Bayern are worse off under Van Gaal than Klinsmann — official

November 5, 2009

Bayern Munich directors must be feeling very uncomfortable at the moment. Their team are sixth in the Bundesliga and almost out of the Champions League.

So far their chosen successor to Juergen Klinsmann, who was sacked a few weeks before the end of last season for failing to secure any silverware, has had a worse run than the former striker.

Louis van Gaal, handpicked for what Bayern said was his discipline and teaching skills, was supposed to make everything good again after the Klinsmann experiment.

The Dutchman also got a roster boosted by more than 70 million euros worth of new signings including record Bundesliga transfer Mario Gomez, Croat striker Ivica Olic, Dutch midfielder Arjen Robben and Russian defensive midfielder Anatolyi Tymoshchuk as well as Croatia international Danijel Pranjic and Dutch defender Edson Braafheid.

Throw in 20-year-old Thomas Mueller’s superb current form and you have arguably a much stronger side. Klinsmann was begging for players but both Tymoshchuk and Olic, who were signed in December, joined in the summer.

Despite all this, Klinsmann still comes out on top on a head-to-head after 11 league matches played. Under him Bayern were in third place on 21 points with six wins, three draws and two defeats, with 25 goals for and 17 against.

Van Gaal’s Bayern are in sixth place after 11 matches on 19 points, with five wins, four draws, and two defeats. Goals are 17-9. So Klinsmann’s Bayern may have been conceding more goals but they also scored eight more in 11 matches. Without Gomez.

By this stage Bayern were already through to the next round of the Champions League under Klinsmann, all but out under van Gaal.

PHOTO: Bayern Munich’s coach Louis van Gaal watches his players during a team training session in Munich November 2, 2009. Bayern Munich will play Girondins Bordeaux in a Champions League soccer match on Tuesday. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

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