Can Klinsmann Save Bayern Munich?
Rummenigge Backs Coach Despite Crisis, Problems with Van Bommel
The Bundesliga break for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers came at exactly the right time for record German champions Bayern Munich, who have failed to win in their last three leageu games and are off to their worst start in 31 years. The team is mired in 11th place in the league - already seven points from leaders Hamburg.
Disappointment in Three Different Ways
Coach Jürgen Klinsmann's team has found three ways to different ways to disappoint their fans in the past three games. Bayern were thrashed 5-2 at home against Werder Bremen. Then Munich put together a lack-luster offensive performance in losing 1-0 at Hannover. And to top things off, Klinsmann's men gave up a 3-1 lead in the final seven minutes in playing to a 3-3 draw against lowly Bochum.
Questions about Klinsmann Tactics
Klinsmann, who arrived in Munich for his first ever club coaching gig, has drawn the wrath of Bayern fans already with calls for his dismissal. Many question the former striking great's coaching tactics, especially a rotation system that includes leaving captain Mark Van Bommel on the bench. Klinsmann - known for his somewhat non-personal personnel methods - also drew plenty of raised eyebrows for giving youngsters such as Jose Ernesto Sosa and Breno a chance to play and pushing interior defender Martin Dimechelis into the midfield.
Criticism from Kahn, Ze Roberto
The recent struggles also drew criticism from some main figures, including former Bayern captain goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. "It is not un-dangerous. Every club has its own philosophy, which you can tinker with here or there. But you cannot just throw everything over board," Kahn told German sports channel DSF after the Bochum match on October 4. He said it was surprising that such substantial changes are being carried out in a team which cruised to the German Bundesliga title last season, won the German Cup and reached the semifinal of the UEFA Cup. Brazilian international midfielder Ze Roberto criticized the rotating defense which has given up the third most goals in the league at 13. "In the back, guys are always playing with different partners. Last year we played with two steady interior defenders with Lucio and Dimichelis," Ze Roberto told the German magazine Kicker
Support from Rummenigge, Beckenbauer
Club management, however, has throw its support behind Klinsmann, who is only some 100 days into a two-year contract. "In principle, he is doing everything right. Just the results are not the right ones. We have total trust in him," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told the Bild daily on October 6. "Bayern - and that includes the fans - will have to prove this season if it's only stable when the success is there or also if we have the patience and faith to go an entirely new direction." And club president Franz Beckenbauer added in an interview with Bild on September 29: "How can Breno and Sosa get any experience if they don't play. And why not against Hannover? Jürgen will need them over the course of the season. So it's fair to give them a chance."
Test Loss Against Ingolstadt
Confidence in Klinsmann took another minor hit on Thursday when Bayern lost 1-0 against second division side Ingolstadt in a test match. The coach was missing 10 players due to World Cup qualifiers. But it clearly is not the result Klinsmann was hoping for. Bayern travel to Karlsruhe on October 18, when the next chapter of the Klinsmann-Bayern saga takes place.
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles