to earth by Hamburg. This was followed by a 3-0 drubbing in the hands of none other than FC Bayern Munchen.

The memories of the 5-1 defeat were quickly erased by the Bavarians. A Mario Gomez goal, scored from a rebound and another two from Arjen Robben handed Bayern the win. It's surprising to think that Robben signed a day or so before the match!

Werder gave in one of their attacking performance to oust Hertha 3-2 at the Olympic Stadium. Mesut Ozil and Tim Borowski gave Werder a 2-0 lead. Lukas Pisczek got one back before Naldo restored the two-goal cushion. Patrick Ebert got one back for Berlin in stoppage time but his goal proved to be nothing more than a consolation.

Now, when Felix Magath took over at Schalke, he wanted to see a winning mentality. Schalke came up short, not against their title rivals (that is if you consider Schalke to be a contender) but up against promoted Freiburg. Du-Ri Cha grabbed the only goal of the game to hand Schalke their first loss of the campaign.

Hoffenheim grabbed their first win of the campaign away to Hanover. The sole goal of the match was scored by Carlos Eduardo following a one-two between him and Sejad Salihovic.

Stuttgart and Nuremberg played out a 0-0 draw. Stuttgart had played extra football and secured Champions League football in the same week. Maybe, the impact of the game left them weary, for which they failed to score. Markus Babbel wasn't exactly disappointed by the result.

Bayer played a good game but wasted millions of chances as they beat Bochum 2-1. The opener came when Manuel Freidrich accidentally sent the ball into his own net while trying to defend Diego Klimowicz.

Freidrich however made amends by scoring the equalizer. Stefan Kiessling scored from a Toni Kroos throw-in to hand Bayer all three points.

Hamburg remain my favourite for the title after they beat Koeln 3-1. Paulo Guerrero scored twice before Adil Chihi got one back for Koln. The result was put beyond doubt by Piotr Trochowski who scored from the spot after Ze Roberto was brought down in the box.

Frankfurt and Dortmund played out a 1-1 draw. Mohammed Zidan scored the opener for Dortmund but Ioannis Amanatidis equalized following a mistake by Neven Subotic.

New signing Raul Bobadilla and substitute Marco Reus helped Gladbach to a 2-0 win over newly promoted Mainz.

Hamburg are at the top of the table this week. Bayer are second while Werder are third. Schalke and Gladbach round of the top five.

That's it for this week. Ivan Klasnic has left Nantes for the EPL. I would like all Werder fans to know that. I will end with a quote from Jurgen Klopp after Dortmund's game against Frankfurt:

“The way we played today, we didn’t deserve more than a point. We didn’t have enough good phases. We got ourselves 1-0 in front, but then immediately conceded the equaliser and then allowed them more good chances. I’m not happy with the game or the result."

Bayern and Group A: Will the Germans Progress?

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:46:44 -0400

Bayern is always under the spotlight in Germany. 1860 and Nuremberg are the forgotten clubs of Munich as Munich is and mostly has been about one club: FC Bayern Munchen.

This Bayern side is definitely not the side of 74, 75, 76 or even of 2001—these were the years when the German powerhouse had claimed the best honour in European club football: the Champions League.

Bayern are back this year in the CL. They have been placed in Group A where they will be meeting Juventus, Bordeaux and Maccabi Haifa.

This is what Ciro Ferrera had to say about Bayern and Bordeaux:

"It's true that the real threat is from the English sides and we didn't get them or the Spanish teams. However, our group is balanced, but I am not tranquil over Bayern. As for Bordeaux, it could have been better for us."

Bayern made no secret of the fact that their squad needed strengthening—they added Mario Gomez, Ivica Olic, Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Daniel Pranjic and Edson Braafheid to their squad in the summer. They also brought back Andreas Gorlitz from Karlsruhe and promoted Thomas Muller alongside Holger Badstubebr from the reserve side.

Bayern also got a new coach, Dutch dictator Louis Van Gaal.

What Bayern forgot about was the fact a squad needs to gel. Probably, it's the saga around Ribery that made them forget the most basic fact about a team. While Lucio left, Bayern haplessly allowed Ze Roberto to leave while keeping Mark van Bommel at the club. Ze Roberto was a team player and one who Bayern needs at the moment.

Louis Van Gaal's new formation, 4-4-3 already seems to be a failure.

Ribery will be trying out the role behind the two strikers and if he doesn't succeed, new signing Arjen Robben might try it out.

While Bayern have been busy emptying their pockets on pointless players, Juventus decided to make one excellent buy: Diego from Werder Bremen.

Juve already have Sebastian Giovinco. They have also brought in Cannavaro and Felipe Melo. Bayern's defence are hapless, but in defence, Juve have something of a bully in Georgio Chiellini. Former Bayern man Hasan Salihamidzic is also a part of their squad.

Alex Del Piero is still around to cause trouble as he almost did against Chelsea in the last edition of the competition. He will definitely give Tymoschuk and Van Bommel a headache.

Diego has wreaked havoc in Bavaria time and time again and would love to do it again. He is certainly no stranger to Van Bommel and will outclass him and the Bayern defence.

If that's not enough, Vincenzo Iaquinta provides another headache for the Bayern central defence pairing of Daniel Van Buyten and Holger Badstubber. I, for one, think he will easily shatter the defence alongside Amauri or even Trezeguet in attack.

Bayern's stike force of Mario Gomez and Ivica Olic will have to do a lot more than what they do in the Bundesliga if they are to get past the Juve defence. Last time out, Miro Klose was Bayern's top scorer. This time, due to being played out of position, he has lost confidence and I doubt whether Van Gaal will play him for most of the season.

Also, Arjen Robben seems to be somewhat of a replacement for the former Bremen man. Ribery and Robben might ask the Juve defence a question or two but Bayern's defence will not able to hold back the attacking lot of Juve. (Let's not forget Camoranesi.)

Bayern vs Juventus: Advantage: Juventus

French champions Bordeaux finally ended Lyon's run in Ligue 1 last season and are definitely a good side. Yoann Gourcuff is excellent and he and his teammates gel together. Last time out, they almost managed to end Chelsea's hopes of qualification. They are doing well in their domestic league this season.

Here is what Laurent Blanc had to say about the draw:

“I’ve just read our future enemies. We knew very well that we would meet two major European clubs. With Bayern Munich and Juventus, we have just that. These two great teams have a long history in this competition."

“Both confrontations will certainly provide a lot of memories for fans of Bordeaux. These two confrontations will be historical and epic for les Girondins. Maccabi Haifa constitute a form of the unknown, but they are not a total unknown"

Last season in the CL, Bordeaux scored when they attacked but seemed to lack something in defence. Yet, Bayern's defence are worse than ever and Bordeaux should be able to penetrate it. Marouane Chamakh is another attacking player who will most probably ask a lot of questions of the Bayern defence.

Another player I like in the squad is Jaroslav Plasil. On his day, he can really play well and trouble Bayern. Bayern's attack might do well against Bordeaux but it will be difficult to defeat the French champions.

Bayern vs Bordeaux: It's too difficult to call. I will go with a 50:50 chance for both sides.

Maccabi Haifa are largely made up of Israeli players with very few players of other nationalities in their squad. They beat Man United 3-0 the last time they played in the Champions League.

Tsepo Masilela is one of the five or so non-Israelis in the squad, he is quite good. Haifa will have to do a lot to defeat any opponents in their group. This is one opponent against whom I will tip the balance for Bayern.

Bayern vs Haifa: Advantage: Bayern

Therefore, a lot will depend on Bayern's clashes against Bordeaux. Juventus will most probably finish at the top of the group. Bayern and Bordeaux will be playing it out for second spot. Bayern's squad on paper looks good, but in reality do not gel at all. Even Philipp Lahm needs to improve; he attacks well but I am not too sure about his role in defence.

Previously, I had said Bayern will falter at the first hurdle. With Arjen Robben, I give them more of a chance. It all depends on their form as well. If they manage to gel together, they could run out as group winners.

Otherwise they could find themselves in the Europa League, alongside Werder.

Champions League Group Stage Draw Results

Samrin Hasib — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:09:43 -0400

Last year, it was in Nyon, this year the draw has just been completed in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

During the draw, John Terry was announced as the best defender in Europe, Edwin Van Der Sar the best goalkeeper, Xavi the best midfielder and Lionel Messi the best forward. The European Player of the Year award went to Lionel Messi.

Now, finally, let's take a look at the draw;

Group A: FC Bayern Munchen, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa

This is indeed an interesting group. A lot will depend on the form of the teams, especially Bayern. Juventus and Bayern do not have recent success in the Champions League. Bayern were knocked out in the quarters and Juve in the round of sixteen in the last edition.

Maccabi Haifa are an interesting lot and they have previous Champions League experience while Bordeaux might spring a surprise or two in the group stages.

Prediction: Bayern unable to find form will falter in the first hurdle. I doubt whether they will go through. My picks are thus Juve and Bordeaux from this group.

Group B: Man United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg.

This group is quite unpredictable. Man United are the firm favourites but the second spot is up for grabs. Wolfsburg are a dangerous side but this will be their first entry into the Champions League. They also no longer have Felix Magath at the healm. Beskitas beat Liverpool 2-1 the last time they participated in the competition only to get beaten 8-0 in the reverse fixture. Moscow and Vagner Love will be ones to watch out for though.

Prediction: Moscow might fall in the first hurdle. I think man United and Wolfsburg will go through to the next round.

Group C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, Zurich

Kaka will be getting to see his former employers earlier than expected. Real with their powers (and huge debts) will be up against a weakened AC Milan. Marseille disappointed badly in the last edition and Zurich lack experience.

Prediction: I will go with AC Milan and Real Madrid.

Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL Nicosia

While one side of Madrid will be travelling to Italy, the other side will be travelling to Portugal. Porto were the ones who knocked out Atletico in the last edition painfully on the away-goals rule. Atletico will definitely be seeking revenge. APOEL Nicosia are first-timers in the Champions League.

Prediction: Chelsea will go through alongside Atletico. I am not too sure about Atletico though as Porto will definitely not go down without a fight.

Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen

Lyon and Fiorentina were part of the same group in the last edition of the competition. Lyon had to work hard to earn a 2-2 draw against Fiorentina. Lyon now have Lisandro Lopez instead of Karim Benzema who is a quality forward without a doubt. Liverpool hardly falter at the first hurdle in Europe. Debrecen are newcomers into the competition.

Prediction: Liverpool will go through with Lyon. Fiorentina, though, might have something to say about that seond spot.

Group F: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Rubin Kazan, Dynamo Kyiv

Samuel Eto'o will be facing Pep Guordiola and he will definitely love to get one over his former employer. Russian champions Rubin Kazan will represent Russia alongside CSKA. Dynamo Kyiv could prove to be a dark horse.

Prediction: Barcelona and Inter will go through to the next round.

Group G: Sevilla, Stuttgart, Rangers, Unirea Urcizeni

Sevilla and Stuttgart both return to the competition after a short absence. Rangers finally replace Celtic as the main representative of Scotland in the competition. Unirea are a Romanian side who are debutants in the Champions League. Romanian sides are never easy to beat.

Prediction: I expect Sevilla and Stuttgart to go through. Rangers, however, might emerge as dark horses.

Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiacos, Standard Liege

Arsenal are the team to beat in this group. AZ has done well recently in the UEFA Cup by reaching the quarters and semis. Olymiacos are quite accustomed to the Champions League. Standard Liege is the sole representative of Belgium in the competition.

Prediction: Arsenal should go through; it is however quite difficult to foresee who will grab the second spot. I will go with AZ.

My predictions could be correct or I could be absolutely wrong. I am hopeful that Bayern will find form soon. Anyways, this time, the competition has more newcomers and probably will be more interesting.

On a more intertesting note: Go Arsenal (and Bayern)!

Bundesliga Matchday 3: Bayern And Van Gaal In Unknown Territory

Samrin Hasib — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:38:55 -0400

Mainz got their first win of the 2009-10 season, leaving Bayern a point off the relegation zone in 14th place.

Andreas Ivanschitz opened the scoring with a beautiful goal.The ball curled past Michael Rensing who could have and should have saved. Aristide Bance's header just showed how poor Bayern were defensively—Miroslav Klose was back defending and there was no sign of the defenders.

If Bance's overhead kick and initial header had gone in, Bayern could have been in for a thrashing. Thomas Muller came on and probably made the huge difference. he and Ivica Olic provided energy to a rather poor side. Muller's shot was deflected in by Nikolce Noveski.

Mario Gomez and his other mates did nothing—Olic and Muller seemed to be the only ones interested playing. The win was indeed a deserved win for Mainz.

Final Score: Mainz 2—1 Bayern

For a Bayern supporter, watching Wolfsburg lose would indeed be a good treat: that's exactly what happened. They lost at home to northeners, HSV. The opener was indeed a cruel one: Paulo Guerrero's shot bounced off the post but deflected off the head of VfL keeper Diego Benaglio into the back of the net.

Elijero Elia scored one after the initial save from Mladen Petric by Benaglio to give HSV a 2-0 lead.

In the second half, however VfL fought back. Zvejdan Misimovic sent the ball over the line after an excellent ball into the area by Marcel Schafer to make he score 1-2. Misimovic provided the cross for Obafemi Martins to head in to make the score 2-2.

Mladen Petric's volley however gave the advantage to Hamburg and all hopes off a comeback by Wolfsburg diminished when Romeo Castelen scored at the death.

Final Score: VfL Wolfsburg 2—4 Hamburg

Felix Magath's new side, Schalke didn't fare too well either. They drew 0-0 against Hoffenheim who are still awaiting their first win of the campaign.

This is indeed strange news, but Hanover played away from home this time and picked up all three points. A Jiri Stajner double saw them beat Nuremberg, 2-0.

Gladbach had earned four points from their first two games, but they were brought back down to earth by Werder. Claudio Pizarro scored twice on his return while Naldo scored a third. Mesut Ozil even managed to miss a penalty as normal service resumed in the Weser Stadium.

Final Score: Werder 3—0 Gladbach

Bochum got their first win off the campaign against the "Old Lady". Hertha showed no signs of achieving what they achieved last season. An Antar Yahia goal was enough to give VfL the win.

Final Score: Bochum 1—0 Hertha

Koln finally earned a point this season against Frankfurt. Eintracht's Patrick Ochs was shown a red card early in the second half. Koln were however unable to make the man advantage count.

Final Score: Koln 0—0 Frankfurt.

Dortmund and Stuttgart had to share the points out at the Signal Iduna Park. Nelson Valdez's delightful opener for Borussia was cancelled out by a header from Stuttgart's central defender Georg Niedermeier.

Hardly anyone expected Bayer to even challenge for the title. However, a five goal win earned them a place at the top of the table for this matchday. Stefan Kiessling opened the scoring for Bayer. Doubles from Eren Derdiyok and Tranquillo Barnetta added to the opener gave Bayer a 5-0 win against Freiburg.

Bayer, Schalke and Hamburg round off the top three, all with seven points from three games. Wolfsburg are fourth with six from three games.

I will end with a quote from Bayer's coach, Jupp Heyncekes: "It was a funny old game from our point of view as Freiburg were clearly the better side in the first 35 minutes. They could and should have gone 2-0 up. But as so often happens in football, you get punished if you don’t take your chances. It may sound odd after a 5-0 win, but we were the more fortunate side."

Bundesliga Matchday 2: Schalke and Wolves Win Big

Samrin Hasib — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:39:32 -0400

The game of the weekend was supposed to be Bayern vs Werder.

Instead, that turned out to be a lacklustre game with Mesut Oezil opening the scoring with a sweet shot.

Mario Gomez equalized with a goal that summed up the whole game: The goal wasn't pretty and neither was the match.

Final score: Bayern 1:1 Werder

Meanwhile, former Bayern man Ze Roberto was enjoying himself in northern Germany. Hamburg was up 3-1 within the first 12 minutes.

Guy Demel and Nelson Valdez exchanged goals, which only hit the back of the net due to poor defensive errors. Ze Roberto then tucked in a rebound giving Hamburg the lead.

Paolo Guerrero and Marcus Berg completed the rout. The final score was Hamburg 4:1 Dortmund. ( Dortmund also got thrashed 5-0 by Real in the club's 100th anniversary).

So, what has Stuttgart been up to?

They played a good match against second division champions SC Freiburg. Pavel Pogrebynak and Elson gave VfB a 2-0 lead.

Mohammadou Idrissou pulled one back for Freiburg only for Elson to restore the two-goal cushion six minutes later.

Idrissou's second gave Freiburg hope but Julian Schieber's strike ended any chance of a comeback. Final score: Stuttgart 4:2 Freiburg

Frankfurt and Nurnberg played out a 1-1 draw with Caio and Albert Bunjaku trading goals. Mainz play Bayern next.

Hoffenheim seem to be able to do well against most opponents except Bayer.

Last season, they conceded nine against Bayer over two matches and scored only three. This season, a Stefan Kiessling goal was enough to see off Hoffenheim.

Wolfsburg visited Koeln and beat Lukas Poldi's side 3-1.

A goal from Fabrice Ehret was cancelled out when Sascha Riether sent in a cross for Edin Dzeko. Dzeko finished off swiftly.

A Pierre Wome own goal gave Wolfsburg the lead and Obafemi Martins put the icing on the cake by beating a few defenders and sending the ball to the back of the net.

Hanover manager Dieter Hecking stepped down following this result: Hanover 1:1 Mainz. An Aristide Bance goal after the hour mark was cancelled out by Jiri Stajner, thus rescuing a point for the home side.

Gladbach beat Hertha 2-1. Hertha was brought down to earth.

Roel Brouwers scored with a header while Karim Matmour finished from close range to give Gladbach a 2-0 lead. Gojko Kacar got one back but when he hit the bar later, it was quite evident that the day belonged to Gladbach.

Guess who won the first Ruhr derby?—I know it's an easy guess as Bochum were the opponents.

For Schalke however this represented much more than bragging rights in the Ruhr. Who would have thought that Schalke might challenge for the title after last season?

A beautiful shot from 19-year old Christoph Moritz opened the scoring. Heiko Westermann added a second via a header while Jefferson Farfan scored the third.

Final Score: Schalke 3:0 Bochum.

Wolfsburg and Schalke top the table with six points and a goal difference of +4.

Once again, Bayern's loss was Hamburg's gain. Bayern could have done with Ze Roberto on the pitch.

Disagreements between Louis Van Gaal and Franck Ribery about Ribery's playing position were widely publicized in the German newspapers.

Just for a bit of a laugh, I will finish off with a quote from Ribery: "I never said I wanted to leave to Real Madrid. If I wanted to leave, I would have announced it."

Bundesliga Matchday 1: Wolfsburg Back With a Bang

Samrin Hasib — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:10:13 -0400

The season opener between the reigning champions and Stuttgart turned out to be much one-sided than expected. Let's roll back to May 2009.

Stuttgart 4:1 Wolfsburg (Stuttgart: Mario Gomez with 4 goals)

So now, we all know how much the new Bayern man meant to Stuttgart. Without him, Stuttgart lost 2-0. Wolfsburg were the better side and there is not much doubt about that. Zvejdan Misimovic opened the scoring by finishing off an exquisite team move. Grafite scored the second leaving his marker feeling quite forlorn.

What about the Bavarians? They travelled to the Rhein Neckar Arena to play Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim were arguably the better side. Due to Miro Klose's injury forced absence, Ivica Olic started. He scored the first goal after the Hoff defence failed to close Daniel Pranjic down.

Hoff were level terms though with Chinedu Obasi grabbing the goal. The Bayern defence should have closed the assist provider, Vedad Ibisevic but they failed to do so. As a result, the match finished 1-1. It was more of a case of two points lost for Bayern than one point gained.

Felix Magath could be seen raging down the touchline angrily in his first match in charge of Schalke in the Bundesliga. Kevin Kuranyi scored both goals for Schalke, even though his finishing wasn't the best.

In the 88th minute, Schalke allowed Nuremberg back with a goal from Marek Mintal much to the dismay of Magath. The match however finished 2-1 to Schalke.

Anyone remember Werder? Well, Werder gave a horrible defensive showing against Frankfurt that caused them to lose 3-2. They fell behind in the sixth minute from a goal by Ioannis Amanatidis. Werder pulled level through a Mesut Ozil penalty and took the lead through Sanogo. However Amanatidis scored again to level the scores and sub Martin Fenin parried the ball over the net to score the winner.

Dortmund started the season with a win despite not scoring. Due to an own goal by a Koln defender, Dortmund managed to put three points in the bag. Koln did not have either Milivoje Novakovic or Lukas Podolski in their starting line-up.

Bayer and Hamburg didn't start off too well. Bayer drew 2-2 against promoted Mainz courtesy of goals from Stefan Kiessling and Erin Derdiyok. Hamburg on the other hand drew with another promoted side, SC Freiburg. Jonathon Pitroipa scored for Hamburg but Tommy Bechmann pulled the scores level.

Bochum and Gladbach played out a drama-filled 3-3 draw. Gladbach were up 3-0 at halftime due to goals from Juan Arango, Robert Colautti and Rouel Broweurs. After the break, Bochum pulled two goals back, both through Mimoun Azaouagh. Dante then got sent off for Gladbach at the hour mark. Three minutes later, Stanislav Sestak equalized for Bochum.

Hertha started well by picking up all three points against Hannover. Gojko Kacar scored the only goal of the game.

Thus, Wolfsburg are sitting pretty at the top of the table. So, does anyone think Bayern will win their 22nd title this season?

Bundesliga Preview: 2009-2010 Season

Samrin Hasib — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:38:32 -0400

VfL Wolfsburg: Watch and learn! FC Bayern Munchen are back! While BVB and Gladbach gradually try to turn back the years, Bayern have woken up.

Wolfsburg for the first time in their history will be taking part in Europe's elite club competition, the Champions League. Last season, they were knocked out in the early stages of the UEFA Cup and in the quarter finals of the DFB Pokal (German Cup).

PSG and Werder proved to be too much for the Wolves. They were thrashed heavily by both opponents.

They have added depth to their squad though with the likes of Obafemi Martins, Thomas Kahlenburg and Karim Ziani. The club have also managed to hold onto Edin Dzeko, Grafitem and Zvejdan Misimovic.

Stats 2008-09: VfL Wolfsburg

Position in the Bundesliga: 1

DFB Pokal: Quarter finalists (lost 5-2 to Werder)

UEFA Cup: Round of 32 (eliminated by PSG, 5-1)

Best Players: Edin Dzeko, Zvejdan Misimovic and Grafite.

Stuttgart may have lost Mario Gomez. They surprisingly already have lined up quite an able replacement in Pavel Pogrebynak. They have also brought in Aliaksandr Hleb on loan from Barcelona. They seem well positioned to do well in three competitions.

Stats 2008-09: VfB Stuttgart

Position in the Bundesliga: 3

DFB Pokal: Round of 16 (beaten 5-1 by Bayern)

UEFA Cup: Round of 32 (eliminated by Zenit, 4-2)

Best Players: Sami Khedira, Serdar Tasci and Thomas Hitzlsperger.

Dieter Hoeness left Hertha Berlin after 13 years of service. Hertha under Lucien Favre have lost Marko Pantelic, Josip Simunic and Andriy Voronin. The future looks bleak for Hertha. They do not have the depth in their squad to take part in three competitions. However, Artur Wichniarek might be able to make a difference this time, in his second spell with Berlin

Stats 2008-2009: Hertha Berlin Sporting Club

Position in the Bundesliga: 4

DFB Pokal: Round of 32 (lost after extra time, 2-1 to Dortmund)

UEFA Cup: Group Stage Exit

Best Players: None. Hertha is all about being a team.

Hamburg were in the running for three trophies in the last few weeks only to lose out all three at the end. Under Bruno Labbadia, they have already claimed the T-Home Cup. To add salt to Hamburg's wounds, it was their biggest rivals Werder who virtually ended their run in all competitions.

Stats 2008-09: Hamburger SV

Position in the Bundesliga: 5

DFB Pokal: Semi-finalists (beaten by Werder, 4-2 on penalties)

UEFA Cup: Semi finalists (eliminated on the away goals rule, 3-3 against Werder)

Best Players: Piotr Trochowski, Ze Roberto, Marcell Jansen, David Jarolim

Borussia Dortmund would love a return to European competition. They may not be the same side as 1997, but they are gradually turning back the years. Coach Jurgen Klopp has brought in Lucas Barrois and Dimitar Rangelov. They however missed out on European Competition and it remains to be seen how they will cope without Alex Frei.

Stats 2008-09 Borussia Dortmund

Position in the Bundesliga:6

DFB Pokal: Round of 16 (eliminated by Werder, 2-1)

Best Players: Tamas Hajnal, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Mats Hummels.

Hoff, Hoff, Hoff, Hoffenheim! From mouth-watering matches to Vedad Ibisevic they have everything! They have managed to hold onto their stars including Demba Ba. They narrowly missed out on Europe in their first season in the top flight and could make it this season.

Stats 2008-09: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Position in the Bundesliga:7

DFB Pokal: Round of 32 (eliminated by SC Freiburg, 3-1)

Best Players: Vedad Ibisevic, Sejad Salihovic, Andreas Beck

Schalke, now under Felix Magath, might just be filled with a new desire to win. They seemed to lack desire last season. With Fred Rutten and Orlando Engelaar gone, Schalke fans can hope this season, or maybe we might see the same Schalke again.

Stats 2008-09: FC Schalke 04

Position in the Bundesliga:8

DFB Pokal: Quarter finalists (eliminated by Mainz 05, 1-0)

UEFA Cup: Group Stage Exit

Best Players: Manuel Neuer, Jermaine Jones and Benedikt Howedes

Bayer Leverkusen's players have a lot of medals; unfortunately, their trophy cabinet is still pretty empty. They have already lost Patrick Helmes to injury. Yet, their can be renewed hope for silverware especially as the team is now under the experienced Jupp Heynckes. This could be Bayer's breakthrough season, who knows?

Stats 2008-09: TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Position in the Bundesliga: 9

DFB Pokal: Finalists (lost 1-0 to Werder)

Best Players: Simon Rolfes, Patrick Helmes, Renato Augusto, Gonzalo Castro

Diego has left Werder Bremen but Marko Marin has arrived. Marcelo Moreno arrived from Shaktar on loan and will add more attacking options. Claudio Pizarro has returned to Chelsea. A lot of Werder's season will depend on Mesut Ozil's form.

Due to Frank Baumann's retirement, Torsten Frings will take over as captain. Tim Borowski has returned to the club from Bayern. Werder already have the Super Cup to their name this season. They beat Wolfsburg 2-1. They will be looking to do better in the Bundesliga and return to the Champions League.

Stats 2008-2009: SV Werder Bremen

Position in the Bundesliga:10

DFB Pokal: Winners

UEFA Cup: Finalists (lost to Shakhtar , 2-1 after extra time)

Best Players: Ozil, Frings, Borowski, Sebastian Boenisch.

The prodigal son, "Prinz Poldi" Lukas Podolski has returned to Koln. Maniche has signed as well. The squad is experienced and is slowly improving. They will be looking to get into the top 10 of the Bundesliga this season.

Stats 2008-2009: 1.FC Koln

Position in the Bundesliga:11

DFB Pokal: Round of 32 (eliminated by Mainz, 3-1)

Best Players: Milivoje Novakovic, Pedro Geromel, Petit.

Dieter Hecking has the backing of the Hannover board. However it remains to be seen how the worst defence of the Bundesliga in the 2008-09 season performs this season. They will be grateful to have Robert Enke still playing for them. Karim Haggui has been signed from Bayer.

Stats 2008-2009: Hanover 96

Position in the Bundesliga:12

DFB Pokal: Round of 32 (eliminated by Schalke, 2-0)

Best Players: Enke, Arnold Bruggink, Hanno Balitsch, Jan Schlaudraff.

I personally find Frankfurt quite uninteresting. Michael Skibbe has taken over at the club. The squad has been bolstered by the arrivals of Maik Franz from relegated Karlsruhe, Ralf Fahrmann from Schalke, Pirmin Schwegler from Bayer and Selim Teber from Hoffenheim. They already have good players like Caio, Martin Fenin, Nikos Liberopoulos and Amantidis.

Stats 2008-2009: Eintracht Frankfurt

Position in the Bundesliga:13

DFB Pokal: Round of 32 (beaten 2-1 by Hansa Rostock after extra time)

Best Players: Fenin, Liberopoulos, Amantidis

VfL Bochum are relegation battlers almost every season. This season they may not be able to save themselves from the drop.

Stats 2008-2009: VfL Bochum

Position in the Bundesliga:14

DFB Pokal: Round of 32 (eliminated by Hamburg, 2-0)

Best Players: Diego Klimowicz, Paul Frier, Vahid Hashemian, Joel Epalle, Stanislav Sestak.

The 1970s seem a million years away for Gladbach. They flirted with relegation the entire 2008-09 season and on the final matchday, saved themselves with a 1-1 draw against Schalke. They have signed the likes of Juan Arango, Roman Neustadter and Raul Bobadilla in order to replace Marko Marin, Alex Baumjohann and Tomas Galasek. Any team who beats Hamburg 4-1 and Werder 3-2 definitely cannot be considered poor.

Stats 2008-2009: Borussia Monchengladbach

Position in the Bundesliga:15

DFB Pokal: Round of 32 (eliminated by Cottbus, 3-0)

Best Players: Michael Bradley, Rob Friend, Logan Baily, Filip Daems.

FC Nuremberg are back after two seasons away. Two seasons ago, they were playing in Europe and were considered to be the best defence in the Bundesliga. Now, they are back to stave off relegation.

Stats 2008-2009: 1.FC Nuremberg

Position in the 2.Bundesliga- 3 (beat Cottbus in the play-offs)

DFB Pokal: Round of 32 (eliminated by Bayern, 2-0)

Best Players: Marek Mintal, Angelos Charisteas, Javier Pinola.

The DFB Cup semifinalists, Mainz 05 who beat Schalke enroute are back after two seasons away as well. They have bolstered their squad with bringing in Eugen Polanski on loan from Getafe as well as Andreas Ivanschitz from Panathinaikos but they have lost Neustadter to Gladbach.

Stats 2008-2009: Mainz 05

Position in the 2 Bundesliga: 2

DFB Pokal: Semifinalists (lost 4-1 to Bayer after extra time)

Best Players: Aristide Bance

SC Freiburg, the second division champions return to the top flight after a four-year period. I personally do not think that they will be able to avoid the drop.

Stats 2008-2009: SC Freiburg

Position in the 2 Bundesliga:1

DFB Pokal: Round of 16 (eliminated by Mainz, 3-1)

Finally, Bayern will definitely be taking the Bundesliga seriously this season. They have bolstered their squad with the likes of Mario Gomez, Daniel Pranjic, Edson Brafheid, Alex Baumjohann and Anatoliy Tymoschuk.

Stats 2008-2009: FC Bayern Munchen

Position in the Bundesliga: 2

DFB Pokal: Quarter finalists (eliminated by Bayer, 4-2)

UEFA Champions League: Quarter finalists (eliminated by Barcelona, 5-1)

Best Players: Philipp Lahm, Hamit Altintop, Franck Ribery, Miroslav Klose.

I think Hamburg will win the Bundesliga this season. Bayern will come second while Wolfsburg, Werder and Dortmund will complete the top five. The season kicks off on the seventh of August. I reckon Stuttgart will beat Wolfsburg 4-1 in the opening day fixture, but then again, it’s more out of hope than expectation!

Five Conclusions From the Audi Cup

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:33:07 -0400

The Audi Cup is over. Bayern and Man Utd played out the final while Boca and Milan competed for third place. The team which suffered the worst defeat was AC Milan. This is what happened:

Man Utd 2-1 Boca

Goals from Anderson and Antonio Valencia sent Man Utd into the break with a 2-0 lead. After the break, Insua got one back, but it was too little too late for Boca.

Bayern 4-1 AC Milan

This match was a one-sided affair with Bayern proving that they are strong enough to fend off any opposition. Luca Toni, Franck Ribery and Ivica Olic were all injured while Miroslav Klose was out with the flu. As a result, Thomas Muller started alongside Mario Gomez upfront.

Muller did not disappoint. He opened the scoring and later added the icing on the cake by scoring the fourth. Schweinsteiger scored the second and debutant Saer Sene scored the third. Andrea Pirlo scored for Milan when they were 2-0 down. However Bayern gave Milan a thrashing that will not be easy to forget.

Third Place Play-off: Boca 1-1 Milan (Boca won 4-3 on penalties)

Thiago Silva scored for Milan only for Boca to equalize through Lucas Viatri in the 87th minute. Andrea Pirlo and Insua traded misses while Alexandre Pato's miss handed Boca third place.

Final: Bayern 0-0 Man Utd (Bayern won 7-6 on penalties)

Bayern and Man Utd both had chances and failed to capitalize. During the shoot-out, Daniel Pranjic and Evra traded misses at the score at 3-4. Michael Rensing denied Jonny Evans at the score at 6-6. Daniel Van Buyten stepped up and scored, thus handing Bayern their first piece of silverware this season.

Conclusions:

1. Bayern are not heavily dependant on Franck Ribery any more. Bayern played their entire pre-season out without Ribery. They won the Audi Cup without him as well. If Bayern do well in the upcoming competitions without Ribery, it will truly show that Bayern have ample cover for Ribery.

This is not to say that Ribery doesn't make Bayern a better side. He does, but Bayern can also do well without him.

2. There is something seriously wrong with AC Milan. AC Milan's preseason has been nothing short of disastrous. Without Kaka, Milan are going through difficult times. Maybe, the results in pre-season are not that important. However, Milan willl be really down in confidence at the start of the Serie-A season after this pre-season.

3. Man Utd v. Bayern is never a friendly. If you don't believe this, look at the tackles in the match. Somehow, every match they play has a link to the 99' CL final. Bayern never want to lose like that again and defeating Man Utd is special for them. Defeating Bayern is also special for Man Utd.

This time, however, Bayern emerged victorious.

4. Michael Rensing is definitely not a bad keeper. The performance that Rensing put in was nothing short of excellent. Maybe Bayern don't need a new keeper after all!

5. Real Madrid's money has weakened the big sides. Maybe Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka could have made a difference. I am not going to say that Man Utd or AC Milan would have surely won with these guys in their side.

Yet, maybe these players could have made a difference.

Well that's about it. Bayern have picked up their first silverware and maybe more is about to come. Who knows?

A Preview of the Audi Cup

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:08:20 -0400

The car manufacturer Audi AG will be celebrating 100 years of trading this year. To mark the occasion, they have organized a two-day tournament comprising of four teams. All the matches will be played in the Allianz Arena, the home of FC Bayern Munchen.

Bayern will thus be one of the participants. Alongside Bayern are Man United, AC Milan and Boca Juniors.

Willy Sagnol, Gennaro Gattuso, Wes Brown and Carlos Bianchi were all present for the draw. The first round will take place on July 29th. Man Utd will be kicking off the tournament against Boca Juniors on the first match of the day. This will be followed by Bayern against Milan.

Bayern and Milan will both be playing under new managers, Louis van Gaal and Leonardo respectively. Massimo Oddo will also be back in the Allianz Arena after only two months away.

Players to Watch:

Oguchi Onyewu (Milan): He is the first American to play for Milan, and would love to be first choice as well. If coach Leonardo gives him a chance, he will want to prove himself against quality opposition.

Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen (Man Utd): Both these players are new signings and one of them has a particular point to prove. Valencia will want to show the world that he can indeed turn out to be a good signing. Owen, on the other hand, will want to prove that Alex Ferguson made no mistake in signing him, and that he still has a lot left in his locker.

Juan Riquelme (Boca Juniors): Riquelme doesn't need an introduction, the whole world is aware of his quality. Man Utd have to keep an eye on him if they want to progress to the finals.

Anatoliy Tymoschuk (Bayern): The former Zenit captain will surely be one of the starters for FCB. A lot is expected of him, he is a player who can strike the ball well and has good passing skills. Milan have to be wary of him.

The final and third place play-off will take place on the 30th of July. Who do you think will win?

Arsenal Interested in Demba Ba: Could Ba Make It?

Samrin Hasib — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:28:32 -0400

Emmanuel Adebayor is no longer a Gunner. Next season, probably Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner will lead the line. Eduardo might be leading the line next season as well.

Despite the fact that Adebayor appeared lazy, he scored goals. Arsenal fans never really hated him. I, for one, will miss Ade.

I have been hearing rumours that Arsenal are apparently interested in Ba.

We all know about Arsene Wenger's love affair with French players. Demba Ba is Senegalese; however, he was born in France. He currently plays for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

If somebody hasn't heard about Hoffenheim, I will be surprised.

They were the surprise package of the Bundesliga last year. They led the pack during the winter break but eventually finished seventh due to an injury to leading scorer Vedad Ibisevic. They also had to deal with suspensions and other injuries throughout the second part of the season.

Hoffenheim played a style of football resembling that of Barcelona. Obviously, the two teams are of different classes, but for a newly promoted side to achieve what Hoff did definitely deserves praise.

Hoffenheim played with three forwards: Vedad Ibisevic, Demba Ba, and Chinedu Obasi. Ba scored 14 goals in their Bundesliga campaign.

Ba is 6'3", but he is certainly not immobile. He is a forward who is quite mobile despite his size. He has scored 23 times for Hoff in 57 appearances.

He would do well at Arsenal. I for one would love to see Demba Ba at the Emirates. Ba was about to sign for Stuttgart, but the deal fell through at the last moment.

Ba went as far as to say that he wants to leave Hoffenheim.

The club's management board sat down with Ba and asked him to respect his contract there. He has two years left in his contract. If Arsenal come calling, I doubt whether Hoffenheim will be able to hold the 24-year-old back.

Demba Ba won't be that expensive either. Arsene Wenger can buy him or at least try him out on a loan spell. I doubt whether Ba will disappoint. I do realize that switching leagues is not easy but Ba could make it.

I think it's worth a shot.

The Van Gaal Rule: Destined For Success?

Samrin Hasib — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:31:53 -0400

I was lying on my bed in April 2009 and watching CNN. The news of Jurgen Klinsmann’s sacking sent shockwaves through me. A few minutes later, I visited fcbayern.de. My worst fears had come true.

The hiring of Louis Van Gaal was even more shocking than the firing of Klinsmann. Now the question is “Can van Gaal make it?”

Van Gaal likes "possession football". He doesn’t want to go out and attack. He wants his players to keep the ball in possession and wait for the opposition to make a mistake. In the case that his side loses possession, he wants them to make sure that they do not allow the opposition to enter Bayern’s half and as a result keep the ball away from either Michael Rensing or Hans-Jorg Butt.

The new Bayern head coach has already stated that his methods will not bear fruit immediately but will take at least two years to succeed.

The formation which he used in the first half of his first friendly was:

Hans- Jorg Butt

Philipp Lahm Daniel Van Buyten Holger Badstuber (Lucio) Edson Brafheid

Mark van Bommel

Anatoliy Tymoschuk Pranjic (Schweini)

Jose Sosa (Franck Ribery)

Miroslav Klose (Ivica Olic) Mario Gomez (Toni)

The players in brackets were injured, suspended or still on break. Lell was also injured.

First of all, this formation can easily succeed.

However, Mark Van Bommel comes into mind. I doubt whether Van Bommel can protect the back four. Hamit Altintop can do that job as well but is quite prone to injuries.

Lucio is a good defender but sometimes, he can go invincible. Daniel van Buyten can score goals from set pieces and is a pretty good defender. Yet, someone like Messi could cause him problems.

Put Demichelis there and he is going to make last minute tackles. However, not everybody seems to think of him as a solid defender. Breno needs to gain more experience. Badstuber has just been promoted to the senior team. As a result, the centre of defence could be a weak point for Bayern. As far as the flanks are concerned Gorlitz could cover for Lahm when Lahm is injured.

Franck Ribery might not be devoted to Bayern as his mind is currently lying in Spain. Jose Sosa is a good replacement, but just not sufficient enough to cover for Ribery if he gets injured. More so, Sosa needs more experience.

The front pair almost seems like a dream pair. In the case that Gomez gets injured, Toni can cover, but if you ask me, it would be extremely difficult to compensate for Gomez. Klose and Olic are players of the same type. They are equally tall and hard working. I would prefer Klose though. Thomas Muller is another excellent option upfront.

The goalkeepers are pretty good. I don’t think keeping will be too much of a problem in the coming season.

Looking at the squad tells you that Bayern will be scoring plenty of goals. In the absence of Christian Lell the defense will be better. Yet, the defence can easily fall apart. This squad needs to learn to be with each other. The young defenders, meaning Badstuber and Breno need more experience.

This formation could well make it to the Champions League final in two years' time but not immediately. Defence is an important factor in Europe and that’s what looks slightly doubtful to me.

I can see this team coming through but not in less than a year, least not 44 matches. I am not quite sure whether Uli Hoeness will be prepared to accept that. I am not a big fan of the new sporting director Christian Nerlinger either.

Van Gaal is a coach who cares a lot about discipline. That could pose a problem. I am not sure too many players would like staying away from the Munich nightlife.

This is what van Gaal stated at the first conference:

“Mia san mia [a Bavarian saying roughly meaning ‘We are who we are’] and I am who I am,” the club’s first Dutch coach declared. “Assured, arrogant, dominant, honest, hard-working, innovative, but warm and family-oriented—that about sums up my personality,” the 57-year-old stated. “And that’s why I think I’ll fit in here. The culture at Bayern Munich and the Bavarian attitude to life are made to measure for me.”

I think Van Gaal could make it in the long term despite not being a big fan of him. I know it’s too early to tell though. Do you think he can make it?

A Look Back at The Career Of 'The White Brazilian"

Samrin Hasib — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:05:00 -0400

Bayer Leverkusen will always be associated with one man. That man isn't Michael Ballack. Neither is he Rudi Voller. He is the man who spent 10 years of his career and never turned his back on Bayer.

He is Bernd Schneider.

Schneider was born in East Germany in the Nov. 17, 1973.

Schneider started off his career with Carl Zeiss Jena. The then 18-year-old midfielder stayed on with the East German club till 1998. He helped the club stay in the second division for five consecuive seasons. He played 124 matches for Jena, with his debut coming in 1991. He scored 14 goals in the process.

"Schnix" then moved on to Eintracht Frankfurt where he spent the 1998-99 season. He scored four goals in 33 matches. Schneider finally got a call from Bayer. He was part of the 2002 "Neverkusen" side. Schneider, as a result of the move, earned himself a spot in the German National Team.

In the 2003-04 season, Schneider scored 10 goals. This was the highest tally by a midfielder during that season alongside Johan Micoud of Werder. He played 263 matches for Bayer, scoring 35 goals.

His debut for Germany came against New Zealand in the 1999 Confederations Cup. Germany went on to win the match 2-0. Schneider was an integral part of both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup sides as well as the 2004 Euro side.

He scored his first international goal against Saudi Arabia in the 2002 World Cup in an 8-0 thrashing of the Asian side. He was also the vice-captain of Germany. He captained Germany in the opening match of the 2006 World Cup due to Ballack's absence.

All in all, in an international career which spanned almost a decade, Schneider earned 81 caps and scored four goals.

A lot of players would love to have a career like that of the former Bayer captain's. Unfortunately for Schneider, he went extremely close to silverware, but never managed to get his hands on some.

He finished runners-up twice in the Bundesliga, thrice in the DFB Pokal and once in the Champions League. He was a runner up in the 2002 World Cup. In the 2006 World Cup, he and his teammates finished third, as well as in the 2003-04 season in the Bundesliga.

Schneider finally called it a day in June 2009 after failing to recover from a slipped disc. The injury came prior in April 2008. As a result, he missed the tournament. He now works as a scout for Bayer. He and his wife Carina have two children, daughter Emely and son Geovanni.

This is what Schneider had to say about his forced retirement;

"This decision was very difficult for me, but I have had problems since the accident and I am following my doctors' advice."

Schnider will be sorely missed. Joachim Low, Rudi Voller and his team mates had only good things to say about him.

I will end with a quote from Rudi Voller:

"Bernd was a great footballer, who produced magic for Germany and Leverkusen. He is also a very nice and humble person. I wish him all the best."

A Look at FC Bayern's New Signings and Departures

Samrin Hasib — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:20:57 -0400

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

Career Stats:

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

He can play as a forward or as a left winger. The 29-year-old former Hamburg man is extremely hard working. He is a striker of the Miro Klose-mould and a poacher can definitely benefit playing alongside him. Olic is a player I definitely admire and is a fine addition to the squad.

Career Stats:

2002-03- Dinamo Zagreb: 16 goals in 27 appearances

2003-2007- CSKA Moscow: 35 goals in 78 appearances

2007-09—Hamburg: 26 goals in 70 appearances

2002-onwards—Croatia: 13 goals in 62 appearances

6. Alexander Baumjohann

The 22-year-old is a fine addition to the midfield. He has plenty of Bundesliga experience under his belt as well. The Schalke managerial board must be kicking themselves for selling this man. He may not be a regular with Bayern as he was with Gladbach, but he is going to serve as an excellent backup.

Career Stats:

2007-08—M'gladbach II: two goals in eight appearances

2008-09—M'gladbach: three goals in 32 appearances

7. Andreas Gorlitz

Gorlitz is a new face to some at Bavaria due to his two year absence. Bayern sent the 27-year-old to Karlsruher on loan and now the Bavarian is back to his former hunting ground. He started off with 1860 Munchen, but not surprisingly ended up in Bayern.

Career Stats:

2004-onwards—Bayern: 18 appearances

2007-2009—on loan to Karlsruher: 49 appearances

Meanwhile, Holger Badstubber and Thomas Muller have been promoted from the second team to the first.

Now, let's take a look at the departures:

1. Lukas Podolski

The Koln man finally managed to pave his way out of Bayern. He is a striker who can also play on the wings as you all know. Podolski was left out in the cold by Bayern. He wasn't used properly and had to make an impression in only 10 or 20 minutes in a match to get into the starting lineup. He scored 15 goals in 71 appearances for Bayern.

2. Ze Roberto

Ze Roberto joined Hamburg after Bayern offered him an extension of only a year. He will be sorely missed as his creativity is a gift few possess. He scored 14 goals in 169 appearances for the Bavarian Giants.

3. Massimo Oddo

The 33-year-old spent a year on loan from Milan.

Well, that about wraps up the transfers. It's up to you to decide who is the best signing of the lot.