Ottmar Hitzfeld - Former legendary Bayern coach - Page 2 - TalkSoccer

**Oliver_Kahn** · 03-02-2007, 01:45 PM

Ottmar Hitzfeld boasts an outstanding record from his previous six-year spell as Bayern head coach. Between 1998 and 2004, the 'General' led Germany's most successful club to the World Club Cup and the Champions League, four Bundesliga titles and two DFB German Cup triumphs. During Hitzfeld's tenure, Bayern contested 304 matches in the Bundesliga, Champions League and the German Cup, winning 189 or an impressive 62 percent of their games.

Hitzfeld's season-by-season record with Bayern:

Code:

Season	    Bundesliga	    Champions League	German Cup
1998-1999	Champions	Final	            Final
1999-2000	Champions	Semi-final	Winners
2000-2001	Champions	Winners	       2nd round
2001/2002	Third	          Quarter-final	   Semi-final
2002-2003	Champions	Group stage	Winners
2003-2004	Second          Round of 16	Quarter-final




Match results   	Played	 Won	Drawn	Lost	Goals
Bundesliga	          205	129	40	36	F415 A184
Champions League	72	36	22	14	F106 A72
German Cup	         28	24	0	4	F83 A26

**Trim** · 03-02-2007, 01:56 PM

He did great with us, but his last year with us sucked completely.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 03-02-2007, 02:04 PM

All coaches have their bad years.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 04-02-2007, 01:04 PM

Ottmar Hitzfeld's working day did not end when he got back to his hotel room in the early hours of Saturday morning. The 58-year-old had brought a tape with him from Nuremberg showing the full and occasionally gory 90 minutes of Bayern's Bundesliga meeting with the Franconia club. "It wasn't pleasant viewing. It was a disgrace to the name of Bayern Munich," the dismayed coach confessed a few hours later at the Säbener Strasse.

Hitzfeld will hardly have enjoyed a decent night's sleep after reviewing the kind of display guaranteed to add a crease or two to any football coach's forehead. "I knew I'd taken on a tough task, but I'm slightly surprised at how tough it's going to be. We caved in at the end," he remarked after watching his return to the Bayern bench turn bitterly sour.

Errors and lack of discipline

Hitzfeld reckoned to have seen "plenty of grounds for concern," listing the mistakes made by his men in every area of the field. "We made basic errors in central defence, which simply shouldn't be happening with this class of centre-half," he remarked. In a worrying repeat of the 3-2 defeat in Dortmund a week ago, lax defending by the back four comprising Willy Sagnol, Lucio, Daniel van Buyten and Philipp Lahm contributed to the goals netted with aplomb by Nuremberg front line Ivan Saenko (13), Markus Schroth (71) and Robert Vittek (86). "I saw misunderstandings and a lack of discipline," Hitzfeld fumed.

"Lucio chose the wrong moments to charge forward," he continued. "A centre-half's first priority is closing down the middle of the park. He can't join in the attacking play so much. The main aim is always to keep it tight, but we were careless in that respect." Owen Hargreaves, returning to competitive action for the first time in almost five months, agreed with the new boss. "First and foremost, we have to stop conceding goals. After that it'll go better in attack."

No creative spark

In midfield, Hitzfeld switched to a line across the park rather than a diamond with the intention of compressing the play, but he criticised a lack of inspirational passing. "We have far too little creativity," he bemoaned, blaming the players' current lack of confidence for an overly cautious approach. He expressed surprise that the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger appear sluggish: "We don't seem to be in perfect condition in midfield."

The forward line did not escape criticism either. No fewer than four strikers tried their luck in the course of the evening, but the only clear-cut chance fell to Roy Makaay midway through the first half. "Roy would have scored on a good day," Hitzfeld mused. Hargreaves' three shots at goal made him Bayern's most dangerous player, but Nuremberg keeper Raphael Schäfer clawed the best of them off the line. "Some of the players are not performing to their potential," the General summarised.

Worst restart since 1975

The euphoria generated by Hitzfeld's return in place of Felix Magath has largely evaporated in the wake of Friday's calamitous defeat, Bayern's heaviest of the season and a reverse which almost certainly rules the Reds out of title contention this term. The champions have garnered a single point from three matches since the winter break, their worst start to the second half of term since 1975, when they finished the campaign in 10th place.

"I always aim high, and we can still dream a little about the title," Hitzfeld observed, before immediately qualifying his remarks. "Our priority is to qualify for the Champions League. Third place is vital for Bayern's financial position." That makes the next match a truly significant occasion, as Hargreaves recognised: "It's all or nothing for us against Bielefeld."

**Trim** · 04-02-2007, 01:30 PM

Well said Ottmar.

**Trim** · 06-02-2007, 08:44 PM

Spying mission
Henke: We have to get after Real Madrid

Michael Henke spent much of Tuesday afternoon at the Säbener Strasse pursued by a large pack of reporters, every newsman keen to record the Bayern assistant coach's impressions of his spying trip to watch Real Madrid fall 1-0 at home to relegation strugglers Levante last Sunday. The result was Real's fourth defeat in their last six matches, and means the men in all white have scored just four times in their last eight fixtures.

Two weeks ahead of the Champions League last sixteen first leg, Real appear to be as short of form as the German champions. "You couldn't help noticing Madrid have their share of problems too. You could see they're lacking confidence," Henke reported.

Raul leading by example

Hitzfeld's assistant saw a plethora of Real passes go astray in the 1,000th match at the Bernabeu stadium. "Even the experienced Guti passed directly to an opponent four or five times. That stood out. Overall, Real were in poor shape," the Bayern man remarked.

Nevertheless, Fabio Capello's men could still have won the match. "They never caved in, even though they knew they weren't playing well. So they had the desire." Captain Raul was the home side's best player: "He took the game by the scruff of the neck."

Attack early

Henke had already drawn a number of conclusions ahead of the two-legged showdown. "We'll have to exploit their lack of confidence, not allow them to settle, and attack them early. Our biggest chance is that the footballing and technical ability which has always characterised Real Madrid is simply missing at the moment." Naturally, Hitzfeld's number two voiced hopes that Real's dip in form would continue to plague them over the next few weeks.

One area which may well cease to be a worry for the record-holding Spanish champions is money. According to a report published in Spanish business magazine El Economista, the Madrid giants are weighing up a shirt sponsorship deal from a betting company worth some €100 million over five years.

fcb.de - Henke: We have to get after Real Madrid

**Trim** · 06-02-2007, 08:45 PM

Spying in Madrid? Good sh*t.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 06-02-2007, 08:47 PM

We don't need to spy on them, their weaknesses are the centre of the defence and the wings.

**Trim** · 06-02-2007, 08:47 PM

Bayern Munich is more than just a football club, as the range of sports available at the Säbener Strasse includes handball, table tennis and nine-pin bowling. However, American Football is not currently an option available to members, even if a new set of markings on the training pitch might appear to argue the reverse. A number of extra lines were marked out last Friday, reminiscent of the yard-by-yard grid in the US game, but in fact the freshly-chalked lines were the first visible traces of new boss Ottmar Hitzfeld's training methods.

"It's to help us work on our tactics," Hitzfeld's assistant Michael Henke explained on Tuesday. "The players can use the lines to establish their zones." An improved tactical performance is one of the problem areas identified by the new coaching staff for special emphasis in their first few days in charge. Movement, strategy and sticking to the game plan will be a major focus of the first full week under Hitzfeld.

Every area of the pitch

The forward line has the initial priority. "We've been explaining where they should make their runs, what we want them to do, and how the ball should be delivered," Henke advised. In the second half of the week, once the international contingent including the entire rearguard return to Munich, the focus will switch to defence. "How do we want the back four to work together with the defensive midfielders?" Henke asked rhetorically. Simultaneously, the coaching staff intend to pass on their thoughts regarded the tactical situation as a whole.

Hitzfeld and Henke are determined to see improvements in Bayern's passing game. "The team was well below par in Nuremberg in this respect. Many passes went astray, and we often ran with the ball when it would have been quicker to pass," the assistant explained, calling for a "more direct" style from now on. To that end, the squad performed a number of routines on Tuesday morning with a limit of one or two touches on the ball.

Quicker off the mark

The session also featured a programme of short sprints, ushering in the third key component of the week. "In terms of fitness, we want the players to be more lively. We need a much fresher approach," Henke commented.

On Tuesday, the stars were sent on a series of 15 metre sprints from line to line, another use for the extra markings on the field. "We don't need to go around painting lines on every pitch," Henke smiled.

fcb.de - Variety the spice in Hitzfeld's training plan

**Trim** · 07-02-2007, 08:20 PM

Bayern's record of 32 goals from their first 20 league matches is the club's worst goalscoring performance since the 1991-92 season 15 years ago, when the Reds had struck a sorry 27 times by the same point in the campaign, before finishing a relatively lowly tenth. That was the Bavarians' worst final placing in the last 30 years.

The situation at the current time is nowhere near as bad, despite a stuttering start to the second half of the campaign with just a single point from three matches and only two goals scored. On returning to his former stamping ground, new boss Ottmar Hitzfeld has made boosting the goal tally one of the main problem areas to address in his first week back at the helm.

Little has gone right

Wednesday morning's training session was focused on linking the midfield and the forwards, as the players practised positioning and diagonal runs, worked on first-time passing and general understanding, before accurately shooting at goal. Hitzfeld and his assistant Michael Henke frequently interrupted the routine to instruct the stars on what to do in certain situations.

"Sometimes it's good to return to the basics and go through the standard routines," Roy Makaay commented approvingly. "Obviously we've not forgotten how to score goals, but nothing's going our way at the present time, and it starts to chip away at your confidence." A week of intensive training is intended to put that right: "It's all about recapturing our former strength," the striker remarked.

More solid defensive platform

"The forwards have been committing a number of runs and positions to memory," Hitzfeld explained after the session. With the club's international contingent, including the first-choice back four, due to return to the Säbener Strasse on Thursday, the 58-year-old head coach will switch focus to the defence: "We'll work on recovering our stability."

"We're letting in too many goals. Conceding very few goals was always a strength here at Bayern in the past," Makaay observed, recognising that simply scoring more often was not enough. "I'm convinced we'll soon base our attacking efforts on a solid defensive platform," the Dutch ace concluded. Bayern fans will be hoping the renewed stability shows itself at home to Bielefeld on Sunday. "It's an important game and we need to win. We want to close the gap to third place, not see it get bigger," Makaay declared.

Hitzfeld prescribes remedy for poor goal tally

**Trim** · 07-02-2007, 08:22 PM

Hitzfeld is working a lot. Intensive trainings, everyday trainings.
This hard work of him should be rewarded with a confident and a clear win against Bielefeld. It's about time we wake up. Forza Bayern, let's go!

**Oliver_Kahn** · 07-02-2007, 08:24 PM

Yeah man, we desperatly need the win, otherwise, goodbye Champions League.

I'm still keen on the title tbh

**Trim** · 07-02-2007, 08:29 PM

We should never give up.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 08-02-2007, 02:05 PM

Ottmar Hitzfeld was appointed head coach at FC Bayern München one week ago. bundesliga.de recall his first spell at the club.

In the space of six years, Ottmar Hitzfeld won everything a coach can with FC Bayern: the Intercontinental Cup, two DFB Cups, the UEFA Champions League and four Bundesliga titles. With Ottmar Hitzfeld at the helm, Bayern were a force to be reckoned with.

"The first title was amazingly important"

"I think the first title that I won with Bayern was amazingly important. When you're head coach for FC Bayern, you are expected to win silverware, and that you win the Bundesliga. In my first year, we won the league with a 15 or 16 point lead. Back then it was two points for a win, so it was a massive margin.

We also got to the cup final and were in the Champions League. It was an unbelievably successful year. It was confirmation that I could fulfil the expectations placed on me at a big club like Bayern", Hitzfeld recalls.

Dramatic title in 2001

Hitzfeld's Midas Touch continued with his most successful season for the Bavarians. In 2001, a last second free-kick goal from Patrick Andersson against Hamburg secured Bayern the most dramatic Bundesliga title ever.

Title rivals FC Schalke 04 thought they were champions until Andersson netted. It was proof that FC Bayern and Ottmar Hitzfeld should never be written off!

"For me, it was of course a super feeling. Not just because we won the Bundesliga, which was important, but also because we won the Champions League three days later against Valencia. This success was important for our morale and the psychology behind it. It was bitter for Schalke", Hitzfeld says.

Champions League and Intercontinental Cup winners

Bayern's glory trail that season continued with victory in the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup. In 2003, Hitzfeld steered FC Bayern to a league and cup double.

But one season later, the Bavarians won no silverware, and Hitzfeld and Bayern parted ways. Until February 1st, 2007. Hitzfeld came out of retirement to help out his beloved Bayern. His job is simple: to get FC Bayern back on top in the Bundesliga.

Back home and a lot to do

"I feel I'm back at home", Hitzfeld said at his first press conference.

But things won't be so easy for Hitzfeld. His first game back on the bench ended in a 3-0 defeat against Nuremberg.

It's clear that Hitzfeld has a lot of work to do. But the club and the fans trust the veteran coach. They're hoping there will be success, instead of any more bitter surprises.