... so miracles do happen?
In the last volume of the kicker magazine, there are lots of articles about the current situation at the FC Bayern.
One is about Claudio Pizarro, who wants to stay at the FC Bayern and therefore talk about a contract extension but Hoeneß isn't talking to him. Also, he was confronted with the argument that he'll stop making an effort as soon as he has a new contract in his pocket, which Pizarro contradicts, saying that "after the extension two years ago, I've always done my job - unless I was injured. Still, I know that I can improve. I have never shown my full quality here. Of course, I have never been completely fit at the FC Bayern, either. Now I'm on my way there." So he's saying that he's always played well when he was fit, but then he says that he has never been fit at the FC Bayern? Should we take this as an explanation for the lack of effort? GAH. Please, FC Bayern, get rid of this player, kthnx.
One is an interview with Lukas Podolski about his opinion of the first half, in which he says that he can't score 10 goals in the little time was actually playing and that he'll continue his fight for his breakthrough. And there's one particular part in it that I want to share with you because I found it especially funny. It concerns Jan Schlaudraff's transfer to the FC Bayern after this season.
kicker: Has Schlaudraff made the right decision?
Podolski: That is his decision.
kicker: Torsten Frings said, you should have transferred to Bremen.
Podolski: That was my decision. Everyone should deal with themselves and not with other players.
WORD. Really, I don't like the way Torsten Frings and other Werder players are currently interferring with everything. First, he and Tim Borowski said that Schlaudraff had no other choice than the transfer to Bremen. Then, when it was settled that he would transfer to Bayern, Frings said that he pitied him. Why is that, exactly? Frings argued that Schlaudraff would spend the second half of the season on the bench, just like Lukas Podolski. But would he? It's true that Podolski didn't have much of a chance against Makaay and Pizarro, who are older and more experienced. It has to be said that Podolski came from a 2nd league club. Clubs like that have a very different way of playing. Against Bayern, as Podolski said in the interview, other teams play like a wall. But against Cologne, the game was more offensive on both sides. He has to get accustomed to that new way of playing first, and that takes time, so it would have been silly to make him a starter right after the transfer.
And things are different with Jan Schlaudraff, anyway. He's best playing the position Michael Ballack left vacant. So far, there hasn't been a midfielder at the FC Bayern who can play this position to a satisfactory extent. And it also has to be said that this very position, the one behind the forwards, is not vacant at the SV Werder Bremen because Schaaf would be mad to put Diego on the bench. So please, Werder people, shut up about this transfer. Firstly, it's not as senseless as you might think and secondly, it's Jan Schlaudraff's own decision and he has to have thought about it before he signed the contract.
***
And there was an article on a topic that interests me especially because I've been ranting about it for almost the whole first half of the season.
Magath: Lucio isn't seeded anymore!
Demichelis considers himself to be the better choice
The exasperating surprise was obvious on his face. When Lucio (28) wasn't a starter in the first match of the Dubai-Cup against Benfica Lisbon (3:4 after p.s.o.), he wasn't "satisfied on the bench", as he admits in an interview with the kicker. He respected the coach's decision, "but I can't sit on the bench and laugh".
Last Wednesday, in the little final against Marseille (4:3, win bonus of 190,000 Euros), Lucio defended from the beginning, at the side of Daniel van Buyten (28) - instead of Martín Demichelis (26). An interesting duel looms in the central defence of the FC Bayern. A threat, because Lucio, Brazilian world champion and newly assigned skipper of the Selecao, has been untouchable until now. Coach Felix Magath is ecstatic about his "gigantic preliminaries" 2005/2006, but now Lucio himself admits that "in the last preliminaries, I haven't played well."
During his ankle joint injury, the defensive placeholder van Buyten and Demichelis formed a well-concerted, communicative central defence. "Micho talks more," says the Belgian and describes with anxious neutrality that "considering their way of playing, they have different qualities, but Lucio advances more." Those offensive excursions have become a problem within the club. Today, even Lucio has acknowledged the criticism and says that "it's understood, I'll stay in the back now and only advance when the coach wishes me to." Until now, Magath has stood up for this sensible player unconditionally, declared him seeded after his recovery at the end of November. "That was then," says the coach and hints at an end of the starter guarantee.
With Demichelis, a consequent and highly motivated defensive player is lurking. He doesn't want his statements to be understood as "criticism against Lucio", the Argentinian emphasizes, "but I've brought tactics and order into the central defence." He points out that "I'm not afraid to fight Lucio or van Buyten, van Bommel, Hargreaves or Ottl." They might "all be world class players", but Demichelis argues that "I can play just as well." Since he suspects that "Lucio and van Buyten are the central defence #1 when they're fit", he wants to apply for a position in the defensive midfield at the same time, where he was active against Marseille. "One day, I want to play in or in front of the central defence when everyone's in shape," says Demichelis, "that would mean a lot to me." For this, he wants to "give everything, because at the moment, I don't feel important for the team and therefore I can't be happy."
***
Now that he isn't untouchable anymore, it's really nice that the message has finally arrived in Lucio's brain. *grmbls* If he's so fond of excursions, maybe he should become a kindergarten teacher (or, to be more realistic, a wing player), but in the central defence, he's clearly misplaced. Also, thank you, Magath, for finally realizing what I've been saying for months now. *virtually zidanes him*
I'm glad that Micho is prepared to fight and I'm sure he can do it, no matter where he ends up, if in the central defence or the defensive midfield. I'll keep my fingers crossed for him to start more often, and - just like he said - even when everyone else is in shape. People always argue that he isn't constant enough, but look at the other South Americans that the FC Bayern has at the moment! Call that constant? Micho has been FAR more constant than those. (And that's also what I said to my boss at work who is a dedicated FC Bayern fan like me and recently said that the South Americans at the FC Bayern are crap.)
Seriously, if Pizarro had put half the effort in his game that I'm putting in my rants, he'd have been the top-goalscorer of the first half. *SIGH*
One is about Claudio Pizarro, who wants to stay at the FC Bayern and therefore talk about a contract extension but Hoeneß isn't talking to him. Also, he was confronted with the argument that he'll stop making an effort as soon as he has a new contract in his pocket, which Pizarro contradicts, saying that "after the extension two years ago, I've always done my job - unless I was injured. Still, I know that I can improve. I have never shown my full quality here. Of course, I have never been completely fit at the FC Bayern, either. Now I'm on my way there." So he's saying that he's always played well when he was fit, but then he says that he has never been fit at the FC Bayern? Should we take this as an explanation for the lack of effort? GAH. Please, FC Bayern, get rid of this player, kthnx.
One is an interview with Lukas Podolski about his opinion of the first half, in which he says that he can't score 10 goals in the little time was actually playing and that he'll continue his fight for his breakthrough. And there's one particular part in it that I want to share with you because I found it especially funny. It concerns Jan Schlaudraff's transfer to the FC Bayern after this season.
kicker: Has Schlaudraff made the right decision?
Podolski: That is his decision.
kicker: Torsten Frings said, you should have transferred to Bremen.
Podolski: That was my decision. Everyone should deal with themselves and not with other players.
WORD. Really, I don't like the way Torsten Frings and other Werder players are currently interferring with everything. First, he and Tim Borowski said that Schlaudraff had no other choice than the transfer to Bremen. Then, when it was settled that he would transfer to Bayern, Frings said that he pitied him. Why is that, exactly? Frings argued that Schlaudraff would spend the second half of the season on the bench, just like Lukas Podolski. But would he? It's true that Podolski didn't have much of a chance against Makaay and Pizarro, who are older and more experienced. It has to be said that Podolski came from a 2nd league club. Clubs like that have a very different way of playing. Against Bayern, as Podolski said in the interview, other teams play like a wall. But against Cologne, the game was more offensive on both sides. He has to get accustomed to that new way of playing first, and that takes time, so it would have been silly to make him a starter right after the transfer.
And things are different with Jan Schlaudraff, anyway. He's best playing the position Michael Ballack left vacant. So far, there hasn't been a midfielder at the FC Bayern who can play this position to a satisfactory extent. And it also has to be said that this very position, the one behind the forwards, is not vacant at the SV Werder Bremen because Schaaf would be mad to put Diego on the bench. So please, Werder people, shut up about this transfer. Firstly, it's not as senseless as you might think and secondly, it's Jan Schlaudraff's own decision and he has to have thought about it before he signed the contract.
***
And there was an article on a topic that interests me especially because I've been ranting about it for almost the whole first half of the season.
Magath: Lucio isn't seeded anymore!
Demichelis considers himself to be the better choice
The exasperating surprise was obvious on his face. When Lucio (28) wasn't a starter in the first match of the Dubai-Cup against Benfica Lisbon (3:4 after p.s.o.), he wasn't "satisfied on the bench", as he admits in an interview with the kicker. He respected the coach's decision, "but I can't sit on the bench and laugh".
Last Wednesday, in the little final against Marseille (4:3, win bonus of 190,000 Euros), Lucio defended from the beginning, at the side of Daniel van Buyten (28) - instead of Martín Demichelis (26). An interesting duel looms in the central defence of the FC Bayern. A threat, because Lucio, Brazilian world champion and newly assigned skipper of the Selecao, has been untouchable until now. Coach Felix Magath is ecstatic about his "gigantic preliminaries" 2005/2006, but now Lucio himself admits that "in the last preliminaries, I haven't played well."
During his ankle joint injury, the defensive placeholder van Buyten and Demichelis formed a well-concerted, communicative central defence. "Micho talks more," says the Belgian and describes with anxious neutrality that "considering their way of playing, they have different qualities, but Lucio advances more." Those offensive excursions have become a problem within the club. Today, even Lucio has acknowledged the criticism and says that "it's understood, I'll stay in the back now and only advance when the coach wishes me to." Until now, Magath has stood up for this sensible player unconditionally, declared him seeded after his recovery at the end of November. "That was then," says the coach and hints at an end of the starter guarantee.
With Demichelis, a consequent and highly motivated defensive player is lurking. He doesn't want his statements to be understood as "criticism against Lucio", the Argentinian emphasizes, "but I've brought tactics and order into the central defence." He points out that "I'm not afraid to fight Lucio or van Buyten, van Bommel, Hargreaves or Ottl." They might "all be world class players", but Demichelis argues that "I can play just as well." Since he suspects that "Lucio and van Buyten are the central defence #1 when they're fit", he wants to apply for a position in the defensive midfield at the same time, where he was active against Marseille. "One day, I want to play in or in front of the central defence when everyone's in shape," says Demichelis, "that would mean a lot to me." For this, he wants to "give everything, because at the moment, I don't feel important for the team and therefore I can't be happy."
***
Now that he isn't untouchable anymore, it's really nice that the message has finally arrived in Lucio's brain. *grmbls* If he's so fond of excursions, maybe he should become a kindergarten teacher (or, to be more realistic, a wing player), but in the central defence, he's clearly misplaced. Also, thank you, Magath, for finally realizing what I've been saying for months now. *virtually zidanes him*
I'm glad that Micho is prepared to fight and I'm sure he can do it, no matter where he ends up, if in the central defence or the defensive midfield. I'll keep my fingers crossed for him to start more often, and - just like he said - even when everyone else is in shape. People always argue that he isn't constant enough, but look at the other South Americans that the FC Bayern has at the moment! Call that constant? Micho has been FAR more constant than those. (And that's also what I said to my boss at work who is a dedicated FC Bayern fan like me and recently said that the South Americans at the FC Bayern are crap.)
Seriously, if Pizarro had put half the effort in his game that I'm putting in my rants, he'd have been the top-goalscorer of the first half. *SIGH*