FCB - General Talk

[Poldi]

Clark Whitney looks at the much-needed summer improvements underway at the Allianz-Arena ahead of the Bavarians' Champions League challenge...

Despite their recent domestic double, a long series of shaky UEFA Cup performances this year have indicated that Bayern will have a long way to go if they are to challenge for next year's UEFA Champions' League title. Although they are on pace to set a record for fewest goals allowed in a Bundesliga campaign with 20 in 33 matches, the Bavarians allowed a surprising 18 goals in just 14 UEFA Cup ties. With current coach Ottmar Hitzfeld set to make way for Jürgen Klinsmann at the end of this year, all eyes will be on the newcomer to lead his team to success in Europe.

Once reunited with several members of his Germany side that took 3rd place at the 2006 World Cup, Klinsmann will most likely adopt his tried and true 4-1-2-1-2 formation - a significant change from Hitzfeld's conservative 4-2-2-2. This formation change will make Bayern more versatile on the attack, providing central attacking options and allowing them to link the two wings through a central attacking midfielder. In increasing his midfield's versatility Klinsmann will hope to relieve the pressure on French left-winger Franck Ribéry while also making the Bayern attack less predictable. On the other hand, the single man in the defensive midfield will have a great deal of pressure on his shoulders. In order to avoid the woes they suffered in Europe this year, Bayern may need to make a few transfers, particularly in the midfield.

Central Concerns

While many attribute Bayern's lack of European success to poor defending, the reality is that the Bavarian back four (and 3-4 of their substitutes) are as good a defense as any in the world. The real problem has been in Bayern's central line. The Bavarians have had problems maintaining possession in the attacking half, mostly because they have left Ribéry isolated on the left without a central attacking partner for him to work with, and their right wingers have tended to lose the ball easily.

In the UEFA Cup matches in which Bayern allowed more than 1 goal: Ribéry was completely neutralized by a being doubled up upon, or even sandwiched by three defenders, often resulting in a counterattack for the other side that holding combination Zé Roberto and Mark van Bommel were often unable to stop. Thus, the two major positions that Bayern needs to improve are the holding midfield and the right wing, and perhaps the centre attacking midfield.

Although Marseille midfield anchor Lorik Cana was linked with Bayern earlier this year, the Bavarians have seemed to prefer the more experienced Gennaro Gattuso. The latter, often called the "Snarling Dog," is a tenacious, defensive-minded and has expressed interest in leaving AC Milan. According to recent reports, Bayern have offered him a 33% pay increase and are in the final stages of negotiating a transfer fee with Milan.

On the right wing, there may and may not be any changes. Current right-winger Bastian Schweinsteiger lost his favored left side role with the coming of Ribéry, and has faced heavy competition from Turkish international Hamit Altintop. Although Schweinsteiger has been a shadow of the figure he was at the 2006 World Cup, many hope that Klinsmann will once again bring the best out of him as well as out-of-favor striker Lukas Podolski. Still, Klinsmann may opt to move Schweinsteiger to the central attacking role he played during his youth, where he'll receive stiff competition from 18-year-old wonderkid Toni Kroos. From the lack of right wing transfer rumors, it's probable that Klinsmann will be content with his current options of Schweinsteiger, Altintop, and José Ernesto Sosa.

Looking Ahead

When all is said and done, we can expect Bayern to have a new defensive midfielder and possibly another right-winger. If the latter comes, we can expect to see the departure of Sosa or Altintop. The rumored departures of Schweinsteiger, Podolski, and defenders Lúcio, Philipp Lahm, and Willy Sagnol are unlikely to occur, as general manager Uli Hoeneß has repeatedly stated his commitment to keeping Bayern's stars at the Allianz Arena.

Therefore we can expect to see Klinsmann at the helm of a Bayern team with both quality and depth. The main questions are whether he will be able to bring the best out of Bayern's youth and struggling stars, and whether his tactics will make Bayern a consistent and dynamic threat not only in the Bundesliga, but also the UEFA Champions' League. Another exciting season at Bayern awaits this autumn!

Goal.com - Editorial - Bayern München: Strengthening This Summer?