Per ata qe dine anglisht.
Three Changes Bayern Must Make
As Bayern Munich endure an indifferent start to the season, Clark Whitney discusses why the German giants must replace three key players if they wish to recapture their former glory
With Bayern having started their 2008-09 Bundesliga campaign with an unimpressive 2-2-2 record, many fans are panicking. The word crisis has even come up several times in the media. I wouldnt go so far as to say that Bayern are in a crisis after just six league matches; after all, the side that won the 2001 Champions League and Bundesliga titles also lost eight of their 27 league matches. However, it is becoming more and more clear that personnel changes will have to occur in order for Bayern to regain their position among the European elite. Ive sorted through the line-up and come up with three starters that Bayern need to replace.
HOLDING MIDFIELDER
The Case Against Mark van Bommel:
Bayern fans will always remember Van Bommel as the man who was brave (or crazy) enough to flash the bras dhonneur at a capacity crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu in a 2007 Champions League match. However, after his performance last year and early into this season, it has become apparent that the Dutch international simply does not have the edge he used to possess. Not only have Bayern failed to win a match this season with Van Bommel on the pitch, but the Dutch enforcer has arguably caused a great amount of Bayerns domestic woes.
It was a needless Van Bommel foul that set up Szabolcs Husztis game-winning free kick in Bayerns recent loss to Hannover. Before Van Bommels foul, Bayern were completely in control of the match. Afterward, Bayern struggled, partly due to Hannovers purely defensive stance, but mostly due to poor form. Still, Bayern would have probably salvaged at least a point had it not been for Van Bommels completely unnecessary foul.
Earlier in the season, Van Bommel was sent off with a second yellow card after just 23 minutes of play in Dortmund. With his team down 1-0, Van Bommel elbowed Tamas Hajnal in the head, leaving his team with just ten men. Admittedly, his second yellow was questionable. However, even if the Oranje star is a marked man among Bundesliga referees, Bayern still need to consider whether it is a benefit to have him on the pitch.
Beyond his needless fouling, Van Bommel has also been very poor with the ball at his feet. His shots are almost never on target, and his passing is almost always lacking the sharpness of a good distributor. On numerous occasions, Van Bommel could have assisted goals, but didnt as a result of his passes being off target.
The Candidates:
Lorik Cana
Le Destructeur is much like an Albanian Stefan Effenberg. Anyone who has doubts should look at this video. Since joining Olympique de Marseille in 2005, Cana has featured in 99 of 122 league matches, and has been a menace to Ligue 1 attackers. Unlike Van Bommel, Cana is able to provide bone-crunching tackles and aggressive defense without accumulating red cards; the Albanian hasnt been sent off since the 2005-06 season. Cana is the no-nonsense type of defensive midfielder that Bayern need in order to have a truly free central attacking midfielder to occupy the hole behind the strikers.
In the off-season, Cana was linked with Real Madrid, Arsenal, Roma, Everton and Bayern among other teams, but lOMs asking price of 25million was too high for any takers to bite. The Albanians contract is set to expire in 2012, but a good offer from Bayern may see Cana move to the Allianz Arena.
Anatoliy Tymoschuk
Like Cana, Tymoschuk is a no-nonsense midfielder known for his aggressive defensive play. Unlike Cana, the 29-year-old Zenit St. Petersburg captain has had plenty of success at club level, winning three Ukrainian Championships, three Ukrainian Cups, and more recently, the Russian Premier League, Russian Super Cup, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup. The two-time Ukrainian Footballer of the Year is known for his professionalism and leadership, and would be a perfect fit at Bayern.
Tymoschuk is on contract at Zenit until January of 2011, and his role at the club is very important. As a result, it may be difficult for Bayern to pry him away from Petrovsky Stadium. However, if Zenit fail to qualify for European play (they are 6 points out of a UEFA Cup berth with 8 League matches left), Tymoschuk may seek to jump ship in favor of more consistent opportunity to play in Europe.
STRIKER
The Case Against Miroslav Klose:
I grew up watching Klose dazzle on the international scene, so it was painful to watch the German striker go from 2006 World Cup Golden Shoe winner to something a lot worse than that in just a few months. I really feel bad for Klose because his work-rate is phenomenal. Still, strikers are paid to score goals, something that Klose is almost never able to do. Some say that the fact that he has scored a few goals recently exonerates Klose, but the truth is that he is simply too inconsistent to trust as a second striker. In the second half of his last season at Werder Bremen, Klose suffered from a tremendous goal-scoring drought. A few months later, he started the 2006-07 season in terrific form with Bayern. After October 2007, however, Klose simply could not score.
If I were in Jurgen Klinsmanns position, I would have opted to start Lukas Podolski a long time ago, but apparently Klinsmann knows something about the 23-year-old that I dont. So instead, I suppose a replacement for Klose is in order.
The Candidates:
Mario Gomez
The German international striker had a miserable Euro but is still an undeniably phenomenal striker. Tall, strong, and with an uncanny eye for goal, hes like Luca Toni but with more mobility and better passing vision.
Gomez had an amazing 2007-08 season, netting a remarkable 28 times in 32 appearances for Stuttgart, including three times in four Champions League matches. Even though many commentators have called him off-form, Gomez has scored 9 goals in 9 appearances this season, something an off-form Klose could never do.
Gomezs contract with Stuttgart is set to expire in 2012, and the Swabian side allegedly rejected a 35million bid from Bayern during the summer. However, Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness reported in August that his club had reached an agreement with Gomez that would bring the 23-year-old striker to Munich in the summer of 2009.
Andrei Arshavin
Arshavins performance at Euro 2008 and in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup would lead one to believe that the deep-lying striker is an up and coming talent. The bizarre truth is that Arshavin is 27 years old and has somehow managed to remain anonymous for years. Like Bayerns own Franck Ribery, the Russian has uncommon speed, dribbling ability, and playmaking talent. On the break, Arshavin and Ribery would wreak havoc not only in Germany, but also in Europe. Behind Luca Toni, Arshavin would be a constant threat to set up plays or burst into the box with dazzling dribbling and one-two passes.
While Tymoschuk would be difficult to acquire from Zenit, Arshavin is a completely different matter. In the summer, it seemed almost a done deal that Arshavin would move to Tottenham Hotspur, but the two clubs were unable to reach an agreement. Considering that Zenit repeatedly lowered their asking price, it seems almost certain that Arshavin will leave their club as soon as January. After many of Europes elite clubs showed only minor interest in signing Arshavin this summer, it would not be difficult for Bayern to reel in the talented forward. A bid as low as 20million may be enough to seal the deal.
Pavel Pogrebnyak
Pogrebnyak belongs to a rare breed of striker that combines speed, strength, and a lethal eye for goal. In spite of his size, he has fit perfectly into Zenits fast-paced game plan and still has the strength to make space in the penalty area. His talents are much like those of Luca Toni, although Pogrebnyak has more pace and is more mobile than his Italian counterpart. Like Arshavin, Pogrebnyak was rather anonymous before having a phenomenal 2007-08 season. In the 2007-08 UEFA Cup, the powerful striker tied Luca Toni for most goals scored, with 10 strikes to his name. At just 24 years of age, Pogrebnyak has plenty of room for growth and could be a great investment for Bayern.
Recent reports have indicated that Bayern and Pogrebnyak are in contract negotiations, so a deal for the towering striker may be not far away. Pogrebnyak is on contract at Zenit until the end of 2009, so he should have a large say in whether he remains at Zenit or moves to Munich. According to Pogrebnyak, playing for Bayern was a childhood dream of his. Perhaps his dream will soon come true
RIGHT-BACK
The Case Against Christian Lell:
Lell played very well for Bayern last year, but I now see why Joachim Loew is yet to call the youngster up to the national team. Consistency and class in defense have always been hallmarks of German football, and Lell apparently lacks enough of both of these qualities to receive a call-up.
Lells off-the-ball challenge on Ivica Olic in Bayerns opener against Hamburg was absolutely unnecessary and resulted in a penalty kick to the visitors, who equalized as the match played out to a 2-2 draw.
Otherwise on defense, Lell has been shaky at best, and his offensive runs are further indicators that, for all his pace, Lell simply does not have the technical ability to play up-field.
Beyond Lell, Bayern still have ageing right-backs Willy Sagnol and Massimo Oddo in their squad, although the latter is only in Munich on a one-year loan while the former has hardly played since injuring his knee in April 2007.
The Candidates:
Andreas Goerlitz
Lets face it: theres no chance that Bayern will ever be able to sign Daniel Alves or Sergio Ramos. However, a great option at right-back is Bayerns own Andreas Goerlitz. The 26-year-old made a great account of himself in Sagnols absence in 2007, and since then has been on loan at Karlsruhe, where hes developed into a consistently solid performer.
Yuri Zhirkov
An offensive-minded full-back, Zhirkovs playing style is perfect for Jurgen Klinsmanns system, which includes wing-backs in pseudo-midfield positions. The CSKA Moscow star is known for his dribbling and playmaking ability from the left side, while also being a hard-working defensive stalwart. After his phenomenal showings at Euro 2008, Zhirkov was named in UEFAs Team of the Tournament.
Signing Zhirkov would be an exceedingly difficult thing for Bayern to do, as full-backs of his class and skill set are very rare. However, with money and the potential for European success, the Russian international may be convinced to go abroad.
In conclusion, Bayern were unwise to be mostly inactive in the transfer market during the off-season and, as a consequence, will likely struggle in a Bundesliga that has seen several title contenders (namely Hamburg and Schalke) make great improvements as of late. Even if Bayern make a domestic turn around and win the Bundesliga title, they are still far from their former place among the European elite and will have to make improvements if they are to reach the Champions League final anytime soon. Had the Bayern management been aware of their teams weaknesses in the positions of defensive midfield, full-back and striker, they could have made amends and better prepared for their Fall campaign. Now, Uli Hoeness will have to wait until the January transfer window opens if he is to fortify his team this year.
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