The fact that Bayern will have a hard start in the new season was predicted by many smart people, among whom, in addition to representatives of the press and experts, were the leaders of the Munich club themselves. After the victory over Borussia Dortmund in the first match of the championship, Bayern general manager Uli Henness said that a couple of days before the game he spoke to the players with a fiery speech about the following content: “Guys, we know that the team is not in the best shape. And we understand that there are objective reasons for this. The main thing is that in the first matches keep maximum concentration. And don’t be nervous, everything will be fine. ”
In addition, in order to save football players and the coaching staff from stress, the Bavarian leadership ahead of schedule extended the contract with Felix Magat, and also decided not to set clear goals for the players for the season. Like, the team is young, she needs time. Actually, a wise decision: to demand from Felix Magat the third double in a row or a mandatory victory in the Champions League would be cruel. But to say that for a club with the highest budget in Germany - 190 million euros (the second-best Hamburg has only 120) - enough space in the first three would be somewhat frivolous.
All these measures really helped: in the first matches of the season, Munich football players remained calm when it was difficult. “Bavaria, frankly, did not shine. But the team’s ability to squeeze an opponent, even if the game does not go, the team has not lost. Both in the home game with the Dortmund players and in the subsequent guest match with the Bundesliga rookie Bochum, the country's champions, despite the desperate resistance of the rivals, took three points each.
In the third round, however, the Bavarians at the “Alliance Arena” played only a draw - with a perfectly launched “Nuremberg”. But, if Roy Macai got into the empty corner from three meters away, Bayern would now be the sole leader of the Bundesliga.
At the same time, the team has problems of a game character in bulk. Not all praise God is in the attack: Macai scores through a stump-deck, and the percentage of scoring chances for the Dutchman is appallingly low. Podolsky only takes shape and at the same time does not always understand the intentions of the partners, and therefore goes only for replacement. The defense is not perfect either: the extreme defenders Sagnol and Lam are fine, but the central defenders - van Buyten and Lucio - sometimes lack mutual understanding.
Owen Hargreaves yearns for Manchester. And the middle line as a whole, which immediately lost three main inventors - Zé Roberto, Ballack and seriously injured Dysler, does not shine with wit. That is why the Bavarian chefs decided shortly before the end of the transfer period to get the Dutchman Van Bommel from Barcelona, although it was repeatedly said before that the manning of the team was completed, and the role of the dispatcher instead of the departed Ballack could be successfully performed by one of the already existing players.
Magat was very happy with this purchase and immediately announced that Bayern could now return to a more familiar tactical scheme: with a strong defensive and offensive central midfielders (in the first games of the season, a less aggressive version with four midfielders was used). But van Bommel still has to get used to the new environment, and Schweinsteiger remains the central figure in the middle line of Bavaria.
It seems that if someone is interested in the victory over Bayern - great and terrible, now is the most suitable time for this. I almost took advantage of the good moment, “St. Pauli”, playing in the regional (that is, third in rank) league. Last Saturday, this Hamburg club, long addicted to offending the big ones, hosted Bayern in the first round match of the Country Cup. And after the first half, the hosts were 1-0. During the break, Magat sent Lukas Podolski to the field, and he immediately equalized. Then, “St. Pauli” did not realize several excellent moments, and towards the end of normal time, the Munich team was in the minority: the red-faced Lucio got a red card. And Bavaria fans would not see a happy end, if not for the help of the goalkeeper of the “St. Pauli” Borger. The goalkeeper who had played flawlessly before at the end of the first half of extratime inexplicably redirected the ball into his own net after a harmless cross by Philip Lam. The hosts, with the support of the crowded stands of the legendary Millerntor, rushed to a desperate assault. But the Bavarians, who simply and not without embarrassment drove the ball to hell, still survived.
A month ago, Uli Henness assured the public that Bayern would get the best shape in September. But either the team lagged behind the schedule, or the general manager of the Munich team had in mind the 20th day of the month - one way or another, the wards of Magat are neither admired nor terrified. Win and so.
Sergey Krivokharchenko