Wolfsburg Calm And Collected, Bayern Losing Cool
Bundesliga Title Aspirant Wolfsburg Embarrass Bayern Munich
Apr 7, 2009
Wolfsburg jumped atop the German Bundesliga standings with a spectacular 5-1 victory over reigning champions Bayern Munich. And while Wolfsburg can shrug off talk of now being the favourites now to win the title, Bayern are in overdrive in damage control.
Wolfsburg Destroy Bayern
Wolfsburg grabbed the lead in the German Bundesliga with an impressive showing by the best offense in the league in a 5-1 drubbing of reigning champions Bayern Munich. The game was tied at 1-1 at half-time but then the dangerous duo of Grafite and Edin Dzeko took over, with the Brazilian scoring two goals after the Bosnian struck twice to make it 3-1. Grafite's second goal was one of the best scores of the season in the Bundesliga and gave him a league-best 20 goals in just 17 games.
Wolfsburg Happy With Result, Not Thinking Title Yet
Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath said after the match that he is happy with the performance of his team, which remained undefeated at home this season. But Magath shied away from saying his men are title-bound. "I am still looking to see how big our lead is on sixth place (seven points to a non-international place). You don't get to the top until you're there after the 34th (and final) game day," Magath said on the club's website. "A lot can happen in eight games. And now the pressure of being the leaders is totally different."
Bayern Coach Turns Spotlight On Players
A day after the loss, Bayern Munich coach Jürgen Klinsmann downplayed any criticism on his tactics and blamed his players for the hugely-disappointing game. "Everyone has to carry their share of responsibility and put their neck on the line. I have been putting my neck out there for 10 months. Players have to know that there will be consequences," Klinsmann told a press conference on April 5. "It's important for me that everyone knows what at stake - FC Bayern's 2009 season and the future of FC Bayern.
Support From Bayern Management
Klinsmann has the support of Bayern management for his actions. "I think it's very smart to put more pressure on the team. And I can totally understand this change of direction by Jürgen. And we will support him in it," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in an interview with the German sports news portal spox.com on April 6.
Crucial Champions League Showdown
The loss came at the most inopportune time for Bayern Munich - just four days before the reigning German champions face Barcelona in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in Spain. Rummenigge said he's happy about such a top showdown awaiting his team. "I'm happy that after this tough loss we have this kind of game in front of us, one in which we are anything but favorites. We can use this game as a chance to re-shine the light after the loss against Wolfsburg."
Still Waiting To Lead The League
Bayern management and Klinsmann have been talking for months now that they will overtake the rest of the league and defend their Bundesliga championship. But Klinsmann's team dropped from second place to fourth with 48 points - three points behind Wolfsburg and Hamburg and one point behind third placed Hertha Berlin.
