| 30.09.2008 |
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| Bayern Munich coach Juergen Klinsmann is preparing for Tuesday's Champions League clash against Olympique Lyon with the pressure already mounting on the former German national team boss. The German champions are off to their worst start to a Bundesliga season in 31 years, winning just two of their opening six games as Klinsmann's side followed up a 5-2 home hammering by Werder Bremen with a shock 1-0 loss at Hanover at the weekend. Bayern opened this season's Champions League campaign with a win over Steau Bucharest but the club's stuttering start to the Bundesliga means victory over Olympique Lyon is a must. "The game against Lyon comes at just the right time. The more difficult the opponent, the better," said Klinsmann Monday. "We have made a perfect start to the Champions League and want to continue on this route. We will play for a victory." Klinsmann has come under fire for resting regulars Ze Roberto, Lucio and Bastian Schweinsteiger at the weekend and the trio are virtually certain to return against Lyon while French international Franck Ribery is expected to start his first game of the season. "If we play like we did against Hanover then we haven't a hope against Lyon," said the midfielder. "I'm feeling good, though," said the 25-year-old. "I'll play from the start on Tuesday." Ribery admitted he is impatient to face compatriots Lyon in the Champions League when all French eyes will be on him. "Finally, the Champions League game is here," an excited Ribery told Die Welt on Sunday ahead of the Group F clash at Munich's Allianz Arena. The 25-year-old only returned from injury a week ago after three months out with torn ankle ligaments playing for France in Euro 2008 and missed Bayern's opening Champions League win at Steaua Bucharest earlier this month. "It is a very special match for me, as it is against Lyon, and I am very impatient for the match to start. I am quite conscious that this Tuesday all of my country will have their eyes turned towards me." Ribery made his first appearance of the season for Bayern in the 5-2 defeat to Werder Bremen last weekend when he came off the bench for the last 25 minutes. He also played the second-half at Hanover on Saturday when Bayern were beaten 1-0 - their second consecutive league defeat - to go ninth in the Bundesliga on Saturday night. And the French star admitted his side were "perhaps missing something" after their less then impressive start to the season as coach Juergen Klinsmann rotated his squad to rest players ahead of the Lyon visit. "In terms of quality, our team can rival the big clubs of Europe like Chelsea or Barcelona," said Ribery. "But perhaps our manpower is not sufficiently packed to succeed head to head with the large teams. On that point, perhaps we are missing something." But the Frenchman says he remains positive about Bayern's chances of turning their season around. Ribery said: "One should expect these difficulties, because there are many new innovations at the club. "We need time to apply the philosophy of Juergen Klinsmann. When that happens, we will be better, and we will try to again be the champions of Germany," said Ribery, adding that his goal is to help Bayern reach the Champions League quarter-finals or beyond. Ribery's coach will be glad to hear at least one of his players has faith in him after a torrid start to his Bundesliga managerial career. He has, however, received a more settling blessing. "I find the criticism of Juergen Klinsmann's rotation tactics unjustified," said Franz Beckenbauer. "I hope that the stuttering start comes to an end (on Tuesday). Bayern can't lose many more." Klinsmann, who took over from Ottmar Hitzfeld in the summer, admitted that his team "lacked creativity" against Hanover while defender Philipp Lahm called on his teammates to up their game against Lyon. "We have the chance to lay down a marker," said Lahm ahead of the match against the French league leaders, who are relishing the task of taking on a Bayern side teetering on the brink of turmoil. "We're ready for Bayern," said Brazilian Fred while France striker Karima Benzema also oozed confidence. Our target is to get at least a point and even better all three," he said. |
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| 28.09.2008 |
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| Ten-man VfL Wolfsburg missed their chance to go third in the Bundesliga with a 2-1 defeat at Karlsruhe on Sunday after defending champions Bayern Munich suffered their second consecutive league defeat. Having smashed minnows Oberneuland 7-0 in the German Cup in midweek, Wolfsburg were brought crashing down to earth when Karlsruhe midfielder Massimilian Porcello curled in a free-kick on 51 minutes to take a 1-0 lead. Wolfsburg's problems were compounded when their Brazilian striker Grafite was shown a second yellow card on 71 minutes when he barged Karlsruhe goalkeeper Markus Miller off the ball. The home side then went 2-0 up on 75 minutes when striker Sebastian Freis netted before Wolfsburg's Portuguese defender Ricardo Costa scored a consolation goal with a header on 79 minutes. A win would have put Wolfsburg third in the table behind leaders Hamburg and second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, but defeat leaves them eighth. A late equaliser by Eintracht Frankfurt meant they finished the weekend second from bottom of the table after holding Arminia Bielefeld 1-1 at home. And there were worried looks at Bayern Munich after the defending champions slumped to their second consecutive league defeat when they went down 1-0 at Hanover on Saturday which left them ninth in the table. Having been hammered 5-2 at home by Werder Bremen the week before, Jurgen Klinsmann's side were again poor as Hanover midfielder Szabolcs Huszti drove his free-kick into Bayern's net on 23 minutes. "I've noticed how many teams are ahead of us, and it annoys me," said Bayern manager Uli Hoeness ahead of his side's Champions League clash with Lyon on Tuesday. "We should put a lot of effort into making sure it doesn't stay that way for very long. We were much too careless. "We were totally in control for the first 20 minutes, but we let them seize the initiative with a stupid goal from a free-kick. Thankfully we have our next game on Tuesday against Lyon. "We can use it to test ourselves at the European level and hopefully find our rhythm, so we play better in the league than we have done recently." A first-half header by Croatian striker Mladen Petric was enough to give Hamburg a 1-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach to put them top of the table. There was some crazy football for ten-man Werder Bremen as midfielder Mesut Oezil hit the winner for the home side in a 5-4 victory over Hoffenheim which put his side third in the table ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash at Inter Milan. Bayer Leverkusen are second in the table thanks to their 3-2 win at struggling VfL Bochum. The home-side were 3-0 down but with ten minutes left they scored twice in as many minutes to ensure a dramatic finish. Borussia Dortmund are up to fifth thanks to an impressive 3-0 win at home to VfB Stuttgart to seal their first win in five games. Energie Cottbus picked up their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Hertha Berlin to lift themselves off the bottom of the table. On Friday, Schalke 04 yielded the top spot with a shock 1-0 defeat at Cologne. This was the first time Cologne have beaten Schalke at home in 13 years and a header from Youssef Mohamad just before half-time was enough to give the home side the three points while Schalke dropped to fourth in the league. |
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| 24.09.2008 |
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| Werder Bremen struggled to a 2-1 victory over third-division side Erzgebirge Aue Tuesday in the German Cup while Cologne and Eintracht Frankfurt lost to teams from lower leagues. With the memory of Saturday's stunning 5-2 win at champions Bayern Munich still fresh in their minds, Bremen went into their second- round clash full of confidence but found themselves a goal down after just seven minutes when Fabian Mueller put the home side ahead with a shot from outside the area. "Claudio Pizarro equalized for Thomas Schaaf's side on 26 minutes with Markus Rosenberg netting what turned out to be the winner for Bremen nine minutes after the break. We knew that it isn't possible to always play as well as we did in Munich," said Bremen captain Frank Baumann. "Progressing to the next round is what's important." League leaders Schalke 04 progressed to the last 16 in an all-Bundesliga clash against Hanover 96, thanks to second-half goals from defender Heiko Westermann. Hanover had 13 players unavailable due to injury and illness but had their rescheduling request turned down by the German Football Federation (DFB). "I'm happy with the result because we are through," said Schalke coach Fred Rutten of the 2-0 win. Energie Cottbus moved into the next round as three penalties helped them to a 3-0 win over fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach. Dimitar Rangelov netted the first from the spot on 42 minutes while two further penalties from Albanian Ervin Skela in the second half secured the win. Bundesliga side Cologne crashed 3-1 at second-division club Mainz 05. Aristide Bance put the home side in front with a header on 61 minutes, and Miroslav Karhan made it 2-0 from the penalty spot seven minutes later. Youssef Mohamad pulled one back for Cologne on 73 minutes, but substitute Milorad Pekovic made it 3-1 for Mainz 11 minutes from time. Frankfurt went down 2-1 after extra time to second-division Hansa Rostock. Striker Martin Fenin put the Bundesliga side in front just before the break, but Enrico Kern equalized for Rostock on 53 minutes. Rostock goalkeeper Joerg Hahnel then saved a penalty from Caio before Kern netted the winner in the first half of extra time. Bayer Leverkusen made the last 16 for the first time in five years thanks to a 2-0 defeat of Augsburg. Stefan Kiessling opened the scoring with a long-range volley on 36 minutes while Arturo Vidal netted Leverkusen's second goal 11 minutes from time. MSV Duisburg lost 5-4 to Munich 1860 on penalties after the tie finished scoreless at the end of extra time. Nine further German Cup ties take place Wednesday including holders Bayern Munich, who play Nuremberg. |
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| 23.09.2008 |
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| I followed Bayern Munich's 5-2 humiliation by Werder Bremen last weekend with strangely mixed feelings. On the one hand, like most fans here, I relished the spectacle of the arrogant Bavarian giants getting their clocks cleaned at home. On the other, I have young Bayern keeper Michael Rensing in my fantasy football team, and his bad day at the office brought back unpleasant memories from the late '70s of the Bristol Blue Devils being thrashed by the Damariscotta Lions 8-nil –- with yours truly in goal. My teammates were quick to identify me as the reason for that debacle, just as many Bayern fans are now blaming Rensing. In fact, in a poll, a majority of Munich supporters were already calling for goal-keeping legend Ollie Kahn to come back from retirement. So I was also impressed with Kahn's reaction in a newspaper interview on Tuesday. Kahn, who has every reason to hate Juergen Klinsmann for demoting him within the German national team ahead of the 2006 World Cup, told everybody to chill out and reminisced humorously about some of the drubbings he took early on in his career. Anyone who follows German soccer has memories of the combustible Kahn chewing the ears off teammates and opponents –- once almost literally. But Kahn has been nothing but gracious to his successor in the national team, Jens Lehmann, and now to his young heir between the posts at Bayern. And he's also right in a footballing sense. If there's anyone at Bayern who's failed to live up to King Kahn's standard, it's midfielder Mark van Bommel, who's proving to be a woeful replacement as team captain. Rensing will be all right, if people leave him alone. And Kahn deserves credit for being much more of a class act than most of us Bayern haters ever thought possible. In a recent interview with DW, Bayern assistant coach Martin Vasquez stressed Klinsmann's emphasis on getting players to develop as people. Kahn, it turns out didn't need Klinsi's mentoring. Footnote: In the wake of the Blue Devils' slaughter by the Lions, I was transferred to central midfield and instructed to concentrate on my true strength: reckless two-footed challenges. The Devils won the return match 2-nil, after their opponents were forced to play with nine men due to injuries. |
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| 23.09.2008 |
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| The quality of an international tournament is, of course, determined by the games played during its duration and those magical moments which stick in the memory for all time. That's why Euro 2008 will be remembered for Spain's resurgeance and the 2006 World Cup for Germany's fairytale summer. Euro 2008 was so good that no-one even bothered to waste any energy learning the names of the rather lame mascots (they were called Trix and Flix if you still have a passing interest). But what would have happened if the tournament had been rubbish? Would these two pseudo-Manga superhero types have been installed in the collective conciousness; the foam-rubbered epitome of Euro tat? Whatever people say, mascots are like the first impressions made on a date. You have all this excitement building up as you approach the restaurant...It could be monumental event, a true celebration and in the end, you may even get to lift the cup (metaphorically). How disappointed, then, would you be to find yourself sharing a romantic candle-lit dinner with Goleo? (I would be very chuffed actually because I was about the only person on the planet who thought Goleo was awesome...) Anyway, my point being: the mascot is everyone's first taste of the tournament to come which means if you roll out some duff, moth-eaten old leopard as your shining beacon then most people are going to think your competition is going to be a cheap dud too. Which is why the recently revealed South Africa mascot fills me with trepidation. Not only has the country been dogged with rumours over its perceived lameness in organizing the 2010 World Cup (to the point that FIFA was actually rumoured to be considering a move to Australia, USA, Germany...anywhere else but SA), but now they welcome the soccer world with this bargain bin, jaundiced, rastafarian tabby cat. Now, we'll all be hoping that Zakumi will be eclipsed by the soccer which will be on show in the summer of 2010 and that he goes the way of the embarrassing Paule (the short-lived German team mascot) by fading into the ignominious realm reserved for sadly cast-aside mascots. But until that happens, we'll have to deal with the fact that this is the face of the 2010 World Cup. Read it and weep. |
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| 22.09.2008 |
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| Heavily favored Bundesliga teams suffered a weekend of setbacks and embarrassments with Bayern, Dortmund and Hanover all being outplayed by teams most German soccer fans would expect to end up sacrificing three points. In their match on Sunday, Borussia Dortmund topped the embarrassment of Bayern's 5-2 fall to Bremen with a 4-1 loss to promoted Hoffenheim. The win put Hoffenheim into second place just one point behind Schalke's 11 and ahead of Stuttgart and Hamburg and just one point behind Schalke. Hoffenheim took control early in the match with a goal from Vedad Ibisevic after five minutes. Home team fans celebrated Sejad Salihovic's goal to put Hoffenheim up by two on 25 minutes. In the second half, Ibisevic and teammate Carlos Eduardo made it 4-0 before Dortmund's Felipe Santana poked home a consolation goal in injury time. Hoffenheim coach Ralf Rangnick said he was not deceived by the good start into the club's first season in the German top flight. "All that counts is the final standings," said Rangnick. "But looking at them now does have a certain charm when you see what teams are behind us. "The boys are smart enough to know we must always play like this if we are to remain successful, so there is no danger of over confidence," he said. Three days after falling 2-0 to Udine at the UEFA Cup then being embarrassed by Hoffenheim, Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp seemed to have a firm grip on the reality of his team's recent performances. "It's obviously not enough," he said. "We played a game that you'd have to lose. And we lost." Like Dortmund, Hamburg also suffered their first defeat of the season. Wolfsburg tore apart Hamburg's defensive weaknesses, putting in three goals on the mere five chances they had in the match. Hamburg had rebounded from 2-0 deficits in three of the first four season games, but Wolfsburg denied them another miracle. "We can't come back in every game," said Hamburg forward Paulo Guerrero. "We made the same mistakes as in the past games. Now we have to regroup." |
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| 21.09.2008 |
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| Most teams have a theme song they blast out in the dressing room before they take the field in a bid to get the blood pumping. Former England defender Stuart Pierce used to subject his fellow Nottingham Forest colleagues to "Anarchy in the UK" by the Sex Pistols at ear-splitting volume before they took to the field of play. (Given that team included the young lunatic-to-be Roy Keane and old "Psycho" Pierce himself – the man who once tried to 'run off' a broken leg – maybe something less confrontational may have been more productive). Bayern Munich are more likely to adopt the Monty Python classic "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" after Saturday's debacle. However, the likes of Luca Toni and Franck Ribery may not see the motivational qualities of such a song, played at them as it would be with the additional sunny, post-California smile of their ever optimistic coach. "It's obviously painful. We're down at the moment, but we'll get back up again," said Juergen Klinsmann after his defending champions were ripped apart by a Werder Bremen side brimming with all the invention and belief the Munich team seemed to be lacking. "I believe you learn a great deal from days like today." Hmmm…Maybe lessons such as "the defense is extremely suspect" or "never let your stalwart goalkeeper retire until you have an equal to replace him" or even "working as a soccer consultant with LA Galaxy beats getting your ass whipped on a chilly Bavarian afternoon". One wonders how long the hard-bitten and notoriously cut-throat Bayern board will entertain Klinsmann's La-La-Land guru approach, with his Buddhas, meditation gardens and hokey psychological team talks. True, this appears to be a one-off calamity; a defeat that a team of Bayern's standard should see as an abomination. But losing to one of your closest rivals is one thing, getting thrashed at home by them is another…and in such a fashion which suggests that, despite the abundance of riches at his disposal, Klinsmann has yet to construct a team from his list of stars. Let's just look at those potential lessons that Bayern could learn from this humiliation. Firstly, Bayern's defense were overwhelmed on Saturday. Klinsmann's chosen 5-3-2 formation gave Phillip Lahm and Christian Lell the license to bomb up the wings and join the attack when Bayern were on the offensive but on Saturday, both seemed off the pace and left Demichelis, Van Buyten and Lucio exposed at the back. Bremen also bypassed Marc van Bommel and Ze Roberto -- the protectors of the defense -- with ease, leaving them stranded up field with their rapid attacks when Bayern lost possession. With Demichelis effectively left as the only center-back and Van Buyten and Lucio pulled into wide positions by the width of Bremen's attacks and the AWOL nature of their wing-backs, it was no surprise that Werder, with their tails up, skipped through the defensive holes. Secondly, it became very clear as the game wore on that Michael Rensing is no Oliver Kahn. One must ask, though, if even the Titan would have been able to cope with the onslaught of Bremen's offensive play, given the fact that the defenders looked to be suffering from Oktoberfest-related amnesia when it came to the game plan. Even so, the young keeper was at fault for at least two of the goals; handing Nando an easy tap in for the 2-0 and then dropping Diego's cross for Rosenberg to make it five with the easiest of chances. Maybe, Klinsi's first act as coach should have been to convince Kahn to stay on for one more campaign. Which leads us to our third lesson; the one regarding the coach himself. The sheer cavalier approach with which Werder Bremen started the game was audacious and one that any coach could have been surprised by. Who would have expected a team which had yet to show much of their renowned attacking style to come to the Allianz Arena and play with such abandon? Well, some one who gets paid a large salary at Germany's top club for one. Klinsmann's team and formation smacked of arrogance –- or worse, naivety. Maybe Klinsi's Bayern tenure will finally add some much-needed credence to those long-standing rumors that Jogi Loew was the tactical brains behind their Germany set-up. Motivation and a sunny disposition can only get a team so far. Klinsmann may have the tools to get his players in a more centered, balanced frame of mind but he now has to find a way to get them working as a team and singing from the same song sheet. Altogether now… "Life's a piece of sh*t…When you look at it…Life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true…You'll see it's all a show…Keep 'em laughing as you go…Just remember that the last laugh is on you…And... Always look on the bright side of life…" |
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| 21.09.2008 |
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| Bayern Munich were humiliated 5-2 on Saturday by Werder Bremen as the Bundesliga champions suffered one of their worst home defeats. Markus Rosenberg struck twice, with Naldo, teenage sensation Mesut Ozil and Claudio Pizarro also on target for Bremen en route to a 5-0 lead against a disastrous Munich back row. Former Bremen player Tim Borowski then got the consolation goals. Munich lost their first competitive game under new coach Juergen Klinsmann as captain Mark van Bommel lamented that "things like that can not happen" and Borowski spoke of a "lethargic" performance. "We are all very proud and happy to have won. We were more aggressive and made the most of our chances," said Ozil. Judging by the season so far, the unbeaten champions Munich were favored over the runner-ups Bremen, especially looking at the midweek Champions League results with Munich winning 1-0 at Steaua Bucharest while Bremen were held 0-0 by Famagusta. But Bremen dominated from the outset against a nervous Munich defense and were awarded for their courage with a big win. Rosenberg broke the deadlock after half an hour, taking up a defense-splitting pass from Ozil and slotting a low shot past Michael Rensing. Bremen doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime when Naldo tapped home after Ozil's free-kick and Ozil ended any Munich comeback hopes when he fired high into the net nine minutes into the second half. Pizarro and Rosenberg again, after Rensing missed a free-kick, made it 5-0 as memories returned of Munich's biggest Bundesliga home loss, 7-0 against Schalke in October 1976. Borowski spared Munich from total disaster with his late goals, but admitted swiftly afterwards: "This was a disastrous showing; we must apologize to the fans." Schalke 04 defeated 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 to move back to the top of the standings at least until Sunday. Schalke were in full command against lowly Frankfurt but did not break the deadlock until Chris was sent off in the 34th for elbowing Heiko Westermann. Newly-hired Jefferson Farfan got the winner seven minutes later but Schalke failed to impress. Schalke have 11 points, SV Hamburg take 10 into Sunday's match at VfL Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen have nine points, with Bremen, Munich, Hertha Berlin and Borussia Dortmund on eight points each. Elsewhere, Hertha Berlin won 1-0 at Borussia Moenchengladbach from Gojko Kacar's first half strike, with the home side's Oliver Neuville denied by the post twice. Arminia Bielefeld defeated Cologne 2-0. Energie Cottbus got the first goal of the season, from Dennis Sorensen, but were held 1-1 by VfL Bochum to remain at the bottom of the table. A hat-trick from Patrick Helmes helped Leverkusen to a 4-0 win over Hanover 96 on Friday, while the other Sunday games are VfB Stuttgart vs SC Karlsruhe and Hoffenheim vs Dortmund. |
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| 18.09.2008 |
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| "BAYERN BACK AT THE BIG TABLE" screamed one of the more excitable but, after further investigation, misleading headlines after Munich's 1-0 Champions League win against Steaua Bucherest last night. The bold type had it right. Bayern were back at the big table but what the heavy typesetting failed to add was that the manners of the team once they were seated were more reminiscient of lucky guests who'd been waiting for a cancellation all night only to find themselves amid a conversation which, at times, sailed over their heads. The German champions duly turned up in collar and tie and certainly looked the part for periods of their first Champions League feast of the season. It seemed to be going swimmingly when Daniel van Buyton steered in a near post header from Bastian Schweinsteiger's free kick on 15 minutes. It was the scoring equivalent of the pair looking at each other in slight panic before picking up the right starter fork through sheer good fortune. It all seemed perfectly natural to everyone watching but it belied a set of jangling nerves under the crisp, white shirts. Throughout the following courses, Bayern appeared to be trying too hard and as a result a few peas rolled off the fork. Steaua's Florin Lovin and Antonio Semedo exposed the Bayern defense on a number of occasions, while Munich keeper Michael Rensing got his cutlery all wrong once or twice and was thankful that when the Romanians had the ball in the net, the referee had seen a previous infringement and disallowed the goal. Saying all that, however, Bayern seemed quite happy by the time the ice-cream came round. After doing away with the middle period's complicated silverware and unidentifiable cuisine (during which Steaua looked far more adept), the Bavarians got stuck in with that big reliable spoon they like to call Luca Toni. The Italian could have helped himself to a good two scoops in the final half hour and with the espresso steaming nicely in the background, super-sub Lukas Podolski and Schweinsteiger could have topped the final course with a dab of cream. And so, when the bill came round, it was Steaua who paid, leaving Juergen Klinsmann satisfied but hardly full. Such is the case with some European cuisine. It can look nice on the plate but there's often never enough of it to truly sate the hunger. So it was with Bayern's display. No one would have begrudged their fans a sneaky kebab on the way home. With a hearty helping of good Italian fare awaiting them in the shape of Fiorentina and some fancy food from the kitchen of French champions Lyon ready to be served, Bayern are going to need a few more lessons in etiquette before they have a permanent reservation at Chez Champions League. |
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| 17.09.2008 |
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| I'm sure many commentators were hoping that Werder Bremen did the expected and put Champions League debutantes Anorthosis Famagusta in their place with a resounding victory at the Weserstadion last night. Not because they had anything against the Cypriot champions but because if Bremen had thrashed the minnows as everyone thought they would, the result and the match in general would soon be forgotten and they could go back to talking about teams with easier names to pronounce. Instead, along with fellow linguisitical confounders CFR Cluj-Napoca, Anorthosis Famagusta is one of the names on numerous mangled lips this morning after holding Thomas Schaaf's aspirants to a 0-0 draw in their own backyard. While Anorthosis didn't quite reach the dizzy heights of Romanian champions Cluj, who beat AS Roma 2-1 in the imposing Olympic Stadium in their first ever European match, it was a great performance from a team also making their first bow in the competition. Anorthosis became the first team from Cyprus to reach the competition's group stage after beating Greece's Olympiakos and showed that, despite lacking a cutting edge or much of a midfield, they could batten down the hatches and ride out the attacking storm meted on them by the likes of Diego, Claudio Pizarro and Thorsten Frings. The Cypriots also managed to extend Bremen's dismal record in opening games. Since their return to the Champions League in 2004, the Green-Whites have never managed a win in their opening game of the competition. And if they were relying on three points to give them breathing space ahead of more difficult Group B games against Inter Milan and Greek side Panathinaikos, they soon found out that Anorthosis would be hard nuts to crack. With Germany midfielders Clemens Fritz and Frings playing alongside Brazilian playmaker Diego, Bremen were at full-strength, but lacked much in the way of finishing as they failed to convert a string of chances. Pizarro was Bremen's most industrious player and had their best effort with a header straight at Famagusta goalkeeper Arjan Beqaj on 24 minutes. On a night of few chances for the guests, Anorthosis were at their most dangerous five minutes from time when Greek defender Traianos Dellas hammered in his shot from 25 meters out, but Bremen goalkeeper Tim Weise dealt with it. Coach Schaaf was understandably frustrated after the game. "It's notable that we had five or six big chances, but didn't take them," he said. "Against such an opponent, I would expect us to do better and play with more energy. You have to take chances like these in Europe, but we didn't." So, instead of commenting in brief on a routine win for Bremen, German pundits will now stumble over the name of the Cypriot champions for the next few days as the investigations into Werder's shortcomings continue. After three…1…2…3…"One Anorthosis Famagusta…there's only one Anorthosis Famagusta…" |
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| 15.09.2008 |
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| Soccer fans are, in general, a fickle breed. One minute they can be singing the name of their favorite player as if they were praising the Almighty, the next they can be spewing venom at the same guy for an act of treachery. The most punishable of acts is, of course, deserting the cause to join another team. No other situation can turn a fan's love so quickly to hate. It was pleasantly surprising then to see the Cologne fans so warmly re-embrace their most prodigal of sons this weekend even though he turned up in the colors of the most despised team in Germany, a club which revels in success and the arrogance which goes with it, and scored a late, late goal that should have added insult to injury. Instead of shouting "Judas" and waving one-digit gestures in the direction of Lukas Podolski, the FC Köln fans sang his name as if he was still decked out in the red of the home side and not in the black of the visitors, Bayern Munich. It was an act of appreciation and deep affection which Podolski honored with his reaction to his last gasp goal, the strike that made the 3-0 win even more convincing. A young man often ridiculed for his perceived lack of IQ, Poldi has shown on occasion that he's not stupid when it comes to people's feelings and not afraid to temper his own when diplomacy is needed. Rather than punching the air in celebration (an act that many would not deny him considering the continued humiliation he endures on the Bayern bench), the Prince buried his face in the turf of his former club - who he describes as his "first love" - and did not even allow himself a smile having made no secret of his desire to return to Cologne. And when he touched his hand to his chest, he did so not to blatantly pat the badge of his new club but to hold his heart as he received the praise both of the home and traveling fans. Polish-born Podolski said: "It was just like when I scored two goals for Germany against Poland at Euro 2008, the celebration was as a mark of respect. As an opposition player to be welcomed here in the way I was by the Cologne fans - that is probably unique in the world." He is probably spot-on with that observation. Bayern, due to their historical dominance of the Bundesliga and success in cup competitions, snap up the top players in the league like their wives would snatch at half-price Louis Vuitton luggage. This fosters a barely concealed animosity in the supporters of all the other clubs and often the players they buy are then seen as glory hunters and traitors by the fans they leave behind. Not so the faithful of Cologne. They remember that Podolski gave everything while a teenage amateur at the club before eventually graduating to the senior squad where he scored 46 goals in 81 Bundesliga games. They remember that he stayed with them when the team was relegated in 2004 and scored the goals that got them back into the top flight the following season. They continue to hear his heartfelt words about their club and dream that one day the Prince will return to be king. Whether Podolski will one day return to Cologne, no-one but the player himself really knows. But one thing is for certain, he will continue to get a heroes welcome even when he arrives for one Saturday every season in the shirt of the opposition. |
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| 15.09.2008 |
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| Schalke's 3-3 draw with hated local rivals Borussia Dortmund this weekend was a Shakespearean affair in just about all the senses of that adjective. There was certainly history. The Blues may hold the slight all-time head-to-head advantage over Borussia, but as any Dortmund fan will tell you, the men in yellow have won a league title in the past half-century, whereas Schalke haven't. The faithful were in raptures when Schalke went up 3-nil. Top of table, hammering their foes on Dortmund's grounds -- what could possibly go wrong? Enter tragedy. First striker Kevin Kuranyi played the fool, missing a simple header that would have put the game beyond reach. Then Christian Pander and Fabian Ernst decided to take some practice shots using opponents' ankles, earning red cards within the space of a couple of minutes. Dortmund had pulled one back, and the match then turned into comedy. Striker Alexander Frei was so far offside before scoring Dortmund's second, many were surprised he didn't have a beer, purchased from a vendor in the stands, in his hand. And short of chopping off his left arm, there wasn't much defender Mladen Krstajic could have done to avoid the hand-ball that led to the equalizer. All the foibles made for a very entertaining match, of course, except for Schalke fans. They were left crying "Out, out, vile jelly" while clawing their eyes. And, no doubt, baying for the referee's blood. |
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| 14.09.2008 |
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| Having just finished the putting touches on another edition of the Sports Report, I would love it, just love it, if you would click on over and subscribe to the show as a podcast. I am a funny and charming host and it is filled with sports which you and I both like... I just know it. With the 'liga back in action, this week there's a long talk with Paul Chapman about Hamburg's mad quest to come from behind and win (or at least draw) as often as possible, how badly Schalke got jobbed in Dortmund, and what is keeping Wolfsburg from being anything more than just another team that can't do any better than draw with Hertha. For you, the discerning, blog-reading, connoisseur types however, there is an additional eight minutes of 'tape,' wherein Paul and I pal around, throw a further layer of confusion over the question of which national team Neven Subotic will play for (better be mine, goddamit!), discuss how nice it is to see a real live Schlaudraff in the wild, and hear just how high the stand was at the old stadium in Gladbach. Check it. |
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| 14.09.2008 |
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| Hanover ended a three-game goal drought with an emphatic 5-1 victory over promoted Borussia Moenchengladbach to move off the bottom of the German Bundesliga on Sunday. Striker Jan Schlaudraff and midfielder Szabolcs Huszti scored two goals each as Hanover collected their first league win of the season after just one point and no goals from their three previous games. Bochum also picked up a first league victory with a 2-0 defeat of visiting Arminia Bielefeld thanks to first-half goals from Marcin Mieciel and Marc Pfertzel. The result leaves Bielefeld second last with two points, one ahead of bottom-club Energie Cottbus. Huszti saw a 28th-minute penalty saved by Christopher Heimeroth, but the Hungarian made amends by scoring four minutes later to end Hanover's goal famine. Schlaudraff, discarded by Bayern Munich, bagged his first goal for his new club two minutes before half-time with a neat lob from the edge of the area, and Huszti made it three two minutes after the break. "We played well going forward. We came back well after missing the penalty and the dam broke with the first goal," said Schlaudraff, whose playing career began at Moenchengladbach. Rob Friend pulled one back for the visitors in the 54th minute, but there was no stopping Schlaudraff on a solo run past three defenders before scoring the goal of the match in the 67th. A fifth came from the penalty spot four minutes from time when Mikael Forssell, another former Moenchengladbach player, this time stepped up to score after an apparent foul on Huszti. The Finland striker, who joined on a free transfer from Birmingham City in the close season, had been the provider for two goals before also notching his first for the club. Hanover coach Dieter Hecking said: "The team played with great concentration and so even after the penalty miss I wasn't at all nervous." On Saturday, Italian World Cup winner Luca Toni's second-half double in Cologne fired defending champions Bayern Munich up to second in the Bundesliga as Hamburg took over the lead. Bayern's Toni headed home from Bastian Schweinsteiger's free-kick in the 53rd minute then hit a superb strike on the hour before substitute Lukas Podolski scored an injury-time goal to seal a 3-0 win at Cologne. The win shot Bayern up from seventh to second in the table as they warmed-up for their opening Champions League clash on Wednesday night against Steaua Bucharest in Romania with their second consecutive league win. But coach Juergen Klinsmann admitted his side had been nervous. "I told the players at half time they had to remain calm," said the ex-Germany coach. "For us, it was important we got a victory, because of Wednesday night's Champions League game. I was very pleased with Lukas Podolski's goal; he is on the right path." The goal against his old club had added importance for 23-year-old Podolski who has scored 30 goals for Germany, but cannot command a place in Bayern's first team having spent most of last year on the bench. But the match was over shadowed by news a 47-year-old football fan had died during the game in the west stand at Cologne's Rhein Energie Stadion. The cause of death is not known. Having started the day in second position, Hamburg came from 2-0 down against ten-man Bayer Leverkusen to seal a dramatic 3-2 win which put them top. We made too many errors at the start, which must not happen again," said Hamburg coach Martin Jol. "But I am pleased with the fight back, the goal we scored before half-time was very important." Hamburg trailed 2-0 early on thanks to goals by Bayer's Tranquillo Barnetta and Patrick Helmes. But a goal from Hamburg's Peru striker Jose Paolo Guerrero on 36 minutes put the home team back in the game before former Germany defender Manuel Friedrich was sent off for a second yellow card three minutes later. Hamburg were level on 51 minutes when Croatia striker Ivica Olic equalized before Swiss striker Mladen Petric hit the all-important winner on 72 minutes. Nine-man Schalke 04 lost their heads and their place at the top of the table as they slid down to third after drawing 3-3 with neighbors Borussia Dortmund. The Royal Blues had two players sent off as Dortmund fought back from 2-0 down at half-time. Schalke had got off to a flying start when Peru striker Jefferson Farfan converted a penalty on 20 minutes to make a mark on his debut. Brazilian midfielder Rafinha doubled the advantage on 39 minutes when he slotted home a pass from Germany defender Heiko Westermann. But Dortmund rallied when defender Neven Subotic headed home Alexander Frei's corner kick on 67 minutes and Swiss striker Frei rifled home a shot three minutes later to make it 3-2 with 20 minutes left. Schalke lost their composure as Germany defender Christian Pander was shown a second yellow card on 73 minutes for a bad tackle. And he was joined four minutes later by fellow defender Fabian Ernst for a reckless tackle and with just a minute left Frei converted a penalty which sealed the dramatic result and put Dortmund fourth in the table. Werder Bremen picked up their first win of the season with three late goals to seal a 3-0 win at home to Energie Cottbus. VfL Wolfsburg scored goals in the first and last minutes to seal a 2-2 draw in the German capital at Hertha Berlin. Also on Saturday, VfB Stuttgart were held to a 0-0 draw at Hoffenheim. |
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| 14.09.2008 |
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| It's not unusual for knackered old has-beens to spoil a decent game of soccer. Anyone unlucky to have caught Carsten Jancker lumber through his final days at SV Mattersburg will attest to that. But never has a dried-up, former superstar managed to get a match cancelled, however lame their performance. Madonna, however, has suddenly become the exception to this rule. After prancing across the hallowed turf of Frankfurt's Commerz-Bank Arena for a good couple of hours on Thursday night, Madge managed to get the next day's game between the home side and SC Karlsruhe postponed. After it was claimed that Madonna's latest show on the inappropriately titled Sticky and Sweet Tour would not interfere with the Bundesliga schedule, the Friday night game was eventually cancelled, presumably due to the amount of time it took to clear up all the empty bottles of kabballah water that she and her entourage had left lying around. It seems ironic that after adopting all the traits of an English country dame (e.g. shooting innocent animals, wearing tweed and emasculating a weak-minded male), Madonna failed to pick up on her adopted homeland's obsession with the beautiful game. (For those who may argue that this would be below Lady Madge, she could always support those faux-aristocrats at Chelsea where her irritating mockney accent would fit right in). You see, this isn't the first time that Her Madgesty has scuppered a good old, working class kick-around. Those of you who have been following Ballspiel may remember that Jefferson had to endure the rather less-salubrious confines of the Jahnsportparkstadion in the former East Berlin after Madonna booked the Olympic Stadium for the same night of Hertha's UEFA Cup clash with NK Interblock Ljubljana. Okay, so it wasn't the Champions League final or even the DFB Cup decider but it still meant that the home side were bussed across town to play in a stadium which would make the Dog & Duck's Sunday XI complain about the toilets. It's not only the singer's total disregard for soccer, and the Bundesliga in particular, which riles me here but the fact that these postponements and relocations are just another shining example of money riding roughshod over the game. The league schedule and the traditions of the clubs involved come way down the list of priorities when money-machines roll into town and demand a certain venue on a certain day under pain of an expensively-assembled lawsuit. While the mega-diva surely had the majority of the say as to when and where she played, Madge is not solely to blame here. In both cases, Madonna's prioritization is another sign that football is at the mercy of managers and marketing teams which have come into the game solely to make money. The venues they manage are vessels for any cash-cow that comes to graze on the pitch; they suck the life and soul out of a stadium by ignoring its main purpose – that of being a team's home and a cathedral of worship for its fans – in favour of whatever event brings in the most revenue. Stay tuned for Manchester United playing Arsenal at Macclesfield Town's stadium-stroke-greyhound track while Old Trafford plays host to the Theatre of Dreams Car Boot Sale. |
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| 14.09.2008 |
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| I'm back in Germany after a week of fun and, err, rain in Ireland, and I'm looking forward to the resumption of the Bundesliga. Here's one big reason. Ireland being a country that specializes in weird pursuits like hurling, both on the pitch and in alleyways behind pubs after too many Guinness, the Irish tend to get their football from the English Premiership. And, of course, the sports airwaves were dominated by the news that a group of oil-rich sheikhs from Abu Dhabi had purchased Manchester's other club, Man City. In typical oil sheikh fashion, City's new bosses announced that they were going after everyone from Cristiano Ronaldo to Cesc Fabregas to Ruud van Nistelrooy -- and that money was no object. Lo and behold, just before the transfer deadline, they landed Robinho for a record sum in England. This sort of take-over could never happen in Germany, where any one person or corporate entity is prohibited by law from holding more than 49 percent of a club. Clubs here remain clubs, not expensive hobbies and vanity projects for billionaires. And while I surely wouldn't mind seeing Robinho in Hertha Berlin blue and white, I wouldn't want him for the price of foreign take-overs. Tickets at the City of Manchester Stadium are already three times more expensive than for most Hertha matches, and despite the wealth of the team's new owners, City fans can bet that they'll being digging a lot deeper into their pockets to help finance marquee signings. What's more should Hertha play like a bunch of sick nuns, I can, at least theoretically, go to the annual members' meeting and vent my anger at manager Dieter Hoeness. What can City fans do, if things go bust -- lob rotten eggs at their new benefactors' private jet? Money should be an object. Otherwise how can mere mortals identify with a club or the people who run it? |
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| 10.09.2008 |
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| In the comedy series "Little Britain", Andy Pipkin, the pretend-disabled scrounger, states that he wants to go to Finland despite the fact that he previously said that the country had "a maudlin quality to it, rendering it unsuitable as a holiday destination." After convincing his hapless carer Lou to book them on a flight to Helsinki, Andy decides on take-off that he actually wanted to go to Florida all the time. Germany coach Joachim Loew must know the feeling... Whether the perenially miserable-looking Miroslav Klose would have reacted in such a way as he did tonight had he been required to play a match in Tampa, we may never know. But the "maudlin" environs of Helsinki's Olympic Stadium certainly brought the best out of the Bayern striker. After seemingly forgetting his scoring boots on his last few outings with the national team, Miro hit a hat-trick. Unfortunately, Finland scored three goals as well, rendering moot the only positive point of a lackluster German performance. Germany had to come from behind three times to draw with Finland and it if it hadn't been for the perversely-inspired Klose, it could have been a damaging and comprehensive defeat by the Finns. When Germany play their brand of free-flowing, rapid counter-attacking soccer, Klose can't buy a goal. When they fluff their lines, shank their passes and blow their chances, Miro finds some kind of inspiration in the dross. "It was a great game of football...," Coach Jogi said after presumably watching England thrash Croatia 4-1 on his iPhone ( - sorry, couldn't resist putting that in). Seriously though, which game was he watching?? More worrying than the actual final result was the way in which Finland made Germany look ordinary for long periods of the game. And, to be honest, Finland were awful. Their approach play had that "headless chicken" quality to it and any coherant run at goal soon deteriorated into the haphazard style of a newborn foal having a bowling ball rolled between its legs. Luckily, Germany didn't have much of a clue either. The ball richocheted between the teams like it was in a pinball machine and half the time, the Germans were not only chasing shadows but tackling them as well. This game was billed as Germany's first real test after the disappointment of losing the Euro 2008 final. Those who wrote this, myself included, were so wrapped up in the prospect of Germany facing a team made up of actual professionals that they forgot that we were talking about Finland. In what world should Germany playing Finland be a real test for the three-times World Champions?? This one, apparently... When Germany go to Finland and have to be bailed out by an out-of-form striker who drags them back from humiliation not once but three times, questions like this must be asked. |
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| 07.09.2008 |
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| With no Bundesliga on this week, the Sports Report was reduced to picking over the corpses of international matches featuring a minimum of one crap side. In the program, my Q&A with Paul Chapman ran at a brisk four minutes. We chatted, however, well past the 14 minute mark and if the time-and-space-constraint-free world of the blog format isn't where to put the raw file, I don't know where is. Big ups to Paul who said his voice was thrashed but didn't sound like it at all... |
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| 06.09.2008 |
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| Germany thankfully showed what a European soccer superpower should do when faced with a team of lowly sacrificial lambs by beating Liechtenstein 6-0 in their first World Cup qualifier. While Jogi Loew's team were putting their part-time opposition to the sword in Vaduz, England were labouring to an embarrassing 2-0 win against Andorra in Barcelona. In fact, such was the ineptitude and nervousness of England’s display, it was impossible to remember a time when the Three Lions were referred to as a European soccer superpower without tongues being planted firmly in cheeks. Clash of the Small-Fry would have been more fitting a title for this match-up than David versus Goliath. It is one of the more perverse aspects of international soccer that teams from little provinces and tiny nation states the size of Düsseldorf are wheeled out for cannon fodder in the Euro and World Cup qualification stages. Makeweights such as the Faroe Islands and San Marino bravely take to the field with giant-killing aspirations on their minds but mostly end up in a futile battle to keep the score below that of a cricket whitewash. On the odd occasion (*England circa 1993 comes to mind), these minnows throw a spanner in the works – usually one from the toolbox the striker uses in his day job – and enter the history books as an accomplice in the shaming of a mightier nation. Let's be fair – they deserve their shot. As members of the UEFA and FIFA families, these countries have every right to be where they are. They live in hope of one day making the finals of a major championship while knowing in their provincial heart-of-hearts that they probably never will. And yet they still try. They may know that reality has them pegged as the eternal whipping boys but, man, how sweet it is to screw up the chances of some team of over-inflated, pampered prancers on the way. Telling your mates that you ended a top five nations’ hopes of World Cup qualification at the weekend is surely the ultimate in water-cooler conversation come Monday morning. While Liechtenstein and Andorra failed to take a scalp – or any points – in their opening qualification games, the Andorrans at least will take pleasure and pride from holding an expensive array of Premiership superstars at bay for 49 minutes. Germany's opponents will know that they came up against a far better side and given the opportunity may have fared as well as Andorra against the English. The (bad) luck of the draw, however, pitched them up against the wounded European Championship runners-up; a team just aching to get on the road to the next finals where glory could possibly await and where painful memories could possibly be erased. Loew played Lukas Podolski as a striker after playing him at left midfield during Euro 2008 and the switch paid dividends in the 21st minute. Podolski scored from close range after latching onto a pass from Piotr Trochowski. Poldi and Trochowski combined again for the Bayern striker to make it two in the 48th; opening up the floodgates despite Liechtenstein's dogged resilience. Simon Rolfes scored his first international goal on 65 minutes, with another a minute later from Bastian Schweinsteiger. Thomas Hitzlsperger scored with a deflected free kick ten minutes after that and Heiko Westermann rounded things off with his first goal for Germany with four minutes to play. The combination of Podolski and Miroslav Klose, the successful striking duo from Germany’s 2006 World Cup campaign, and their impact was in stark contrast with England's attempts at prising open Andorra with a ramshackle bunch of misfits. Shorn of a number of injured, out-of-form and out-of-favour stars, Fabio Capello put his goalscoring faith in Jermaine Defoe and the non-firing Wayne Rooney. England's and Capello's blushes were ultimately saved by two strikes from substitute Joe Cole, a midfielder playing up-front who is making a habit of saving his coach’s butt with important goals. Even at this early stage, Germany should be a shoo-in for World Cup qualification given the consistency and confidence in the current side. England, however, are still eleven question marks in white shirts (or red, depending on the opponents). If the Three Lions fail for the second time in a row to qualify for a major tournament, who's to say a visit to Wembley may hold as little fear as a trip to Vaduz for the big teams in the future? (*England had to beat San Marino in Bologna by seven clear goals, and needed Holland to lose against Poland to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the USA. The humiliation began when San Marino opened the scoring in the ninth second as part-timer Davide Gualtieri latched onto a weak Stuart Pearce back pass and beat Peter Shilton in the England goal. Although the score ended up 7-1 to England, Holland beat Poland in any case.) |
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| 03.09.2008 |
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| In a slow match that looked exactly like the charity event it was, Germany's national team and Bayern Munich bid farewell to German soccer legend Oliver "King" Kahn on Tuesday night in Munich. With Bayern trailing in the Bundesliga and Germany facing a pair of World Cup qualifiers next week, it was clear Oliver Kahn's goal for the night would be different from that of the other 21 players on the pitch. For the now-retired Oli Kahn the game would be one last chance to chomp away open-mouthed at a piece of gum while barking orders to his defense and then raise his hands to a prolonged standing ovation and shouts of "Olli Kahn! Ollie Kahn!" from a sold-out Allianz Arena. For everyone else on the pitch the idea was to walk off the field after 90 minutes without getting hurt or without embarrassing themselves. Referee Markus Merk dutifully stopped the match in the 75th minute to let the Allianz Arena, and via TV extension all of German soccer, bid farewell to Kahn with Paul Potts singing "Time to Say Goodbye" from the center circle filling the stadium during Kahn's farewell lap to collect Bayern scarves thrown to him from adoring and teary eyed fans. The well-deserved goodbye to a German soccer institution, who will continue to have his say in the sport as a commentator, turned opulent as the ever-present film crew followed Kahn, with a FC Bayern Munich flag draped around his shoulders, to the locker room to show TV viewers how he drinks his energy drink, and unties his cleats with live commentary on national television. After he left the field German public broadcaster ZDF didn't even bother to turn the game clock back on. No one at home -- or in the stadium -- really cared how much time was left in the match. Except for Olli's successor at Bayern, Michael Rensing, who tapped his wrist, apparently thinking someone cares about what he thinks. A respectable 1-1 draw let everyone go home feeling like a winner while fans got to take a look at Germany's soccer stars -- the ones who may still shine as well as the ones that have already faded. |
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| 01.09.2008 |
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| Bayern Munich coach Juergen Klinsmann can invest in a few new Buddha statues for the team's locker room after hammering Hertha Berlin 4-1 for the Bavarians' first win of the season. After two lackluster draws, the victory puts Bayern within two points of league leaders Schalke 04. Luca Toni scored for the first time this season early in the match, and defender Philipp Lahm curled home a pretty shot for Bayern's second goal. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose both tallied from the penalty spot on fouls from Berlin's Swiss defender Steve von Bergen to wrap up scoring Munich. And it was about time for German international Klose. His drought has had German soccer experts wondering if the winner of the 2006 World Cup's Golden Boot had lost his touch. The last time he gave the air a post-goal punch was in March. "Schweini was down to take the penalties and scored the first one with assurance, so I threw him the ball," Klose said. "He then gave it back to me which was a great gesture. I have been working really hard on my fitness these last few weeks so this (goal) was enormously important." But even Sunday's goal celebration was cut short when Klinsi replaced Klose with Lukas Podolski -- who began yet another match warming the bench for Bayern. Klinsmann said that after a difficult pre-season preparation the team "is slowly starting to roll." Marko Pantelic scored Berlin's late consolation goal but still had to watch his team slip from third to 10th in the league table as Bayern climbed to seventh after three matches. In Sunday's other match, Stuttgart beat Hanover 2-0 with first-half goals from Mario Gomez and Pavel Pardo from the penalty spot. The defeat leaves Hanover propping up the table, while Stuttgart are fifth on six points. Schalke 04, with seven points, took over the league's top spot on goal difference by defeating VfL Bochum 1-0 on Saturday. Heiko Westermann sealed the win with a superb header that would ultimately knock promoted Hoffenheim out of first place. The promoted side was brought back down to Bundesliga reality with a 5-2 loss to Bayer Leverkusen. Hamburg, who came from behind to win 4-2 at Arminia Bielefeld, and Dortmund, who edged out Energie Cottbuss 1-0, are level on points with the Royal Blues. Champions League contenders Werder Bremen were humbled 3-2 by promoted Borussia Moenchengladbach while Wolfsburg drew 2-2 with Eintracht Frankfurt. Cologne defender Umit Ozat had fans worried after he collapsed on the field for no apparent reason in Karlsruhe on Friday night. Carried off the field by and treated by both teams' doctors, the 31-year-old was given a clean bill of health and released from the hospital on Sunday. In tribute to him, Cologne went on to win the match 2-0. |
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