FCB - General Talk

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Following Thursday’s 5-1 UEFA Cup victory over Aberdeen, Bayern’s quest for a triple continues apace next week with a Bundesliga clash against Hamburger SV and a DFB German Cup showdown with TSV 1860 Munich. The three crunch fixtures usher in an intense period which – if all goes according to the Munich master plan – would see the Reds playing twice a week right through to the last league matchday on 17 May.

In the circumstances, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is certain to call on every member of his squad at some point. Against Aberdeen, the General made four changes to the team which beat Hanover last weekend, resting Zé Roberto, Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and bringing in Marcell Jansen, Lukas Podolski, Andreas Ottl and Toni Kroos.

All good enough for the team

“If we reach both the finals we’re aiming at, we’ll play another 24 matches this season. You can’t do that by confining yourself to 11, 12 or 13 players,” Hitzfeld explained. “We have a strong squad, all of them good enough for the first team, so resting one or two of them is only normal. We’ve reached the stage of the campaign when we need 15, 16 or 17 players. We have to apportion our resources intelligently, so we’ll continue to rotate the squad.“

“Ottmar’s rotation was just fine today,” general manager Uli Hoeneß observed. All the new faces in the team performed well, with a star turn from Podolski, who took his UEFA Cup goals total to four. “I’m delighted he did so well,” commented Hitzfeld, “he was present right from the start, his movement was good, he went looking for the ball, and his passing was great. He’s coming along well.“

Happy with the burden

Eighteen-year-old prodigy Kroos had an equally good game out on the left, delivering a fine series of set pieces into the Scottish box. “He lived up to all our expectations today,” Hoeneß declared. “I really like two matches a week, I have a better chance of playing,” offered Kroos, revealing his personal recipe for success: “You have to give everything in training and put yourself forward, and then seize your chance in a match.“

That certainly applied to Jansen, who competently survived a buffeting from the robust Aberdeen defenders in the first half, and to Andi Ottl, a solid replacement for Zé Roberto in the holding role. “What the coach is doing is great. We’re rotating a little but we’re still winning, and that’s how it needs to continue,” said Willy Sagnol, himself rested for the first leg in Aberdeen last week.

Plenty in reserve

Perhaps the most important conclusion for Hitzfeld on Thursday was that he can place complete faith in his “second string” players – if indeed such a thing exists at Bayern. “I believe any player can stand in for any other. That’s why we’re so strong,” the General commented, delighted by the range of options on offer. It will come as little surprise if the team to face HSV on Sunday looks different again to the line-up which comprehensively outplayed Aberdeen.

[cezaris_lt]

Who know something more about Bayern Junior team. Which players are most talented, best?

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The chant of “We’re gonna win the league!” started after 67 minutes, initially on the south terrace, before spreading to the entire Allianz Arena. Bayern had just taken a 2-0 lead over Karlsruher SC, while second-placed Werder Bremen were conceding two goals in as many minutes against VfB Stuttgart. The Munich crowd saw that matchday 23 could be a milestone on the way to the league title.

“We watched events unfold in Stuttgart with a broad smile," confessed Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld following the champions’ 6-3 victory over Werder. The Bavarians’ 2-0 success against KSC took the men in red seven points clear at the top of the standings “It’s been a nice afternoon,” said a beaming Uli Hoeneß.

33 points still to play for

Nevertheless, no-one in the Bayern camp was prepared to describe the day’s events as anything more than another step on the road to the trophy. “It’s a reassuring lead, but nothing’s decided yet. We’re a long way from home and dry yet. Bremen and Hamburg could still win the league,” said Hitzfeld, firmly dampening any signs of complacency. “It’s by no means over, but it’s a reasonable gap back to second place,” Hoeneß offered.

Oliver Kahn agreed wholeheartedly. “I’ve been through so much, and experienced countless title races. There are 11 games to go, and that’s a long, long way,” the skipper intoned. The Bundesliga clubs all have 33 points still to play for. “Teams have thrown away bigger leads before now,” Kahn warned.

Kahn believes in the squad

However, Kahn does not believe Bayern will join that group: “I just don’t have that feeling with our team at the moment.“ The captain’s team-mates provided plenty of convincing evidence against Karlsruhe. The Bavarians triumphed at home for the first time since Christmas, comfortably enough without ever sparkling, and have now won their last four matches in all competitions.

“It wasn’t exactly perfect today, it left a lot to be desired. But these are the games you have to win if you want to end up as champions,” analysed Hoeneß. Luca Toni’s excellent finish on 41 minutes and a world-class effort from the (yet again) outstanding Franck Ribéry (64) saw the Reds complete an ultimately routine victory. “We weren’t any worse in recent home games, but we hit the target this time,” declared Kahn, also praising another solid defensive performance on the day.

Strength in depth

In truth, Karlsruhe failed to create a chance worthy of the name. “I think we’re playing to our strengths at the moment: confidence, experience and authority,” mused Hoeneß. Less than 48 hours after the trip to Anderlecht, and despite another six changes to the starting line-up, the result was never in serious doubt. “Karlsruhe pushed us to the limit today. We had to cover a great deal of ground. We wouldn’t have won with the same line-up we had in Anderlecht,” Master of Rotation Hitzfeld insisted.

Bayern’s decisive advantage may not be restricted to one-off talents such as Ribéry and Toni, but also their large and fundamentally well-balanced squad. “Yes, that’s our strength at the moment,” Kahn agreed. No matter how many changes Hitzfeld makes, the team functions as a unit. Miroslav Klose felt able to draw only one conclusion: “The only team who can beat us is ourselves.“

[Munchen Minded]

This is very true, we can't start celebrating the championship yet. 33 points is alot, and we've all seen many different teams blow this. Plus, last year nobody expected Stuttgart to win the championship, yet toward the end of the season they put together an amazing run that lifted them to the top -- so we can't count out teams that start to have amazing runs. We have to beat Stuttgart and Leverkusen though.

[Oliver_Kahn]

The German Football League (DFL) has issued the final Bundesliga match schedule through to the end of the season, setting precise dates for the remaining provisional fixtures from matchday 27 to matchday 31. For Bayern, it means a long run of league fixtures exclusively on Sundays and Wednesdays.

After each of the UEFA Cup home and away matches against Getafe, Bayern will contest their league fixtures at 5 pm on a Sunday. The Bavarians entertain VfL Bochum on 6 April, before Borussia Dortmund visit the Allianz Arena a week later on 13 April. The next league encounter is during the week, when Bayern travel to face Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday 16 April at 8 pm.

Bring on the champions

Bayern also play on Sundays following the dates set aside for the DFB German Cup final (19 April) and the UEFA Cup semi-finals. Champions VfB Stuttgart visit Munich on 27 April, with the men in red travelling to VfL Wolfsburg a week later on 4 May. Matchday 32 is then another midweek match when Bayern entertain Arminia Bielefeld at 8 pm on Wednesday 7 May.

Matchdays 33 and 34, when Bayern travel to Duisburg and then complete the campaign at home to Berlin, will as normal feature all matches kicking off at the same time on Saturday afternoon.

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There are definately some tough weeks coming on later, we'll have matches every wednesday and sunday.

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Ottmar Hitzfeld rewarded his players for beating Leverkusen by cancelling training on Easter Sunday and Monday, potentially the last time the Bayern boss will feel able to hand his men two free days in a row this term. Should Munich make it to the UEFA Cup final, the Bundesliga leaders will play twice a week from now until the end of the campaign.

However, this week is an exception, as Bayern are not due in Nuremberg until Saturday. Even so, there will be no additional rest for almost half the first-team squad, as eleven Bayern stars have been called up to represent their countries in a round of international fixtures to be played in North Africa and Europe.

Euro 2008 warm-ups

The matches may only be friendlies, but they are more significant than usual for eight Munich stars, as they offer a final chance to impress before the naming of squads for this summer’s Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

As normal, Germany accounts for the single biggest Bayern contingent. Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Lukas Podolski and Marcell Jansen have been called up by coach Joachim Löw to meet Euro co-hosts Switzerland in Basel.

Prestige at stake

Considerable pride is at stake when Franck Ribéry and his France team-mates take on England in Paris, although Willy Sagnol (neck) misses out with injury. World Cup holders Italy and Luca Toni travel to Elche in Alicante province for an equally prestige-laden meeting with Spain. Minsk is the destination for Hamit Altintop and Turkey in a run-out against Belarus.

Belgium meet Morocco in Brussels, but the home team failed to make it to Euro 2008, so Daniel van Buyten and his men will have their thoughts trained on the forthcoming qualifying contest for the next World Cup. Martin Demichelis and Argentina also face North African opposition, as the Gauchos travel to Cairo for a meeting with freshly-crowned continental champions Egypt.

No injuries, please

World Cup qualifying is already underway in South America, and the Argentines will be using the midweek fixture as preparation for their next two competitive matches in June, which include a clash with arch-rivals Brazil. The Seleçao are also in action on Wednesday, when captain Lucio leads out his men against Euro hopefuls Sweden in London.

Bayern’s current international stars are due back in Munich on Thursday, where the coaching staff will be waiting anxiously for news of any injuries. “The most important thing is that we get the players back in good health,“ commented head coach Hitzfeld.

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Bayern's international stars returned to Munich from a round of friendly internationals in midweek with a record of four victories, a draw and two defeats. The biggest smiles belonged to Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Franck Ribéry, who not only ended up on the winning side, but also showcased their talents in imposing style in the final tests before the naming of squads for this summer's Euro 2008.

Germany took on Euro co-hosts Switzerland in Basel and rattled up an impressive 4-0 victory, Klose opening the scoring on 23 minutes with his 38th goal for his country, thereby overtaking Oliver Bierhoff to go seventh in the German all-time scoring chart. The remaining goals in Germany's 800th senior international fixture came from VfB Stuttgart star Mario Gomez (61, 67) and 58th minute sub Podolski (89), who now has a remarkable 25 goals in 46 appearances for his country.

France down England

"We were prepared to run and we were well-organised,“ analysed Philipp Lahm, one of four Bayern men in the Germany starting line-up alongside Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Marcell Jansen. With 74 days remaining until the start of hostilities this summer, the Germans restored a lot of the reputation lost in a lethargic 3-0 win against the other co-hosts Austria a short time ago. "We can get even better once we've had a decent period of time together,“ reflected Lahm, "we'll be an even better team at the Euro than we were today.“

Over in Paris, France underlined their European championship ambitions with a 1-0 victory over England, Ribéry scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot on 32 minutes after a foul on Nicolas Anelka. Ribéry was the most dynamic player on display in a tactical encounter at the Stade de France, where the home side were rarely threatened by a disciplined but toothless England, for whom David Beckham earned a 100th and potentially final international cap.

Wins for Lucio and Micho

Lucio emulated Ribery in completing 90 minutes on Wednesday, helping Brazil to a 1-0 success against Sweden in London. Milan hitman Pato struck for the Lucio-captained Seleção, who were without superstars Ronaldinho and Kaka. Two goals settled the issue in Cairo where Argentina took on African champions Egypt. In a low-paced match, Agüero (66) and Nicolas Burdisso (84) netted for the Gauchos, for whom Martin Demichelis featured until the 82nd minute.

Hamit Altintop spent considerably less time on the pitch for Turkey away to Belarus in Minsk. The Bayern man was forced out of the action after just 22 minutes and watched as the match ended 2-2. The home side twice took the lead through Vitali Kutuzov (34) and Aliaksandr Hleb (64), but Tuncay Sanli (37) and Tümer Metin (72) levelled for the Turks.

Toni out of luck

Bayern's losers on the night were Luca Toni and Daniel van Buyten. The Italian and his team-mates fell 1-0 to Spain in Elche, although the result was a shade harsh on the Squadra Azzurra who failed to convert a string of decent chances. Toni, who played the first half for the Italians, was unlucky to see a 12th-minute header ruled out for an alleged offence, and Mauro Camoranesi hit the bar shortly after half-time. The Spaniards' winner came from an opportunistic David Villa strike 13 minutes from time.

In Brussels, Van Buyten and Belgium fell to a sobering 4-1 home defeat against Morocco. Soufiani Alloudi (14) and Tarik Sektioui (35) struck as the Belgians turned in a dismal first half display, but the Red Devils fought back and Axel Witsel reduced the arrears on 51 minutes. However, Nabil El Zhar (83) and Abdessalam Benjelloun (90) netted in the closing stages to seal the Moroccan victory.

[Munchen Minded]

Overall, pretty good friendlies. I am sad about altintop though.

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Bayern were dealt a severe injury blow on Wednesday when Hamit Altintop sustained a fractured metatarsal while playing for Turkey against Belarus in Minsk. The midfielder will be sidelined for six to seven weeks, after Professor Dr. Ludwig repaired the damage surgically at Bogenhausen hospital on Thursday morning.

Left-back Marcell Jansen also picked up a knock or two after some rough tackling in Germany's 4-0 demolition of the Swiss in midweek, and reported to the club medical unit for treatment on Thursday. However, the player has declared himself fit for Saturday's Bundesliga trip to Nuremberg.

That also applies to Martin Demichelis, who returned from Argentina's visit to Egypt sporting a black eye. Apart from Altintop, the only definite absentee from the Bavarian derby is Mark van Bommel, who serves a one-match ban after collecting a fifth yellow card.

[Vargas_4]

Fuck!

We lost 3 players who are in top shape 'cause of the damn friendlies!

We knew Van Bommel was gonna be banned for the 5th yellow card.

[RunX]

the freindly matches are rubbish !! and garbage for the clubs !! ..
Ohh Altintop :S we will miss yu !

[Munchen Minded]

Altintop is an awesome player, and we sure as hell could have used him at the UEFA cup. he is aggressive, has powerful shots, and IMO alot stronger than Schweini, even though Schweini did do OK in that game. Yep, he is missed!!!

[RunX]

Barcelona with getafe tomorow !
i want barcelona big win it would help us ..

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FC Bayern are already nine points ahead of FC Schalke 04 in second place and look set for their 21st title. bundesliga.de looks at the reasons.

The defence

FCB have conceded just 16 goals after 27 matches, that's the best record in club history. Only one team had been better at this stage: Werder Bremen in 1987/88 (15). FCB are the only club that haven't conceded a header. Their opponents have had just 84 shots on target, all other teams have allowed at least 102. 14 clean sheets are also unrivalled.

New signings

40 of the 47 Bayern goals were scored by new signings, that's 85 per cent. That's the best record in the Bundesliga!

The World Cup winner

Luca Toni is on top of the goal-scoring charts with 16 goals. He has opened the scoring in eight and got on the score-sheet in twelve matches, both is unrivalled in the Bundesliga. He also had 52 shots on target, more than any other Bundesliga player.

Stamina

FCB have scored 22 goals inside the last 30 minutes, the best record in the Bundesliga. At the other end of the pitch they have conceded just three goals in the final half hour.

The mind

Ottmar Hitzfeld's team has lost just 25 per cent of the matches that saw them go 1-0 down. All other teams have lost at least 44 per cent of those. Bayern also went on to win 93 per cent of the matches in which they opened the scoring themselves.

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