Daniele Maccarrone casts an eye on what has been left of a 'Titan' called Oliver Kahn.
To say that it’s not been a good season for Bayern Munich would be the understatement of the season.
Out of the fight for the title, out of European competitions, out of the run for a place in the Champions’ League next season, they were taught during the 1-1 draw on Saturday, by an already relegated Moenchengladbach, what pride meant.
The lack of pride, however, is only one of several fallacies that have plagued the Bavarians' season.
When you win, it is great to have praise for everyone, but when you lose, it is most uncalled for to accuse your team-mates of not showing enough, exonerating yourself, particularly as the skipper. That’s what we see now from one Oliver Kahn.
The former German national captain accuses his mates of playing below their standards, as if he himself is free from blame. Perhaps the team has been below par, but could it be possible that his decline has had something to do with it?
It’s time to make a true and more credible analysis.
As a matter of fact, Bayern’s defence this year was completely unprepared to face both the domestic and European competitions. Both Lucio and Sagnol were inconsistent; Philip Lahm was never close to the player we saw in the World Cup; Van Buyten was more devoted to score than to defend, and Ismael was injured for the most of the season.
When a team has such problems in the rear, even more of the hopes lie the keeper, and Kahn was very seldom reliable this season. Errors have plagued his goalkeeping; he rarely jumps, and is most definitely down on agility.
His athletic condition cannot even be compared with that of other internationals such as Buffon, Casillas or Cech. Even the oft-criticised Edwin van der Sar (ask Juventus fans), or other old colleagues like Angelo Peruzzi and Fabien Barthez offer more guarantees between the posts.
Let alone guarantees, he has hardly worked proactively on keeping his defence organized, going more often for the glare and bark after the goals have been conceded. In Germany he is known as 'the man who always wants to win', one who always demands a lot. But you cannot expect from others what you are no longer able to provide!
In the 2002 World Cup, Kahn took Germany almost single-handedly to the final, papering over any deficiencies his defence might have had (you have to wonder how defensive errors would have been analyzed, but for his string of saves). From that moment onwards he was 'Kahn the Titan', and became the first goalkeeper to receive the Golden Ball as best player of the World Cup.
But Titan he no longer is, and it is he who must realize that. His influence on Bayern as a skipper has waned too, and with no Michael Ballack to drive the team on, the lack of leadership has been felt severely.
It’s difficult for a top player to find the right moment to hang his boots (or gloves, in this case), especially if he was considered the very best not so long ago.
What distinguishes a real champion from the commoner, is the ability to cope with defeats with the same class they do with victories, and he must understand that he is being defeated in the race against time. All that remains of the Titan is a normal sized man. It’s better to stop now, before the man turns into a dwarf.
Goal.com - Editorial/Comment - Oliver Kahn: A Titan No More