FCB - General Talk

[Oliver_Kahn]

Morning training on Sunday, day three of Bayern's winter training camp, saw the players warm up at the Police Officers Sports Club with a game resembling handball, but over on the touchline, kit man Thomas Reschke was busy unpacking a metal container, from which he extracted a four-metre elastic rope. The demands made by this piece of equipment on the players' fitness were soon to become apparent, although the apparatus was just one of nine exercises in the squad's first circuit training session of the new year.

Reschke tied one end of the rope around himself, with the other end wrapped around a player's waist. The routine required the star to stretch the rope until taut, sprint on the spot for ten seconds, remove the rope as directed by the kit man, sprint forward to a waiting ball, and blast as hard as possible at goal.

Tough but enjoyable

A ball was part of all nine stations on the circuit, increasing the fun factor in the rigorous and demanding strength and stamina exercises which included hurdling with sideways leaps, sit-ups, press-ups, and a variety of pace and aerial power routines. The ball was driven, passed or headed at every station, apart from a set-up designed to tone the stomach muscles, where the ball was of the medicine variety rather than leather.

"This is hard training," Mark van Bommel confessed afterwards as the players completed the 'Circuit of Pain' in pairs for a good hour. Many collapsed to the turf with exhaustion at the end, but there was no mistaking an upbeat and positive atmosphere at the training ground. "We've done good work, and you always enjoy it when you're doing good work," van Bommel insisted.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Bayern are staging their winter training camp in Dubai for the fourth time in a row. The outstanding relationship between the rulers of the Emirate and the club reached a new peak on Tuesday when Munich became the first visiting sports team to train at the stunning facility within the Royal palace complex.

The Bavarian party found even their most lofty expectations exceeded when they stepped out into an exquisite 500,000 square metre facility normally reserved for the exclusive use of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and the Dubai Royal family.

A city in itself

"It's astonishing, having your own training ground," Lukas Podolski commented. The squad worked out on one of numerous grass pitches. "It was a fantastic surface," Podolski added. Bayern media director Markus Hörwick compared the turf to a well-kept green on a golf course.

"We didn't see that much of the rest of the ground," Podolski explained. "The Palace has a number of suburbs," Hörwick quipped, hinting at the vast dimensions of the Royal residence, which fundamentally comprises living, business and sports units. Hörwick was able to make a brief tour of the sporting facility while the players were training.

The highest quality

Alongside the grass pitches, the facility includes courts for volleyball, basketball and the martial arts, a fitness hall, an extensive wellness area, several shooting ranges and a horse-racing course. "It's the best sports facility I've ever seen," Hörwick admired.

Even the most experienced players like Oliver Kahn cannot have been prepared for the scene less than 50 metres away from Bayern's training pitch, as caged white tigers lazily watched the squad at work. The splendid beasts will soon come to regard today's panorama as normality, as the club has been invited to complete the remainder of the training programme in Dubai at the palace complex, until the return flight to Munich next Sunday.

Reception hosted by Sheikh

As if that was not enough of an honour, coach Felix Magath and midfielder Owen Hargreaves were granted a personal audience with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Tuesday afternoon. The Ruler of Dubai hosted a gala dinner in the evening for the entire Bayern party, together with the other three clubs contesting the Dubai Cup.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Dubai must rank as the world's largest building site, as the Emirate is allegedly home to a quarter of the world's cranes - a statistic which feels correct on glancing out of any hotel window. "I saw a postcard from here a few years ago. There was nothing but desert," Daniel van Buyten reflected as he weighed his impressions of a first visit in the flesh.

The tiny state is a massive project under construction, soon to boast the world's tallest building, biggest hotel, largest shopping mall and most extensive theme park featuring the biggest Ferris wheel on the planet. Dubai is temporarily home to German champions Bayern, themselves currently a project under construction in certain areas.

Both ends of the field

"Score more goals, concede fewer" is the club motto as the Reds gear up for the second half of the season. "That's what we'll be working on," coach Felix Magath announced ahead of the ten-day winter training camp. The players agree that attack and defence are the areas most in need of improvement following an inconsistent first half of the campaign.

"It's important that we work on the things you have to be doing automatically," Van Buyten declared with an eye on Munich's defensive record. In an earlier fcbayern.de exclusive interview, he defined the problem in more concrete terms: "Sometimes we've charged forward at will, and then stayed forward."

Talk more, score more

Communication is another area for improvement, the Belgian stopper continued. "We have too many players who don't talk enough.. Communication is vital," he observed. That thought applies as much to the forward line as to the defence. The Reds rate as the second-highest scorers in the Bundesliga with 30 goals in 17 matches, but compared to Werder Bremen's impressive 47, the champions know they could do better.

"We're aware we have to improve," Roy Makaay admitted. "We've failed to create enough chances, especially against the so-called smaller teams," continued the Dutch ace, Bayern's leading scorer on nine goals.

New ideas

Magath has laid special emphasis on how to provide more opportunities, especially against teams who opt for ultra-defensive tactics against the Bavarian giants. "We have to try and introduce more creativity to our game. That's my biggest wish for this team," Sebastian Deisler commented.

Bayern are determined to land a third championship on the trot, heartened by the fact that the foundations for the last two triumphs were laid in Dubai. Provided Magath can complete his reconstruction work, silverware surely lies in wait.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Fitness coach Werner Leuthard again took charge of the squad workout on Friday morning, supervising a series of routines designed to strengthen the players' stomach, back, thigh and upper body muscles. The stars sweated through a gruelling 45-minute session at the Dubai Royal Palace sports facility, but aside from the focus on fitness, Felix Magath has begun feverishly working away on his potential first-choice line-up, aware that only two weeks remain before the Bundesliga action resumes.

The two Dubai Cup matches offered the opportunity to test a variety of midfield formations. "We played with our customary diamond shape against Benfica," the boss remarked, although the Reds lined up with two holding midfielders against Olympique Marseille. "Surprisingly, we looked better going forward than in defence. You'd expect it to be the other way round," he observed.

Thinking in pairs

Magath also surveyed his options up front and at the back in the two friendly matches. At centre-half, Daniel van Buyten and Martin Demichelis started against Lisbon, with the Belgian paired with Lucio against Marseille. The coach announced he would also take a look at Lucio and Demichelis together in an upcoming friendly.

The story was the same in attack, where Roy Makaay and Roque Santa Cruz joined forces for a half against Lisbon, before giving way to Claudio Pizarro and Lukas Podolski. Pizarro partnered Santa Cruz in the first half against Marseille, before Makaay and Podolski took over for the second period. "I'm watching closely. I have to decide which players fit best together," the 53-year-old explained.

Healthy competition

Naturally, the try-outs have had the effect of igniting a battle for places. "I have four strikers, all at approximately the same level. It's going to be a tough choice," Magath reflected. However, the internal competition is undoubtedly healthy, especially in terms of invigorating daily training. The knowledge that places are up for grabs inspires the players to give the final few percent, the coach observed, "and I'm totally satisfied with everyone's commitment."

"The match against Marseille demonstrated the lads' determination to squeeze the last drop out of themselves," captain Oliver Kahn remarked approvingly. Bayern turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 winning margin with a furious last seven minutes. "Morale is absolutely fine," declared Kahn - a man whose regular starting berth is not in question.

[Oliver_Kahn]

I'll give Magath a first-choice line-up:

.........................Kahn
Sagnol.....Buyten....Lucio......Lahm
..........................Ottl
.......................Bommel
Salihamidzic.....................Schweini
.............Makaay.....Pizarro

[Oliver_Kahn]

Seasoned observers of Bayern's strenuous training camps have rarely rated the atmosphere as so light-hearted and relaxed as this year. "Fantastic Brazzo!" - "World-class, Görlitz!" - "Go for it, Roque!" and similar exhortations have been the norm, as the squad shows no signs of flagging even after eight days' hard work. The stars have developed an apparent deep camaraderie both on and off the field.

Junior keeper Thomas Kraft has been on the end of some good-natured humour from his more senior colleagues - "The staircase is just over there!" Claudio Pizarro joshed as the youngster made to get in the elevator, reporters have been (gently) struck with thoroughly sweaty training kit, and the daily news conference punctuated by applause and thumping on the glass of the express lift as it shoots skywards.

Focused and determined mood

"The atmosphere is very relaxed," Roque Santa Cruz observed, while Willy Sagnol described the ambience as "extremely interesting. Everyone's giving it 100 percent, and spirits are high." Bayern show signs of regrouping and pulling together following the trials of the first half of the season. "We all know this training camp will set the tone for the rest of the campaign," Sagnol continued.

The mood at training is correspondingly focused and determined. "The players are totally willing to work on themselves," a satisfied Oliver Kahn remarked. The club captain likes to give a loud and vocal commentary on every move in every training match, joining Mark van Bommel in calling the shots out on the field.

Strongly motivated

As a unit, the players have set themselves the target of a better grade of football compared to the six months before Christmas. "Individual players don't matter. It's important we win as a team," Bastian Schweinsteiger declared. "Obviously you'd rather not be sitting on the bench, but I'm totally prepared to come on and help the team in the last 10 minutes," Santa Cruz insisted, indicators for a burgeoning and deepening team spirit.

A new measure adopted by head coach Felix Magath appears to have worked wonders for the general mood. The players do not deny disliking the unavoidable fitness routines, but the workouts have been made far more tolerable by incorporating the ball wherever possible. "It's always better for a player if you do your stamina work with the ball," Santa Cruz confirmed. The Paraguay man himself provided a moment of humour on the training ground when he took a firm shot directly in what is politely termed the lower stomach area, before crumbling to the ground. Quickly recovered, Roque saw the funny side and joined in the general laughter.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Weary squad

Magath allowed his players a 60-minute practice match by way of rounding off the Dubai training camp, a kickabout which also featured Sebastian Deisler after the midfielder missed the previous day's programme. "It was a fantastic game in the first half, but after half-time, you could see we were a little tired," the coach reported.

That concluded the sporting programme in the Emirate. The party took off for a desert tour in the afternoon, before preparing to fly back to Munich early on Sunday morning. The players have a full day off before reporting for training at 10 am on Tuesday.

[Peddi_Kahn]

hi again !!!
just FC Bayern.!!!

[Oliver_Kahn]

The whole name is FC Bayern München mate.

So tell me, if you were in charge, what team would you play ?

[Peddi_Kahn]

no man
the whole name is FC bayern munchen EV !!
and i dont get ur question ! and its for my poor english but i think u mean that whtz the club that i want to play for.yeas??? its very clear if ur question is it.
FC bayern munchen EV

[Oliver_Kahn]

It's ok mate, I'll do the question better, which XI would you field ?

This is mine:

..........................Kahn
Sagnol......Lucio..........Buyten........Lahm
...........................Ottl
.......................Bommel
.....Salihamidzic..........Schweinsteiger
................Pizarro......Makaay

[Peddi_Kahn]

srry man.im stupid !!!
ok.its my chose:

-------------------------KING!!-------------------
---------------lucio----micho----vanbuyten---
---deisler----hargreavs---schweini--lahm--
----------------------podolski--------------------
-----------------makaay--pizza----------------

i know that seba is over u can change it with sagnol

[Oliver_Kahn]

Yeah mate, it sucks what happened to Deisler.

Hmmm, 3-4-3 I like that.
I would like to see Ottl there instead of Hargreaves as he is leaving.

[Peddi_Kahn]

he(owen) will stay with us till end of his contract and if he is not i love to put karimi there
he is one of best dribblers in the wotrld.believe me.

[Peddi_Kahn]

ok.i accept.use both ottle and karimi like this:

--sagnol---karimi--ottl---lahm---


good??