Albert Blog

This transfer window Bayern has been pretty active in both directions. Until now the transfers are:

In

1. Joshua Kimmich - from Stuttgart
2. Sven Ulreich - from Stuttgart
3. Douglas Kosta - from Shakhtar Donetsk
4. Arturo Vidal - from Juventus
5. Pierre–Emile Højbjerg - back from loan Augsburg
6. Jan Kirchhoff - back from loan Schalke 04
7. Julian Green - back from loan Hamburger SV

Out

1. Bastian Schweinsteiger - to Manchester United
2. Mitchell Weiser - to Hertha BSC
3. Claudio Pizarro - retired
4. Pepe Reina - to Napoli
5. Rico Strieder - to FC Utrecht

By far the most controversial transfer is Schweini going to ManU after 17 years with Bayern. There are fractions of the fans not being happy at all about the transfer, accusing Guardiola and Rummenigge of destroying the Bayern identity.  Peter Neururer (ex Bochum coach) took it one step further (read more). I must confess that I'm the same camp also and think that a strong German/Bavarian core it's a must for FC Bayern to be successful.

If you look at the full squad of 27 players, 12 are Germans which it's not too bad (44%). However looking more closely, if we take out the three goalkeepers, from 24 field players, only 9 are Germans (37.5%). Even more worrying it's the picture of the starting eleven, which very likely has only Neuer, Lahm, Boateng and Muller as starter (36%).

Whenever Bayern has been successful, it had a very strong German core which was the core of the National Team as well:

• 1974, 75, 76 - Maier, Beckenbauer, Breitner, Schwarzenbeck, Hoeneß, Roth, Müller
• 1999, 2000, 2001 - Kahn, Babbel, Helmer, Linke, Matthaus, Basler, Effenberg, Jeremies, Scholl
• 2012, 13, 14 - Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Badstuber, Kroos, Schweinsteiger, Gotze, Muller

I'm afraid that this full latinization of Guardiola (Dante, Rafinha, Costa of Brasil; Bernat, Thiago, Martinez, Alonso of Spain; Vidal of Chille) will contribute to more German/Bavarian players leaving. There are rumours that it was one of the reasons Schweini left, and Muller has voiced his concerns also (read here). I hope I'm wrong, but my prediction is that although Bayern can/will win the Bundesliga, they will not get far in Champions League.

Since last week the Worldwide media has been busy praising the Bayern team and the rise of the German football with Borussia Dortmund completing an all German Champions League Final. I believe even the most hardcore fans weren't expecting such a win against Barcelona, so the media is right to make such a "noise". However for the people that follow closely the Bundesliga and German football this has been coming for some time. Let me explain why:

1. For many years now, Bundesliga has been leading the standings for the average attendance. With about 45,000 spectators per match it has a huge lead over second place (Premier League) that has less than 35,000. This is a result of several factors that include big, modern stadiums, low ticket price, competitive games, etc.
2. For more than 20 years Bundesliga is leading the average goals per game statistics for the top 5 European Leagues (Bundesliga, Premier League, Primera Division, Seria A and Ligue 1). This is a clear indication that the league is playing attractive football.
3. Bundesliga is the only big league where all the clubs have solid financial foundations. DFB has very strict rules on the financial regulations and unlike other countries the 50+1 rule doesn't allow anyone to buy a club (50+1% of the club is owned by the fans).
4. All the work started by the DFB in early 2000 (the collapse of German football) is starting to pay back. Most of the clubs have excellent junior academies and every year more and more talents are making a mark.
5. In the last 10 years 5 different teams have won the Bundesliga (Bremen 04, Stuttgart 07, Wolfsburg 09, Dortmund 11, 12 and Bayern 05, 06, 08, 10, 13). In the same time in Premier League 4 teams (Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal) have won it (Chelsea and Manchester City after spending billions of dollars), in Primera Division only 3 teams (Valencia, Barcelona and Real Madrid) and in Seria A only 3 teams (Milan, Inter & Juventus). Only Ligue 1 has 5 different winners, but only after Lyon won 7 in a row. This is a clear indication that Bundesliga is the most competitive league, but most people failed to acknowledge that.

However aside from the fact that the World has started to praise the Bundesliga, the most significant factor of Bayern win (and Borussia's win as well) is the fact that a German team will win the Champions League. It's the first trophy for a German team (including clubs & National team) since Bayern win in 2001. The list of near misses is quite long and includes:

• National Team's lost final against Brasil in World Cup 2002.
• Bayer Leverkusen's lost final against Real Madrid in Champions League 2002.
• Borussia Dortmund's lost final against Feyenoord in Europa League 2002.
• National Team's lost semi-final against Italy in World Cup 2006.
• National Team's lost final against Spain in European Championship 2008.
• Werder Bremen's lost final against Shakhtar Donetsk in Europa League 2009.
• National Team's lost semi-final against Spain in World Cup 2010.
• Bayern Munich's lost final against Inter in Champions League 2010.
• National Team's lost semi-final against Italy in European Championship 2012.
• Bayern Munich's lost final against Chelsea in Champions League 2012.

Hopefully this Champions League win will be a big boost to the confidence of German clubs & players and many more will continue :)

Bayern just beat Arsenal in the first match for the round of 16 in Champions League 3-1 and virtually sealed their place into the last eight. Schweini controlled the game, Kroos was everywhere and scored a great volley while Muller as usual the hard working, untraceable be-in-the-right-place-in-the-right-time striker. At the same time in Dortmund Reus and Gotze are in fire with the former scoring a hat-trick in the last Bundesliga game. On top of that add Ozil and it seems there are so many players and so few places in Nationalmaschaft. So how should Low pick the right players...well my suggestion is to play of all them :) Sometimes to win it all you have to make risky choices and it's time for Low to show he has the balls to do it. With time passing there's a growing opinion that Low is under-performing with all the talent he has. He has been very conservative and it has showed in the decisive matches (last example being the semi-final against Italy in Euro 2012). There are quite a few arguments to support the above selection:

1. Germany doesn't have a World Class striker. Low keeps playing Gomez and every single time it doesn't work. He makes the changes and the team is much better (Italy Euro 2012 anyone?)
2. The above players are actually the best individuals available to Low. He has to integrate them and create the best team.
3. A wining team should not copy the latest trend, but create the trend. Now the trend is to play two double-six players. Why not challenge it?

So how can the above players be fielded into the same team? My preferred formation would be:

-----------------------------Schweini-------------------------------

---------------------Gotze---------------Kroos----------------------

-----Muller--------------------Ozil-----------------------Reus------

Let's see if Low will read this and take note ;)

As a "hardcode" fun of Nationalmannschaft this is the ideal topic to get started. Today Bayern beat Mainz 3-0 in the Bundesliga (nothing unusual), but once again I was impressed by Kroos. He has developed immensely and in my opinion is a must for the  Nationalmannschaft. Check out below the assist for the first goal. Pure class.

[youtube:8nYJpLDh9xk]

The problem right now, is that Kroos plays in a similar position to Ozil and has seen limited playing time as a number 10. However Low really has to find a way and start Kroos as number 10, not only because he has qualities that no other player has, but also because of the synergy he has with other Bayern players, especially Muller and Schweini. I see these options on how this can be done:

1. Leave out Ozil. This may sound too harsh, but it's a situation similar to 1972 when Netzer and Overath were fighting for the same place and Schon opted for the later. It was painful for Netzer but the team is more important and Schon was proved right by winning both the European and World Championships.
2. Play no real striker. Klose is at the end of his great career and Gomez doesn't fit with the system. Schweini probably along Khedira play as double-six and the offensive players are Reus, Kroos, Ozil and Muller. They can interchange with each other and be very difficult for the opponents to mark.
3. Play the 3-4-3 system. Again double-six will be played by Schweini and Khedira while the attacking trio will include Rues, Kroos and Ozil (Muller will play in the flank).

It's a difficult situation for Low, but it's his job to find the best possible solution :)