FCB - General Talk

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Imagine if those Olympic games were in February. We'd be fucked.

Olympics are in summer, so we'll sort something out until then.

Remember, Bayern refused to let van Bommel go to the Olympics with Holland, so same could happen for those guys.

Okay, Breno will be allowed to leave most likely, but I have a feeling that one of Lucio or Micho won't be allowed to leave.

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The German Football League (DFL) has announced the finalised Bundesliga fixture schedule through to the end of March. The plan for matchdays 20 to 26 published on Friday hands Bayern two Sunday matches and five Saturday kick-offs.

Bayern’s league games on matchdays 20 and 21 following the UEFA Cup home and away legs against Aberdeen both take place on a Sunday, initially in Hanover on 17 February, followed by the home meeting with Hamburger SV on 24 February. The run of Saturday fixtures opens with the potentially decisive trip to face Schalke 04 in Gelsenkirchen on 1 March.

On matchday 23, Bayern are scheduled to entertain Karlsruher SC on Saturday 8 March, although the DFL has advised that the game could be switched to Sunday depending on how Germany’s five UEFA Cup representatives fare in the competition. The fixtures in Cottbus on 15 March, at home to Leverkusen on 22 March and away to 1. FC Nürnberg on 29 March are not subject to change.

Follow this link for Bayern’s full 2007-8 fixture schedule.

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Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski looks set to have to remain satisfied with a place on the bench after coach Ottmar Hitzfeld confirmed Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni as his first-choice pairing up front.

Hitzfeld has declared himself pleased with the Klose-Toni partnership in the first half of the season, and confirmed they will remain the two starters when the season gets back underway in February.

“Miro Klose and Luca Toni played well together, so they will start up front unless something unusual happens” explained Hitzfeld.

The ‘General’ said that whether Podolski or Jan Schlaudraff got a chance would “depend on the situation.”

Podolski has already voiced his concern that he would be unhappy with a permanent role as back-up to Klose and Toni.

“If the second half of the season pans out like the first, then I’d have to consider where my future lies” he admitted.

The 22 year old has a contract until 2010, but clubs such as Werder Bremen, Stuttgart and Manchester City have already shown an interest in the German international striker.

With Roy Makaay leaving the Allianz Arena last summer for similar reasons and enjoying a profitable time with Feyenoord, Podolski will be more than aware that at his age he cannot continue to warm the bench at Bayern indefinitely playing second fiddle to Klose and Toni.

Podolski to remain on the bench « Bayern Lounge

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Fuck

I think he'll leave.

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Once upon a time, Lukas Podolski benched Pizarro. So, impossible is nothing.

If things get worse, if the current partnership slows, which I hope and pray that it won't, Podolski could bench someone.

No one is surprised that he won't be a starter this season, neither Podolski himself.

Next season is new story. What happens then, lets wait and see.

One thing is for sure though, Lukas will definately not stay if they tell him he's not gonna start every match.

He will be 23 by summer, and he can't afford to waste those great years.

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Bayern brought down the curtain on their Marbella winter training camp on Saturday with a sense of satisfaction and confidence ahead of the second half of the campaign. After seven days in Andalusia and a total of eleven training sessions, Ottmar Hitzfeld says his team are well prepared for an assault on three trophies in the highly-regarded coach’s last six months at the helm.

“Naturally, my summary is positive,” Hitzfeld declared after the week spent at the Westin La Quinta team base. “Conditions were ideal, and the team was totally focused on the essentials, namely our training programme. I think we’ve worked hard and very successfully,” the 59-year-old told reporters.

All fitness scores improved

Hitzfeld described himself as “very happy“ at the lack of serious injuries during the week in the south of Spain. The “heavy training burden” had caused a stiff limb here and there, but nothing more serious. Apart from Marcell Jansen, set to resume the team programme in two weeks after ankle surgery, the head coach will supervise a full squad in the final week of the mid-season break, before the competitive action resumes in the DFB Cup against Wuppertal in ten days.

The players had worked intensively on their fitness and had come on well physically, amply demonstrated by a series of fitness tests producing results which Hitzfeld said were “very good, better than last summer.“ He and his coaching staff would be building on a “strong foundation” for the remainder of the campaign. “I’m very confident that we’ll be in good physical shape. The job now is to translate that into goals.“

Good food, a bed and a football pitch

Hitzfeld and his assistant Michael Henke also spent plenty of time with the team working on tactics, seeking a return to the sparkling football of the early part of term as the men in red chase honours in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Cup. “The German league title has absolute priority,” Hitzfeld confirmed, “dominating the Bundesliga is a great feeling.“

Hitzfeld praised the decision not to stage any warm-up matches during this year’s camp, ensuring the focus was on fitness and tactics, and reducing the risk of injuries. “You don’t need games to prepare well,” Mark van Bommel agreed, listing the factors which made for a worthwhile training camp: “Good food, a bed and a football pitch, that’s all you need.“

Happy memories of 2001

Bayern now approach the final week of the mid-season break in excellent spirits. “We want to be in good shape for the two friendlies,” commented Hitzfeld, although the General has called a double training session for Monday despite the warm-up match away to Fortuna Düsseldorf the following day. The tempo would not let up until just before Saturday’s meeting with TSV 1860 Munich, “when we’ll have a less intense phase,“ Hitzfeld explained.

The 2008 training camp in Marbella might even prove a lucky omen for the rest of the season. The Bavarians spent the winter of 2001 on the Costa del Sol, before going on to win the Bundesliga and the Champions League. “We’re delighted we came here,” summarised general manager Uli Hoeneß. “And if we end 2007-8 the way we did 2001, it’ll have been an outstanding decision.“

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Originally Posted by Trim17

Imagine if those Olympic games were in February. We'd be fucked.

Olympics are in summer, so we'll sort something out until then.

Remember, Bayern refused to let van Bommel go to the Olympics with Holland, so same could happen for those guys.

Okay, Breno will be allowed to leave most likely, but I have a feeling that one of Lucio or Micho won't be allowed to leave.

Just as I guessed.

Bayern-Stars sollen nicht zu Olympia - Fussball | Bundesliga | Sport1.de

Hoeness has just responded. He says FCB will fight back and try to stop Demichelis and Lucio leaving for the Olympics.

He doesn't agree to let the players leave for the U23-squad.

Hoeness however is not going to stop 18-year-old Breno.

[Podolski]

Podolski should leave if he is not an automatic starter next season.
At the world cup he was the best young player, he beat cristiano ronaldo, torres etc. Look where they are now. He has alot of catching up to do and that won't happen until he's a regular.

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Originally Posted by Podolski

Podolski should leave if he is not an automatic starter next season.
At the world cup he was the best young player, he beat cristiano ronaldo, torres etc. Look where they are now. He has alot of catching up to do and that won't happen until he's a regular.

Totally agreed. He will leave if he's not confirmed as an automatic starter. I still can't see the Klose-Toni duo changing, however Klinsi might plan to play with 3 strikers, or even start Podolski as a winger.

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The tension which always envelops a football club during pre- and mid-season training phases can ultimately be explained by simple maths. The number of players - 24 at Bayern this term – exceeds the number of places available in the team, resulting in intense internal competition. “During breaks, every man entertains hopes of playing,” Ottmar Hitzfeld acknowledged. However, with the second half of the season little more than eight days away, the FCB coach has declared his faith in the side which emerged as the first-choice line-up last autumn. “The players who proved themselves in the first half of the campaign have grown together as a team,” he commented in Marbella.

The lack of wholesale changes was partly due to the brevity of the mid-season break, Hitzfeld explained. Pre-season training occupied a full six weeks, but the winter phase provided just half that time. “My main focus has to be on creating a functioning team which immediately slots into a rhythm,“ the General observed. There would unfortunately be few opportunities to test out other individuals from the squad: “You have to concentrate on the core of the team.“

Competition on the right

Only two positions appear to be the subject of question-marks: Willy Sagnol and Christian Lell are disputing the right-back slot, with Bastian Schweinsteiger, José Ernesto Sosa and Hamit Altintop contesting the berth on the right of midfield. Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni are certain starters up front. “Miro and Luca have built up a good understanding in the first half of term, so we’ll definitely start the second half with them,” Hitzfeld advised.

That means Lukas Podolski and Jan Schlaudraff will have to be content with the bench, at least for the first few weeks. Due to a stubborn bout of flu, Podolski “lost a few valuable days’ training,” Hitzfeld reported, calling on the Germany international to make up the deficit as quickly as possible. The same applied to new Brazilian signing Breno. “He needs to get used to the intensity of our training programme,” Hitzfeld said.

Eight days to go

In-session tests showed Breno’s pulse rate accelerating to high levels extremely rapidly. The 18-year-old “needs to work on his stamina,” the coach observed. The player himself agreed. “In Brazil, we only trained in the morning, but it’s twice a day here, and that’s a shock to the system,” he acknowledged in Marbella. “We won’t be in a position to pick Breno to begin with,” Hitzfeld explained.

However, Breno, Podolski and all the other stars are well aware that the last word has yet to be spoken regarding the starting line-up for the German Cup Round of 16 tie against Wuppertaler SV on 29 January. The players have eight days and two friendly matches to put forward a case for inclusion when the action starts again in earnest.

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Ottmar Hitzfeld had warned his players to expect “intensive” training on Monday, saying he would “not take too much account” of Tuesday’s friendly away to Fortuna Düsseldorf. The coach was as good as his word. In their first workout on Bavarian soil since returning from Marbella, the stars pulled weights, repeatedly threw and caught medicine balls, and sprinted hard up a nearby incline. The sound of the players gasping for breath was audible from some distance, although on closer inspection, it became clear the squad was far from complete.

Long-term casualty Marcell Jansen (rehab after ankle surgery) was an expected absentee, but Franck Ribéry, Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Michael Rensing also missed the double training session on Monday. The quartet all reported minor injuries, and none is likely to feature in the trip to Düsseldorf. “In all probability, they won’t play“, confirmed assistant boss Michael Henke, “although we’ll have to wait and see. Obviously, we don’t want to take any risks.“

Ribéry sidelined

Ribéry has already ruled himself out of the warm-up clash at the LTU Arena, although the France superstar said he expected to resume training on Wednesday. Both Ribéry and Miroslav Klose are suffering from stiff hamstrings, but it was back pain which prompted Podolski and Rensing to sit out Monday’s programme. On a more positive note, Willy Sagnol (knee) and Jan Schlaudraff (strain) have shaken off minor knocks and trained as normal on Monday, with Klose recovering sufficiently to take part in the afternoon session.

Jansen continues to work his way back to fitness. The left-sided player, who required surgery to repair ankle ligament damage last December, reported to fitness coach Thomas Wilhelmi for a workout which involved plenty of passing, crossing and shooting. Jansen is hoping to resume the squad programme in late January or early February.

Penultimate test on Tuesday

The fit members of the squad will fly to Düsseldorf for Tuesday’s penultimate warm-up match before the competitive action resumes in just over a week. Hitzfeld offered his men no respite from the rigours of mid-season training ahead of the game, but the men in red will nevertheless take the meeting with the third division outfit seriously. “Even though it’s mid-season, we at Bayern can never allow any opponents simply to turn up and win,“ Henke declared. In any case, the players know it is one of the last opportunities to put themselves forward for starting places in the team.

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Bundesligakapitäne: FCB wird Meister

Das ist eindeutig. 15 der 18 Mannschaftskapitäne der Bundesligisten tippen, dass der FC Bayern in der Rückrunde nichts mehr anbrennen lässt und seinen 21. Titel holt. Einzige Ausnahmen: Wolfsburgs Kapitän Marcelinho glaubt an Werder Bremen, genauso wie Bremens eigener Spielführer Frank Baumann auf den Vize-Herbstmeister setzt. Stefan Beinlich von Hansa Rostock tippt auf seinen Ex-Klub Hamburger SV. „Ich glaube, dass wir relativ souverän Meister werden“, sagt hingegen Oliver Kahn.

Fifteen of eighteen Bundesliga teams captains have tipped on FC Bayern to become champions of the season. Only Marcelinho (Wolfsburg), Baumann (Bremen) and Beinlich (Rostock) think FCB won't win their 21st BL title this season.

Marcelinho tipped on Werder to become champions, together with Bremen's captain Baumann. Meanwhile, Beinlich tipped on his former club Hamburg to win the title.

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Bayern are to clamp down on bad behaviour by making their players sign a code of standards

At a meeting on Wednesday, Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld and his team sat down and drew up a list of rules by which all players and staff at the club must be bound in a bid to stamp out bad behaviour.

From Oliver Kahn's ditching of the Christmas Party in favour of a Munich nightclub to Christian Lell's drunken escapades in the city, Bayern have been no stranger to controversy in recent times, either on or off the pitch.

But boss Hitzfeld, who is leaving the club in the summer to pursue other interests, is determined to make his final months in charge disciplined ones.

Example For The Youngsters

"We've worked on this so that first and foremost the younger players have some rules and guidelines," the General explained. "It deals with how the team conduct themselves, but also how individuals behave in public and in relation to one another. But it's also about conduct on the field of play and how we address the media."

Kahn's Fault?

This 'code of honour' as Hitzfeld calls it contains many finer points, but the coach refused to go into details. It is widely believed that Kahn's disgraceful attitude towards the club's Christmas bash, where he shunned making the traditional captain's speech and left the club's management embarrased in front of sponsors, was the final straw in putting together the set of rules. Kahn himself was disciplined internally and suspended from the final league game before the winter break.

Rueckrunde

Bayern kick off the second half of their Bundesliga campaign on Friday night at Hansa Rostock. As is tradition, the team who top the league at Christmas are always the first to get underway in the new year.

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Bayern have successfully contested the first two competitive fixtures after the winter break, only for half the squad to disappear from Munich for a variety of destinations around the globe. Wednesday sees the first round of internationals of the new year, all of them friendly matches, with 13 of the 24-strong Bayern squad called up to represent their countries.

The largest single contingent will feature for Germany away to Austria. Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski have been nominated by coach Joachim Löw for the warm-up against the Euro 2008 joint hosts in Vienna. The Germans will be without a number of regulars through injury, but Löw is confident of giving Podolski a run-out. The Reds striker has been sidelined recently with a slipped disc, but is now "fit and capable of playing,“ Löw announced.

Comeback for Sagnol

The same applies to Franck Ribéry. The midfielder was substituted at half-time in Rostock last Friday complaining of a stretched hamstring, but the measure was only precautionary and the player should be fit to appear for France against Spain in Malaga. Moreover, Willy Sagnol returns to squad duty for his country for the first time in more than ten months. The right-back last pulled on a France jersey on 24 March 2007, before sustaining serious cartilage damage while appearing for Bayern a short time afterwards.

Munich top scorer Luca Toni makes the short trip to Zurich, where Italy meet Portugal. The air temperature is bound to be more agreeable for Hamit Altintop in Istanbul, where he represents Turkey against Sweden. Dublin is the somewhat chillier destination for Lucio and Breno, with the centre-back duo set to line up for Brazil against Ireland.

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