Bleacher Report - FC Bayern Munich

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!

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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."

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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.

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