| 08.11.2009 |
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| Bayern defender Philipp Lahm has been a bad, bad boy. In fact, he's done the worst thing a footballer in Munich can do these days -- tell the truth about the club in public. In a newspaper interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, published on Saturday before Munich's big match with Schalke, Lahm discussed how Bayern's transfer policies may have contributed to the team's descent in the table. Commercial manager Uli Hoeness was furious, promising that Lahm would regret opening his mouth and seeing to it that the defender was given a record fine. The interview had the headline "Yes, the coach is right." So what precisely did Lahm say to cause such offense? He had the audacity to question the logic of spending tens of millions on both Mario Gomez, a classic center forward best used in a 4-4-2 formation, and Arjen Robben, a winger more suited to a 4-3-3. He pointed out that teams like Barcelona and Manchester United purchase new players with a specific system in mind, rather than just going after whatever top talent is within their reach. And he opined that Bayern could well use a playmaker midfielder in the Michael Ballack/Frank Lampard mold. In short, he cogently summed up what's wrong with Bayern this year -- that the players' talents don't complement one another. What he didn't do was criticize either individual teammates or his coach. A few hours later, striker Luca Toni was so enraged at being replaced by Robben in the half-time break that he decided not to stick around for the rest of match, leaving the stadium for home. Toni was clearly in the wrong and apologized. He, too, was fined by the club, though not as severely as Lahm. Lahm's problem is not just that he stepped slightly out of line, but that he was right. Instead of going ballistic on the defender, who remains Bayern's best player, perhaps Hoeness and Co. might want to ask for his opinion, when they return to the transfer market in the winter break and try to salvage Bayern's season. |
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