Bayern Munich's 12 Days of Christmas
Christmas is just two days away, and for many football fans around the world, that means an agonizing last stretch to wait before unwrapping FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer 15. It also means eager anticipation of the impending January transfer market and the action of the spring campaign.
In honor of Christmas, B/R has compiled a "12 Days of Christmas" list for Bayern Munich, based on the traditional carol. Selections are meant to match with rhyme, rhythm and/or meaning the originals, like the four calling birds, three French hens, two turtledoves and partridge in a pear tree. Click "Begin Slideshow" to see what Bayern's 12 days of Christmas look like.
Thiago Without a Bad Knee
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A partridge in a pear tree would be of little use to Bayern, but few Christmas miracles for the club could compare to Thiago being without a bad knee. The Spain international took big strides in his career last year and was an integral part of Pep Guardiola's side before a knee ligament injury ended his season prematurely in March and hasn't played since.
Although initially expected to return early in the 2014-15 campaign, Thiago had a setback in August and suffered another knee ligament tear in October, just days after returning to training. He's not likely to return until February or March in any case, but Bayern fans will be happy just to see him put on his kit and play regardless of when.
Two New U19s
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Turtledoves wouldn't be very useful for Bayern, but two new under-19 signings might. Bayern are fourth in their region (the south-southwest) of the German under-19 Bundesliga, seven behind Hoffenheim with a game in hand.
Bayern historically have not enjoyed the same kind of dominance of German youth football that they have in the Bundesliga. Their three under-19 championships puts them level with the likes of Duisburg and Frankfurt, decidedly behind Dortmund (five) and miles behind Stuttgart (10). And their last such title was in 2004.
Bayern have generally done well to sign budding talents raised outside of Bavaria, like Toni Kroos, David Alaba, Emre Can, Mitchell Weiser, Pierre Hojbjerg and most recently Sinan Kurt. But apparently they could use a little more quality in their youth ranks. A couple new under-19s would be welcome this Christmas.
3 Reus Clones
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Some German gems would be better to Bayern than French hens. Specifically, Marco Reus and a couple of his clones would be of good use.
With Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben approaching the latter stages of their respective careers, a couple Reus clones would be perfect additions for the wings. The third, of course, would be for the bench in the inevitable event that one of the others turns his ankle.
With Reus, Reus and Reus teaming up with Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze, Bayern would have a proven combination of attacking players. For the sake of recognition and to save money on shirts, Bayern could even change their club colors to represent Munich's black-and-yellow city colors.
4 Clubs-a-Calling
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All signs point to Xherdan Shaqiri's exit from Bayern this January. Franz Beckenbauer recently admitted (per Daily Mail) that the German giants wouldn't stand in his way, the player's failure to impress this season likely having substantially decreased his transfer value.
According to Swiss source Blick (in German), Shaqiri is free to go for about €12.5 million. What Bayern could use is a bit of a bidding war between clubs interested in the attacker's services to run up the price a bit. Had he left in the summer, he may have fetched nearly double what Bayern are allegedly aiming for now.
1 Golden Ball (Ballon D'or, That Is)
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Forget five golden rings: Bayern will be happy with just one piece of gold this January, and that's the Ballon d'Or for Manuel Neuer.
The 28-year-old was recently shortlisted for the award given to the player seen as the best in the game, and he is the first goalkeeper since Oliver Kahn (in 2002) to make the cut for the final three. He will, however, face serious competition from fellow finalists Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Franck Ribery, a teammate of Neuer's, was also a finalist for the 2013 Ballon d'Or but was beaten to it by Ronaldo and finished third in the voting with Messi ahead of him as well. Bayern will hope that after winning the World Cup with Germany, their star goalkeeper will be given individual credit.
Badstuber Playing
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Six geese-a-laying? No use for Bayern. Holger Badstuber playing? Certainly a welcome present, maybe even a Christmas miracle.
Badstuber spent nearly two full years on the sideline before making his comeback this fall. He made just four appearances, though, before tearing a tendon in September. The injury required surgery to repair and he still hasn't returned to action.
He may be fit to play once more in January, but Badstuber will have to be careful not to put himself under too much stress after such a lengthy absence. By the time he returns, with the exception of the four games he played this fall, he'll have missed two whole years of competitive football.
No Cards for Diving
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Seven swans-a-swimming? Unnecessary. But on the topic of swans, diving is an area where Bayern will want to avoid being caught or even giving referees the chance to blow the whistle on them in 2015.
The problem of simulation is epidemic in football and in fairness, Bayern players are rarely booked for going to ground without reason. But it happens from time to time and the British press in particular has a heyday when it does. There's a good video here of Arjen Robben's dives, be they against top Champions League opponents or even minnows (like 2. Bundesliga side Bochum) against which cheating shouldn't be a requirement and should especially be frowned upon.
Bayern are a top club with a top trainer and have an abundance of class in their squad. They're front-runners in every competition and don't need their success tarnished by controversy, especially considering that they're fully capable of winning on merit alone. Antics like diving are unnecessary and do the club a disservice.
1 Nordic Starlet
8 of 12Bayern would have little use for eight maids-a-milking, but just one Nordic starlet could be a big coup for the club. That would be Norwegian prodigy Martin Odegaard.
The Stromsgodset attacker has attracted interest from top clubs around Europe, and Bayern have a good chance of securing his services. According to Marca, the German record champions are planning to make Odegaard the highest-paid youth player in all of football, with a five-year contract that over time will increase his salary from an initial €1 million to €2.5 million per year.
Given how well-known and universally well-rated Odegaard is, it would be demonstrative of Bayern's allure if they were able to secure the 16-year-old.
Gotze Dancing (through Defenses)
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Bayern don't need nine ladies dancing, but they could use a player dancing through defenses as he's previously shown he can. That player would be Mario Gotze.
The 22-year-old has at times been unstoppable for Bayern; he carried the team from around mid-September to mid-October. But these spells of brilliance have been intermittent. At Dortmund , the now-22-year-old was more consistent despite being a much younger and less developed player. He showed in his youth that he's capable of world-class, leading performances.
Gotze will need to find that level of quality once more if he is to be a true success at Bayern. With Franck Ribery approaching 32 and Arjen Robben turning 31 before a ball is kicked in the second half of the season, the time is approaching when Bayern will fully need the Germany international, who looked to have turned the corner when he scored the winner in the World Cup final but still apparently has a long way to go.
Lord Bendtner Leaping (backward in the Table)
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Ten lords-a-leaping? Well, the Bundesliga only has one lord and that's "lord" Niklas Bendtner. And for Bayern, the preferred leap for Bendtner and his Wolfsburg team is further down the Bundesliga table.
VfL played very well in the first half of the Bundesliga campaign, finishing second in the league table. Bayern have a comfortable lead, but surely wouldn't mind Dieter Hecking's side suffering from a spell of poor form and making it easier still to win the league.
11 Dortmund Starters
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What could Bayern possibly want 11 of more than a players from another Bundesliga team?
The German record champions have already signed two big Dortmund stars in Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski in the last two summer transfer windows and have been linked with Marco Reus (as admitted by CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge per Sky) and Ilkay Gundogan (via German Focus, h/t Daily Mail) this year. As long as they're keen on four of the players who reached the 2013 Champions League final, Bayern may as well see if they can get a package deal for the whole set.
Of course, given Dortmund's form this season, the XI Bayern might buy from BVB may best be used in the reserves to try to secure promotion to the 3. Liga.
A (more Vocal) 12th Man
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The 12th item on the list for Bayern has to be an improved 12th man. The atmosphere at Bayern games is generally good compared to that seen at other top clubs in Europe, but club bosses found room to improve this winter.
Per the official Bundesliga website, CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge announced earlier this month that Bayern will undergo a stadium expansion that will increase the capacity from 71,137 fans to an even 75,000 without making any significant changes to the stadium's structure. Space for the extra 3863 seats will be primarily made by replacing seats with standing room, but there will also be some extra places to sit added in the stadium's upper tier.
The plan is believed to be of significance to helping boost the Allianz Arena's attractiveness as a possible host to future European Championships. It is expected to be completed before the Bundesliga resumes in January.
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