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| Monster Munchen |
| Posted on 19/11/03 at 05:38 by bluestu |
When this season's favourites for the Champions League were being considered, surprisingly few pundits chose to contemplate the second most successful side in the modern history of the competition. Wiser heads know better, and those in the know are tipping Bayern Munich to go all the way this year.
Last season was a relative disaster for Ottmar Hitzfeld's side. Placed in a relatively tough group in the opening stage of the Champions' League, Bayern conspired not to win a single game against Lens, Deportivo La Coruna, and eventual winners Milan. For the team which had won the Champions League in 2001, and contested the final in 1999, this was hard to take. The early exit was particularly galling as the notoriously frugal Bavarian side had splashed out heavily in the transfer market in the 2002 pre-season. Previously a side that had rarely spent more than a couple of million pounds on a player, Bayern's Director of Football Karl Heinz Rummenigge authorised almost ﾣ30m of expenditure. German wunderkind Sebastian Deisler arrived from Hertha Berlin and was expected to begin to fulfil his billing as the new Gunter Netzer and take over from Mehmet Scholl as playmaker. The core of Bayer Leverkeusen's midfield was also poached, German international Michael Ballack and Brazilian winger Ze Roberto moving south. Despite their romp to Bundesliga success by an eventual 16 point margin from VFB Stuttgart (following a late collapse by Borussia Dortmund), further improvements were called for this summer.
And further improvements occurred... Europe's Golden Boot winner, the Dutch striker Roy Makaay, was purchased from their conquerors of last season, Deportivo La Coruna. All the more impressive was Rummenigge's bargaining, Makaay arriving for a relatively paltry ﾣ12m, considerably less than Manchester United paid for the unproven Portuguese teenager, Cristiano Ronaldo. Elsewhere the exciting young German left back Tobias Rau has been signed from Wolfsburg and has already deposed French veteran Bixente Lizarazu from the starting XI and new Manchester City full back Michael Tarnat from the squad. Also bolstering the defence, Argentina centre half Martin Dimichelis, last season's Argentine Player of the Year, signed from River Plate. Another Argentina star, young forward Carlos Alberto Tevez (yet another rumoured 'new Maradona') is set to sign for the German giants from Boca Juniors when the transfer window re-opens in January.
Despite all these comings and goings perhaps the key factor in Bayerns return to grace will be the return of several key players from injury. Deisler, in particular, had an awful time last season, missing most of the campaign with a cruciate ligament injury. Ze Roberto had a similarly disrupted season. Both are now fit, and will play in one of Europe's best midfield quartets. England's best kept secret, Owen Hargreaves, has made the anchorman role his own, relegating Germany's Jens Jeremies to the bench. Deisler and Ze Roberto will play wide, and perhaps the best midfield player in Europe outside of Spain and Italy, Michael Ballack, will play in the centre. There is no underestimating the importance of Ballack to Bayern. Last season he scored 10 league goals from central midfield, a creditable haul, but a personal disappointment given his haul of 17 for Leverkeusen in the previous campaign.
Bayern's backline is rock solid, too. The best goalkeeper in the world a couple of seasons ago, Oliver Kahn, maintains his position despite all manner of off-pitch scandals. Rau and France's Willy Sagnol have the fullback roles, and the afore-mentioned Dimichelis partners the ground-beating Sammy Kuffour in central defence. Up front Bayern have such an embarrassment of riches that they allowed Brazil striker Giovanni Elber, destroyer of Real Madrid and Manchester United in recent seasons, to move to Champions' League Group rivals Lyon. Roy Makaay will partner the deadly Peruvian Claudio Pizarro up front with the skilful Paraguayan Roque Santa Cruz in reserve. With other quality squad members like Lizarazu, Scholl, Jeremies, Linke, Fink, Salihamidzic and Zickler, Bayern also have the strength in depth to go a long way.
Only time will tell, but given their pedigree, Hitzfeld's tactical cunning, and the quality of the new players, no-one but a fool would bet against Bayern being there or thereabouts when this season's European Cup Final is played. Played in Gelsenkirchen, home of Schalke, amongst Bayern's deadliest rivals. How would that be for irony?
(NB - this was written 2 months ago for another publication and looks increasingly silly now...)
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