Thursday was the five-month anniversary of Jürgen Klinsmann’s appointment as head coach of the United States men’s national team. In that short time, he has presided over seven games and has a paltry 2-1-4 record.

He has also instituted some controversial player-selection policies, in some instances preferring European-born players to Americans. This has led to some backlash, most recently this morning from U.S.-born professional player Preston Zimmerman that started some discussion on Twitter about Klinsmann’s policies:

Preston Zimmerman (from Pasco, Wash., currently playing for SV Darmstadt 98 in Germany's 3rd Liga) lashes out at Jürgen Klinsmann on Wednesday morning on Twitter.

On Nov. 10, Brian Straus of Sporting News published an interview with Klinsmann ahead of the 1-0 U.S. loss in France. In it, Klinsmann made some assertions that implied the U.S. is better off with Europeans on its national team than Americans.

For example:

“It’s a different part of American culture. It’s the global picture that America represents. Those are kids who came through military families or for whatever reasons, working reasons of their parents, then they grow up with a different educational system, which gives them in soccer terms an edge ahead of American kids growing up in the U.S. They go through thousands more hours of playing the game than the American kid because the American kid only plays organized [soccer]. They come through different systems that gave them, especially, a technical advantage, an advantage in terms of how they read the game, anticipate the game, because the more you play the more you read things ahead.”

But the fact that he’s selecting foreign players is not his fault; it’s society’s:

“Now you live in this dual-citizenship world that is normal. It’s globalization. It’s just the way it is.”

Klinsmann obviously has a disdain for the grassroots of the American soccer system. He doesn’t seem to understand that it is different here; the same things that work in Europe or South Americ will not work in the U.S. The landscape is changing toward a more hybrid system with European allusions, but it will never be exactly the same.

The U.S. Soccer Development Academy is expanding, with Major League Soccer clubs taking a greater interest in youth soccer than ever before. However, most of these players will continue to go to college than straight to the pro ranks when they turn 18. The very top players who are ready for it will make the jump to the first team; others will get four more years (some less, if they leave early) to develop as players before taking that leap.

Looking at the last three U.S. World Cup rosters, the American system has fared just fine. Just six players out of 49 grew up in what could be considered a non-American system (youth play outside of the country):

Click on the image for a full-size version of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 U.S. World Cup rosters.

These American-born players made their mark on the college system before becoming professionals, and they made it to the quarterfinals in 2002 and won their group — which included England, a nation that exemplifies the club youth academy system — in 2010.

Evidently, being a non-American does not necessarily make a player better.

Those 2002, 2006 and 2010 players who did not play in college played for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., which is the precursor to and a model for the current U.S. Development Academy system. IMG still has two teams participating in the new system, but graduates of the old academy include Landon Donovan, Damarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.

The academy system developed from that early start, and now all clubs under the Development Academy umbrella receive support from the U.S. Soccer Federation, not just IMG. To continue finding quality youth players, this system has to keep developing.

It’s off to a fine start — most NCAA Division I recruits played at an academy, and 16 of the 20 members of the U-17 national team that just won the 2011 Nike International Friendlies play for an academy side.

Additionally, Klinsmann has to realize the right balance between the European system and the existing American system. Imposing too much change will destroy all the work that has been done up to this point to find a system that is uniquely American but still effective on the global soccer stage.

Finally, a few more MLS selections to U.S. friendly squads would be nice, instead of European-born and -based players of whom nobody has heard or seen play.

Hopefully, the U.S. will be holding the World Cup in 2014, and Klinsmann will look like a genius despite his rocky first few months in charge. But that’s a far cry from the current look of things. If World Cup qualifying starts slowly for the U.S., changes have to be made quickly.

Sacrificing this World Cup cycle for future cycles would be unacceptable because the talent the U.S. has right now demands that success be immediate, not sometime in the future.

Liviu Bird is a goalkeeper for Seattle Pacific University and editor-in-chief of The Falcon, Seattle Pacific’s student newspaper. Follow him on Twitter.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

On Wednesday night, the U.S. National Team ushered in the Jurgen Klinsmann era with a 1-1 tie against Mexico in Philadelphia. The new U.S. coach spent most of the evening with a smile on his face, and although the first half of his debut was less than promising, the second half provided plenty of reason to be optimistic.

The U.S. started in a 4-2-3-1 formation that is designed to spring into a 4-3-3 on the attack and sink into a 4-5-1 on defense. It is primarily a possession formation that engineers attacks from the back to the front.

However, in the first half, the U.S. was not getting enough players high to make the formation truly effective. The 4-2-3-1 works only if the team is able to attack with numbers. At times, only three to five U.S. players would go up against seven or eight Mexican defenders. All of the attacking players, the defensive midfielders and at least the strong-side outside back must be involved in the attack.

Working out of the back, the U.S. was not finding the outside backs enough in the build-up. They were doing a good job of pulling high and wide, and the center backs were pulling to the width of the 18-yard box, but Mexico was able to sit centrally for most of the game because the outsides were not involved enough. Getting the ball wide opens up space in the middle for the defensive midfielders to check to the ball in the 4-2-3-1 formation.

However, in a formation set up for possession, Kyle Beckerman was Klinsmann’s most shrewd selection. He always plays simple, does not lose the ball and gets stuck in on tackles defensively. Beckerman excelled in this game, especially during a shaky first half. Finding his feet in the middle allowed Jose Torres and Landon Donovan to get the ball wide in the attacking half when not much was going on for the U.S. in that space.

Physically, the U.S. was still imposing, minus on the Mexico goal. The team is not afraid to get in on tackles. The U.S. goal was a result of Brek Shea’s ability to hold off his defender physically and slot a ball across the goal to Robbie Rogers, who scored on his first touch of the game.

Speaking of Rogers, the substitutes really sparked the U.S. in the second half. Juan Agudelo dribbled at players, Shea created chances and Rogers put one away. Shea assisted the goal and got behind the Mexican defense in the last 10 minutes. Rogers got taken down behind the defense and should have drawn a red card, using his pure pace to beat a defender who had two or three yards on him at the start.

The U.S. got much better on the attack toward the end of the game, largely due to the substitutions. Donovan, who was quiet for the majority of the first hour, was more involved in the latter stages. When Clint Dempsey comes in for the U.S., the attack will only get better.

All in all, it could have been a lot worse for a team playing under a new coach, coming up against an established team with recent success such as Mexico. Now, it is time to iron out the details. The U.S. was shaky on set pieces, both offensively and defensively, including the Mexico goal and Rafael Marquez’s near miss at the far post in the second half. Of course, not all U.S. personnel was available for selection; it will be interesting to see what Klinsmann will do with a full roster at his disposition.

Nonetheless, it is clear from this game (and the history of the U.S. team in general) that Klinsmann might do well to find a style that better suits the physicality of American players and appeals less to the technical side, which is lacking in comparison to the rest of the world. The U.S. found success against Mexico in the final third using its speed and power, not its technical ability. Perhaps it is time for Klinsmann to embrace that as the “culture” of the U.S. team and not get too caught up in playing pretty soccer.

Liviu Bird is a goalkeeper for Seattle Pacific University and editor-in-chief of The Falcon, Seattle Pacific’s student newspaper. You can follow him on Twitter here.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Also See: Jurgen Klinsmann: The making of an icon.

Also See: Klinsmann: USSF wouldn’t give me 100% control of USMNT.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Jürgen Klinsmann said that the US Soccer Federation USSF would not put his authority in writing even though they had verbally agreed with him to take over the US National Team as head coach.

Ultimately Sunil Gulati chose to rehire Bob Bradley (who’s done a fine job so far, it has to be said) for a second four-year stint after Klinsmann ended the talks with USSF.

In an interview on Kansas City Wizards’ pre‑game show, Klinsmann made the following comments:

“We had conversations, maybe about three or four weeks period of time, and very positive conversations. But we didn’t get it to a positive ending because we couldn’t put into writing what we agreed to verbally.

It’s obviously always about authority. When you have conversations with a club team or a national team, it’s who has the last word in what issues, and that’s where we couldn’t get into the written terms.

Verbally we agreed that the technical side is my side and I should have a 100% control of it. Written terms, they couldn’t commit to it. At that point I said, ‘Well then, I can’t get the job done because I have to have the last say as a head coach for my entire staff, for all the players’ issues, for everything that happens with the team.’ Unfortunately they couldn’t commit to that and that was basically the end of our talks, and then they agreed to continue with Bob as the head coach and that’s totally fine.”

Klinsmann has been previously approached by the USSF in 2006 right after he led Germany to a third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup, and he was also sounded out by the current Liverpool owners while Rafael Benitez was in charge. Klinsmann ultimately returned to management with Bayern Munich but left before the season was over, with his methods not going over well with the team and senior club hierarchy.

Also see: Klinsmann’s first interview after the World Cup by Sasha Victorine. Thanks to writer and translator Steve Amoia for the heads up.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Bruce Arena, the former USMNT coach from 1998 to 2006, recently criticized the US Soccer chiefs for giving adequate support to the current head coach Bob Bradley. Although, the federation has extended Bradley’s contract until 2014.

Despite the fans wanting to see a foreign coach and despite the fact that Jurgen Klinsmann’s name was up there to be the successor of Bradley after the 2010 World Cup exit at the hands of Ghana in the Round of 16, Sunil Gulati, US Soccer president, and Bradley agreed to an extended deal last Monday.

The signing brought a fresh wave of criticism from the fans. And Arena, now in-charge of the MLS team LA Galaxy, thinks that the federation should accept their share of the blame for the public antipathy aimed at Bradley.

He told Yahoo! Sports in his office at the Home Depot Center:

“That criticism comes if you are not given the right support from top to bottom. You need to support your guy and that comes from the top. When that support is not there it brings questions.

“Whether you like the decision or not, England said ‘Fabio Capello is our guy’ and didn’t deviate from it.”

After the World Cup in South Africa, Bradley was said to be exploring new horizons in Europe whereas Gulati was said to have met with Klinsmann. The former Germany coach was also a potential candidate for replacing Arena after the 2006 World Cup.

Arena and Bradley had previously worked together at DC United and Arena has expressed his displeasure at the criticism Bradley currently suffers. He added:

“It was the kind of fortunate draw that we will never get again, but I still rate it as a good World Cup. And I will say until I am on my death bed, the USA should be coached by an American coach.

“Bob Bradley is the right guy. The worrying thing is that again I think we came close to throwing big money at a foreign coach and I think it would have been a mistake.

“You need an American coach. You save some money, a lot of money, and you get someone who understands the American way. This country, and soccer in this country, is different to anywhere else.

“Our players don’t suddenly get better with a foreign coach. They don’t suddenly become Superman. It is a bunch of crap to think otherwise.”

Maybe Arena is failing to understand the power of the philosophy a new ‘big money’ coach brings with him. The ruthless Germany we saw the 2010 World Cup is still running on the same system that Klinsmann left Jaochim Loew with. We all know what they did to the golden generation of England and to the Hand of God and his Messiah.

However, Bradley’s finest performance came during the Confederations Cup in 2009 when US ended, the current world and European champion, Spain’s streak by beating them in the semifinals only to lose to Brazil in the final.

Since the Confed Cup ended, Bradley and his men were expected to perform really well when the World Cup was to come around.

Which they did. Topping their group ahead of England was quite a feat but the African might of Ghana proved too much for them as the lost out in the first round of the knockout stage.

USA’s early departure from South Africa led to speculations of Klinsmann being the man to replace Bradley who had led Germany to a third-place finish four years earlier. Since, Klinsmann had already moved to the US, it was an ideal situation for both the coach and the USMNT.

As many supporters were waiting to see a big name coach taking over the national side, Arena warned of the possible consequences. He said:

“There are some very special players who don’t know how to coach. I think we saw that pretty clearly this summer. It is a bunch of baloney to say you need to have a great ex-player as your coach.

“Second time around, Bob will be better. He will learn from it. He has the experience of going through the process. There are challenges in CONCACAF that are different to anywhere else. The travel, the field conditions, the officiating – it is second to none in terms of difficulty.

“Bob can put 11 players on the field as well as anyone and get the best out of them. I will tell you now: We are not winning the World Cup in 2014, whoever is in charge.

“People need to be realistic. The best thing [the critics] can do is shut up. A bunch of people get on the internet and start stirring things up and it snowballs. Just let him do his job.”

Thanks to Steve Amoia for the heads up. Steve is a freelance writer, editor and translator from Washington, D.C.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

What Joachim Low has done in four years since taking over the reins of one of the biggest jobs in world football is nothing short of wonderful.The German head coach succeeded a legend of the game Jurgen Klinsmann after the 2006 FIFA World Cup where they narrowly missed out on reaching the final in their own back yard to a resolute Italian side under the leadership of Marcello Lippi. With such a vast figure of German football stepping down Klinsmann handed over the baton to his assistant, Joachim Low.

Low was a novice to the management trade. Unlike his predecessor he didn’t achieve anywhere near what Klinsmann did during his playing career. He was left merely with a below average career and didn’t really establish himself in a team until his later years in 1985 where he joined Freiburg. As Klinsmann lifted the World Cup in Rome in 1990 Low was ending his career in Switzerland. Nevertheless it is pretty evident that to succeed in management you do not need to have a glittering CV. Just ask Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician is now a blueprint for all aspiring coaches.

‘Jogi’ as he is commonly known as by his peers always maintained his desire to continue the Klinsmann philosophy under his stewardship. The Germans success in 2006 was accustomed by high quality technical football. Their organisation like all German teams in the past was efficiently drilled with all ten outfield players carrying out the duty in a professional manner. Nothing we don’t expect from a German team.  His success was instant. Following four successive victories at the very start of his leadership he cemented a piece of history by delivering the best start by a German national manager ever.

Aided by his assistant Hans-Dieter Flick, the two have become renowned for their matching attire whilst side by side in the dugout but their intelligence as a coaching partnership has benefited the German side dearly.

As they aimed to qualify for the European Championships in 2008 they did it with relative ease.  They made it all the way to the final in 2008 where they were narrowly beaten by a Spain side spearheaded by Fernando Torres. The Germans may have been beaten but they proved once again just how much of a dominant force they are in the world game. Whenever the face adversity and criticism they always quash their doubters with latter stage appearances and honours. They are a football marvel.

Low’s maturity as a coach was becoming more and more evident. In his debut tournament he had guided his country to the final of one of international footballs most competitive tournaments. Blending experience with youth the Germans looked a well oiled machine despite a few blips such as the 2-1 defeat to Croatia in the group stage and ‘Jogi’ being sent off from the touchline against one of the hosts Austria. Germany was very unfortunate not to win the whole thing but came unstuck against a Spanish side that were beginning to introduce their affiliation of total football.

With the World Cup in South Africa on the horizon not much was expected from Germany. Very unusual for a national team with so much prestige and pedigree but the likes of Brazil, Spain and England were foreseen as the dominant forces to take the tournament by storm. The Germans quietly went about the business in qualification which saw them tally up 26 points which included eight wins and two draws. They qualified for South Africa unbeaten in a group that included Guus Hiddink’s Russia. Travelling to Moscow is no easy feat by any stretch of the imagination (Just ask the English).

Their build up to the finals was hampered with a number of injuries to key personnel. Talisman and Captain Michael Ballack saw his prospects of competing in his final tournament dashed after damaging his ankle in the FA Cup Final with Chelsea. Ironically the injury was caused by a player with German decent, Kevin Prince Boateng, who was vilified in Germany for his robust challenge. Simon Rofles and Heiko Westermann also failed to make the final twenty-three with their respective injuries. Rofles had knee surgery but effectively ruled himself out of Joachim Low’s plans as he wouldn’t be fit come the summer. Westermann also went under the knife at the turn of the year to cure his problem with his knee. He got back to full match fitness but his luck was compounded last week as he broke a bone in his foot against Hungary in Budapest in friendly just weeks before the start of the finals.

Low had a big decision to make by naming his new skipper. Phillip Lahm who has been an integral part of the German setup for many years now was handed the armband. The job he has done so far in the tournament has been fantastic. It is not easy for a wing back to dish out orders and advice but as he is now one of the older members of the side, at just 25 years of age, he is accompanied in a team which is littered with youthful exuberance. It seems as if he is looked up to within the camp.

Michael Ballack’s absence was seen as a real hammer blow. A true German winner with a vast presence in the heart of the midfield. His exclusion could have ended any German hopes.  Joachim Low however changed the German mentality when he said:

“Bastian Schweinsteiger, on the pitch, will play the role of Ballack and interpret in his way while Philipp Lahm will become captain.”

Bastian Schweinsteiger who has been one of the players of the tournament thus far was given the task of filling Michael Ballack’s boots. Very big boots to fill indeed, but he hasn’t just filled them, he now owns them. His instrumental architectural play in the German midfield has been excellent. He has helped aid the German front three of Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose and Thomas Muller with his wide range of attributes which includes his delightful passing and hawk like vision. He looks so accomplished on the ball and can terrorise defences with his burst of pace and footwork. His performance against Argentina was possibly the stand out showcase of the finals so far. Joachim Low has shown just how much of a top class tactician he is with just that one solidarity move. Ballack has been marvellous for Germany for many years and his absence was sorely missed. However any German fan will now tell you as they gear up for yet another World Cup semi-final, it may have been a blessing in disguise. In fact it was just a blessing all together.

They have coasted their way to the last four despite a 1-0 loss against Serbia where Klose was dubiously sent off for two lacklustre cautions and a nitty-gritty performance against Ghana in the group stage. They crushed Australia in their opening game where their technical flair and prowess was brought under the spotlight. They were fantastic in that game.

However nothing could prepare the German faithful for what they were about to witness. They crushed both England and Argentina convincingly with a 4-1 and 4-0 victory back to back. To put it into context just look at the score lines; Germany 4 – 1 England, Germany 4 – 0 Argentina. Two football superpowers swept aside so convincingly by a team that wasn’t even tipped to accomplish anything within this tournament. Yes England may not have been the team everyone thought they would but to defeat them so convincingly and with such little ease shocked the world of football. England’s back four couldn’t live with the front three of Muller, Klose and Podolski with Ozil and Schweinsteiger pulling the strings just behind.

The victory over Argentina however was the most impressive. Diego Maradona’s men had been in stunning form during the competition playing some of the most beautiful football throughout with Lionel Messi orchestrating their dominance. However he was stifled throughout the game as Germany restricted his play. By doing this the Barcelona man had to come in deep and try to influence the game but it had little effect. An early goal from Thomas Muller via a set piece set the tone for the game as they controlled it from there on in. It was unbelievable just how convincing they were. This German team seems to be maturing all the time despite their young age.

Mesut Ozil at just 21 years of age looks like a world beater at the moment. Not much was known of the Turkish born star prior to the finals but he is now establishing himself as one of the most exciting prospects in world football. He has been superb. Once again Joachim Low must be praised for the faith he has shown in his youngsters. Ozil only made his debut last February and is now an integral part of the setup.

Thomas Muller has also been unbelievable. He is now establishing his credentials on the world stage as he looks to be getting stronger and stronger alongside Klose and Podolski. At 20 years of age it is marvellous at just how mature and intelligent he is. This German side has that in abundance all over the pitch and its Low’s man management which is influencing all this.

The win over Argentina in such a manner has sent ripples throughout the world. To defeat a football superpower in such a way is astonishing. Low got his tactics spot on by restricting their forward play and exploiting their weaknesses at the back.

Now with Spain in their way can this young German side go one step further and beat possibly the most spectacular passing team in International football? Why not? Argentina plays a similar tempo to that of the Spaniards and Low’s team were able to restrict their passage of play. They have to be wary of David Villa. The new man at Barcelona has lit up the tournament with his predatory instincts in front of goal. After having such as fantastic Euro 2008 he will be itching to follow up that success with a World Cup winner’s medal.

Low will be wary of the talent Spain possesses. He has already proved just how good of a coach he is with his intelligence and astute tactics. Whatever does happen in Durban the 50 year old along with his players can be so proud of themselves. They have been by far the most impressive side out of all the thirty-two teams by playing some of the most attractive football which would whet the appetite of any football poet.

Also see: Germany vs Spain Semifinal Preview.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Bayern Munich’s season has been a difficult one (and not just in the league) and after losing at home to Schalke hastened the inevitable. Jürgen Klinsmann has been sacked after a frank meeting with club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, general manager Uli Hoeness and director Karl Hopfner today. Bayern will be managed by Jupp Heynckes for the final five matches of the season.

The season had started with a lot of promise, what Bayern Munich looking to (nay, expected to) defend their league crown and make a strong showing in Europe. With five to play Bayern are lying in third place in the Bundesliga, just three points behind leaders Wolfsburg, but have lost six league games, have been beatable at home, have conceded 5 goals a couple of times and…well…have never really adapted to Klinsmann’s ideals and as a result have been vulnerable to a fault.

The lack of fight shown by the team in key games – the 5-1 drubbing at Nou Camp comes first to mind – won’t have helped Klinsmann’s case, but then again he always faced an uphill struggle after looking to change the ‘traditional’ way of doing things in Germany.

Jupp Heynckes will take charge for the last five games in which his remit will be quite simple – win the league at any cost. This will be Heynckes’s second time at the club where he enjoyed a four-year spell between 1987 and 1991. Heynckes will be counting on his past experience with the club and the ‘new manager effect’ to drag Bayern Munich past the finish line as champions.

It’s a shame that Klinsmann wasn’t given more time at Bayern, but when your players aren’t backing your methods, even top managers don’t last long (think Ramos at Tottenham) at the club. The fact that he lasted this long is a testament to the board’s commitment to seeing through their appointment but with just 5 games to go the time for experiments is over. It’s time to dig deep, defy the odds and win the league.

If anyone can do it, especially with the uplift players usually get with a new manager coming in, Bayern Munich can.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

On the eighth episode of the Soccerlens Podcast, Stephen Darwin is joined by the Guardian’s German expert and native Bavarian Raphael Honigstein to discuss German football and the Bundesliga.

The show will be looking specifically at the worst ever Autumn Champions, German WAGS, Jurgen Klinsmann and sex at the Bernabeu (although unrelated might we hastily add!)

Among the points of discussion raised with Raphael Honigstein were:

• Hamburg, Bremen and the UEFA Cup semi-final
• The demise of Bayern Munich this season
• Hillsborough and safe standing German stadiums
• The Bundesliga as the ultimate fan experience
• Nives Celcius and German WAGS
• Plus more on top of that!

Show Details
Date: Friday 24th April 2009
Host: Stephen Darwin
Co-Host: Raphael Honigstein

You can listen to the show below:
Download link (mp3, 29mb, 31 mins)

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Remember to leave your feedback on the show in the comments section underneath this post or alternatively e-mail the show at: podcast@soccerlens.com. If you want to make your views heard on the podcast, make sure you email us at the above email address.

Links:

• Facebook for football: Footbo
• An innovative take on Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
• German Football: The Good, the Bad and the Grafite

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Even the highest dose of “Aspirin” from pharmaceutical giants Bayer AG will do little to “Aleve” the migraines of Bayern Munich.

What a difference a week makes. It was all bear hugs and high fives after Bayern Munich trashed Sporting Lisbon by five un-replied goals in midweek UEFA Champions league play. However, the euphoria was short lived when the bottom came falling as Bayer Leverkusen ran riot against Jurgen Klinsmann’s men.  The 4-2 win against Bayern Munich in the quarter final of the DFB-Pokal (the league cup) was “Neverkusen’s” or “Loserkusen’s” first win over the Bavarian giants in five years in all competitions.

To make matters worse for Klinsmann, his team has four points in its last five league games, sit fifth place in the Bundesliga and its best player Frank Ribery is doing his best impersonation of Cristiano Ronaldo as he seeks a move away from the club. Needless to say things are not going well for ”the Golden Bomber” – “Golden” for his blond hair, “Bomber” is anyone’s guess.

After last season’s double, Bayern were supposed to ease to consecutive league and domestic cup titles. The appointment of former national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann was supposed to bring about a new dawn in the club’s storied past. To paraphrase German football encyclopedia Raphael Honigstein:

“The 43-year-old and his half an army of specialist coaches will transform Bayern with a highly-individualized training regime and computerized tactics coupled with high-impact motivational speeches featuring buzzwords from American self-help books… the new Bayern family will be less like The Simpsons – dysfunctional, but entertaining – and more like The Waltons, extremely tight-knit if not a little creepy.”

The sad fact is that Klinsmann’s “Simpsons and Waltons” gag was lost in translation as the squad have become a lot more like The Simpsons and a lot less like The Waltons.

While Bayern have become a lot more interesting to watch, they have gone about it wrongly –  the Tottenham Hotspur way. The team play a very entertaining yet nervy style of football and like her beloved English bastard step-brother Tottenham, have become rather unpredictable. In 22 league games this season the club have the second best away record, conceded a league’s best 11 away goals and  staged 8 second half wins when drawing or losing by half time – a certain mark of champions. What’s more fascinating is how Bayern have managed to keep pace in the league for so long under Klinsmann’s “revolutionary style of football”.

Playing without an adequate defensive midfielder whilst employing a very attacking tactic is sure to raise a lot of questions. Moreover, playing with NO defensive cover  whilst employing the same attacking tactic is suicidal.

At Bayern Munich, Klinsmann is employing the kind of tactics our granny’s would refrain from. Klinsmann’s preferred 4-4-2 formation of Rensing – Lahm, Demichelis, Lucio / Van Buyten, Oddo – Van Bommel, Ze Roberto / Borowski - Schweinsteiger – Ribery – Toni – Klose / Podolski has failed to live up to expectations. Attacking wise, this formation is great as overlapping fullbacks Lahm and Oddo provide width along the flanks which allows Ribery and Schweinsteiger to play more as wingers than midfielders and thus creating more space for prolific strikers Klose and Toni.

Defensively, the team is quite suspect; actually who am I kidding,  it’s shit.  Center midfielders Ze Roberto and Van Bommel are very good offensively but lack any defensive mentality.It seemed things could not get any worse.

With Oddo and Lahm playing as attacking wingbacks, one would expect preferred center back duo Demichelis and Lucio to stay put in defense but for some odd reason the latter is often seen marooning further up the park leaving Demichiles with the very abject goaltender Michael Rensing as the last line of defence.

To Klinsmann’s credit, he has tried to remedy the situation by playing with a 4-1-3-2 formation with Demichiles employed as the defensive midfielder but the problem is that while Demichiles is quite adept defensively, he simply cannot pass a football which makes it almost impossible for him to link defense into attack. On the other hand, Van Bommel is very slow and more worryingly, woeful at tackling. Tim Borowski and Altintop like to bomb forward at every opportunity where as Andreas Ottl is inexperienced, relatively bad and young – and will only get worse as he gets older and gains more experience.

Klinsmann has not been helped by the lack of transfer funds. After last season’s Blitzkrieg of new signings which included Ribery, Toni, Klose, Ze Roberto, Altintop, Jansen, Sosa and Schlaudraff to the tune of â‚¬70 mil, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge warned the club would not be spending frivolously this season.

After a less than stellar first half to the season, Klinsmann had the opportunity to seek defensive reinforcements as the club were linked to Zenith St. Peteresburg holding midfielder Anatoliy Tymoschuck. While the Ukranian wouldn’t come cheap and Zenith St.Petersburg aren’t the easiest club to deal with – i.e. the Arshavin  saga –  Klinsmann could have pressured the board to negotiate a deal in which Bayern would pay Zenith to take Tymoshuck on loan with a clause stating the club would have to sign him permanently in the summer.

That scenario never materialized and instead the Bayern manager decided to bring in Donovan from the L.A. Galaxy. That’s Landon Donovan, the American wonder kid who has twice tried his luck in Germany and twice returned ego bruised who along with David Beckham could not bend the Galaxy into a MLS playoff berth.

Sources close to the club suggest the club might seek a “Top Gun” to replace the “Golden Bomber” in the summer if team performances fail to improve. Other sources not so close to the club believe Klinsmann could get the sack if Bayern fail to beat Hannover this weekend.

The pressure is on Klinsmann and his army of specialists to bring the best out of the 21 time Bundesliga champions. Should he fail to do so, he might not survive the ides of March and will likely be accompanying Landon Donovan back to sunny Los Angeles.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

About ten years ago Nick Hancock co-wrote a book called What Didn’t Happen Next, which was an amusing look at the butterfly effect in football and those little changes which might have rewritten the annals of football.

What if Southgate had scored his penalty at Euro 1996? What if Gordon Banks hadn’t had food poisoning in 1970? What if George Best had been born ugly? As a sport full of folklore, imagination and eternal hope, it’s always tempting to ponder the road not travelled — and it is for that reason that every now and then this column will cover one of those ‘what if?’; moments, and indulge in a little escapism or breathe a hearty sigh of relief, depending on your perspective…

Today, the time machine takes us back to the start of 2007, and the DIC group have just completed a successful and straightforward takeover of Liverpool Football Club…

January 2007 — Liverpool, bolstered by Sheikh Maktoum’s bottomless well of fivers, have cash to spend and Rafa Benitez wastes no time in the transfer window. Fernando Torres arrives immediately for an inflated sum of £30m.

There’s also enough money for Gareth Barry, much to the ire of Martin O’Neill. Benitez smiles at a press conference, saying how wonderful it is to have the unquestioning support of his board on transfer matters.

March 2007 — Tom Hicks and George Gillett, thwarted in their efforts to acquire the Reds, turn their attention to Manchester City. Eager to sell, the board obliges. Their first act is to back Stuart Pearce unequivocally. Liverpool meanwhile are on a great run of form and find themselves in the thick of the title race. Torres is an instant hit, scoring freely.

May 2007 – Liverpool’s domestic form tails off and they come second to Manchester United, but after a confident run in Europe they reach the Champions League Final, where they meet AC Milan for a second time in three years. On the day, despite Milan scoring twice, a Torres double overhauls the Rossoneri.

Stuart Pearce, unaided by any transfers, leads Manchester City to midtable. At half-time in the final game of the season the American owners conduct an interview with Jurgen Klinsmann, who signs for a two year deal.

August 2007 — The season starts with reinforcements all around. Liverpool’s big signing is David Villa, who declares that he is very happy to join the European Champions. At the press conference he professes to be relieved that there are now enough Spanish players at the club that it makes more sense for Gerrard and Carragher to learn Spanish than for him to pick up the local tongue.

Jurgen Klinsmann buys Lukas Podolski. “We have a bit of cash, but it’s not as if Manchester City can throw £100m around and buy the best player in the world,” he says.

November 2007 — Thaksin Shinawatra flies back to Thailand to face the charges against him. With no football club to run, and nobody interested in his investment, there seems little reason for him to stay. He hires still unemployed Sven Goran Eriksson to come with him and defend him during his trial.

Liverpool sit top of the league, with Torres and Villa scoring freely. Peter Crouch angles for a transfer. “I’d have played a lot more games,” he says, “If there weren’t yet another striker here who deserves to play more than I do”.

One beneficiary of Liverpool’s form is Steve McClaren, who has enough confidence in the Gerrard — Barry partnership that he leaves Lampard out of his squads throughout the year. “It’s great,” he opines, “My only regret is that Gareth doesn’t have a great nickname like Stevie G, but I’m toying with the G-Bomb, and I think that Becks really likes it.”

Newspapers are quick to attribute McClaren’s success to his relaxed and friendly relationship with his players.

January 2008 — The money is there for Liverpool, but Benitez feels that everything is right with his squad. “Why tinker with a winning formula?” he questions, “I’m not one for chopping and changing when everything is going well.”

At Manchester City the money dries up, much to Podolski’s chagrin, who was under the impression that Klinsmann would be signing other German stars for the team. He fails to show up for training, causing Klinsmann to promise to get tough with his charges.

March 2008 — Manchester United are holding on to their hopes in the league, and Ronaldo’s form is keeping the Red Devils in the race. At a press conference Benitez reads out a charge sheet of Ferguson’s poor behaviour on the touchline. The press herald it as a masterstroke of mind games, and Manchester United draw their next game. Crowds chant Meester Fer-goo-sun, what’s the score? throughout the game, while goals from Barry and Gerrard are enough to win at Old Trafford.

April 2008 — Thaksin’s case is progressing badly, and it worsens when it comes to light in court that he did a lot of bad things. When Sven Goran Eriksson defends him, he suggests that since Shinawatra is considered a fit owner for a Premiership club that the trial ought be aborted. He buckles, however, when the prosecution asks why the former prime minister is therefore not the owner of a team. Shinawatra fires him, and Eriksson claims £15m as a severance on his contract.

May 2008 — Liverpool win the Premiership. Enough is enough for Cristiano Ronaldo, who leaves for Real Madrid saying, “If we’d won the double or something then I’d have thought about staying probably”. Ferguson says the £70m from the Ronaldo transfer will not be enough to rebuild, and it soon transpires that a group from Abu Dhabi are in talks to take over Old Trafford.

“Originally we were thinking of buying Manchester City, but this is much better”, a spokesman says. The Blues have gone down, and the club is put up for sale for twice the original purchase price. Klinsmann leaves, upset to hear that his American owners had a quiet meeting with Steve McClaren about taking over in the summer.

June 2008 — Euro 2008 is a feast of football, and for once England play to their best in the tournament. The final is between England and Spain. A G-Bomb strike is cancelled out by a solo effort from David Villa, and the game is decided on penalties.

Nerves finally get the better of England, and John Terry, still fresh from missing a penalty in Moscow in the Champions League Final, misses the crucial spot kick here as the ball hits the crossbar. He remains as captain of England and Chelsea, but spends the entire 2008/9 season crying strong, silent man-tears.

Mark is one of the founders of Sport without Spin which pokes fun at the contradictions, illogicalities and chat that sporting coverage in the media creates.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News