December 15, 2009
Wolfsburg coach Armin Veh cannot wait for the winter break to arrive after his side were crushed 3-1 at home by Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.
The defending champions currently lie in ninth position, nine points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen with one game to go before the midway stage of the season.
But although that is precisely the same situation they were in at this stage of last season before winning 14 of their final 17 games to clinch their maiden Bundesliga crown, the signs are not looking so good this year, as Veh acknowledged.
“We have had many bitter results in recent weeks and that has affected the team mentally too,” he admitted.
“The break will certainly do us good, even if it is only short.
“We were not there yesterday, both mentally and physically. The games we have played over recent weeks are still in our legs.”
Veh altered his tactics for the game, playing with just Edin Dzeko as a lone striker in a bid to pack his defence against the league’s in-form team.
However, that plan didn’t work out and, after just 10 minutes, his side were already two goals down.
“I changed because we had been conceding too many goals at home, but after the 2-0, that had all gone to waste,” he added.
“We knew beforehand that it was going to be tough today, but a win would have taken us right back up there
“But Dortmund deserved the points and now we have to pull ourselves together next week and get points against Frankfurt.”
Tags: Armin Veh, bayer, bayer leverkusen, Borussia, Bundesliga, coach, dortmund, Dzeko, FRANKFURT, game, games, keen, league leaders, legs, LEVERKUSEN, ninth position, signs, striker, winter break, WolfsburgOctober 30, 2009
Stuttgart director of sport Horst Heldt has called on everybody to club together to help under-fire coach Markus Babbel lead them out of a crisis.
Babbel’s position as coach of the Swabians was confirmed on Wednesday despite defeat by Greuther Furth in the DFB-Pokal, but only a positive result against Bayern Munich on Saturday can save him from further castigation.
And after showing his and the board’s full backing for Babbel, Heldt has called on the whole club to get behind him.
“We can only get out of this crisis together,” he said. “We now need a community and that does not only mean on the field, but off it also.
“We need our fans to help us out of this difficult situation.”
Babbel would probably have preferred anybody but Bayern as opponents, but Heldt said the “name of the opponent doesn’t matter one bit” and that the “important thing is that the team does all it can to win again”.
Bayern appear to have left their own crisis behind them and have moved up to within four points of the joint league leaders Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen.
However, trouble is always brewing at Bayern and this time it comes in the shape of central defender Martin Demichelis who has criticised coach Louis van Gaal in an interview with the Bild newspaper.
“I am not the only player who has been out for a long time, yet I have to fight for my place back in the team. That makes me angry and bitter,” he said.
“I am fit and am doing everything to help this team and I would have expected the same kind of support that other players who were making a comeback received.”
Demichelis was referring to Mark van Bommel and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who walked straight back into the team after injury whereas he has had to sit on the bench in the last few games.
But he has vowed to knuckle down and prove Van Gaal he is wrong to leave him out.
“I have loved and defended this shirt for seven years and it is like my second skin,” he added. “But I also know that a professional footballer cannot rest on his laurels so I will fight to the death.”
Demichelis will be given his chance in next week’s Champions League tie against Bordeaux, when Daniel van Buyten will be suspended, but Van Gaal is unlikely to make any changes to his side this weekend.
Abhimanyu Rajput
Tags: Bastian Schweinsteiger, bayer, Bayern, bayern munich, bild newspaper, Bordeaux, castigation, central defender, Daniel van Buyten, dfb pokal, furth, Hamburg, Horst Heldt, laurels, league leaders, louis van gaal, Mark van Bommel, markus babbel, martin demichelis, professional footballer, second skin, seven years, stuttgart, swabians, Van GaalSeptember 1, 2009
Racing Santander have sealed loan deals for Newcastle forward Xisco and Barcelona defender Henrique.
Spanish ace Xisco only moved to England in September 2008 but struggled to make an impact in a Magpies side which slipped out of the Premier League to Championship, last season.
And injuries also contributed as he was unable to fulfil his potential while on Tyneside.
But, now the 23-year-old has agreed a season-long deal with Racing.
Henrique is also set to spend the remainder of the 2009/10 campaign in Santander.
The 21-year-old Brazilian, who is yet to force his way into first-team reckoning at Barca on a regular basis, spent last season on loan at German outfit Bayer Leverkusen.
Both men will join up with their new team-mates upon passing a medical.
Abhimanyu Rajput
Tags: Ace, barca, Barcelona, bayer, Championship, England, LEVERKUSEN, loan deals, magpies, NEWCASTLE, premier league, remainder, santander, team mates, tyneside, XiscoJune 5, 2009
Michael Skibbe is the new coach of German side Eintracht Frankfurt. The manager succeeds Friedhelm Funkel, who recently announced his departure from the club.
Skibbe had been without a job since being sacked by Turkish outfit Galatasaray three months ago. In total, he had been with the Istanbul side for no more than seven months.
The 43-year-old, whose playing career was ended by torn cruciate ligaments only two years after it started, previously managed sides as Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. He was also assistant manager for Germany at the 2004 European Championships, which disappointingly ended after the group phase.
Eintracht Frankfurt finished the 2008-09 season in 13th place, just three points away from the relegation zone.
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Tags: bayer, borussia dortmund, Bundesliga, coach, cruciate ligaments, eintracht frankfurt, FRANKFURT, Friedhelm Funkel, german side, Germany, group phase, Istanbul, job, michael skibbe, relegation zone, seven months, three monthsJune 3, 2009
BERLIN (AFP) – Brazilian midfielder Ze Roberto could be on his way to Manchester City after announcing on Wednesday he was looking for a new club following Bayern Munich’s refusal to offer him a new two year contract.
“I’m leaving with one eye smiling and the other in tears,” the 34-year-old told newspaper Munich tz.
“It’s no secret that I wanted to sign a two year deal,” added Ze Roberto, who was disappointed to be only offered a one year extension to his contract.
“The club have their reasons, I have to accept and respect them, and that’s what I’m doing.”
He added that he should know in the next few days where he will be playing next season with Manchester City one of his suitors.
“Right at the top of the list there is the interest shown by Manchester City,” he told the paper.
“There are also two clubs in the Bundesliga who have shown interest in me, one of them has even offered me a three year deal.
“There is also a side in Saudi Arabia and clubs in the United States.”
Ze Roberto, who has 85 caps for Brazil, first came to Munich from Real Marid and Bayer Leverksuen in 2002 and stayed for four years.
He then had one season with Brazilian side FC Santos before rejoining Bayern in the summer of 2007.
The midfielder has won four German titles with Bayern in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008.
Tags: bayer, Bayern, bayern munich, berlin, brazil, brazilian side, Bundesliga, caps, few days, german titles, manchester city, midfielder, Munich, real marid, Roberto, Santos, saudi arabia, suitors, United States, ze robertoJune 2, 2009
One of the best Bundesliga seasons I can remember came to a disappointing end in Saturday’s DFB-Pokal final.
While the league gave us two great stories with the rise and fall of Hoffenheim and the ultimate triumph of Wolfsburg, the Cup final was a damp affair.
In the two posts below, Erik Kirschbaum reflects on Werder Bremen’s victory in the frightened rabbit final, while Karolos Grohmann considers the record of Bayer ‘Neverkusen’.
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June 2, 2009
When Bayer Leverkusen, 1-0 down in the German Cup final against Werder Bremen, desperately poured forward in search of a late equaliser, somehow you knew there was no way they would turn this round.
They ended up losing another final on the same day their former midfielder Michael Ballack, who has also missed or lost everything there is to lose in football, including World Cup, European Championship and Champions League finals, was lifting the FA Cup with Chelsea after beating Everton.
But for Leverkusen it was more of the same bitter story of the past 12 years.
In 2002 they famously let slip a “treble”, losing in the Champions League final to Real Madrid, choking over the final three matches of the league to end up second to Borussia Dortmund and losing the German Cup final against Schalke.
Since 1997 they’ve finished second in the Bundesliga four times, most painfully in 2000 when a Ballack own goal against Unterhaching cost them the title on the last day.
That’s why they are called “Vize-kusen”.
Hold on, some might say. They have been to two Cup finals, fought for the Bundesliga four times and almost won the Champions League. There are not many teams out there who can boast to have done all that in such a short period.
That is true. But do these seven near-misses count more than Borussia Dortmund’s one Champions League win? Are they more precious than Schalke’s solitary UEFA Cup win? Or newly-crowned Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg’s one and only trophy?
Whether fairly or not, no one apart from the Werkself fans themselves will remember Bayer’s almost-seven titles, nor will there be anything to display in the trophy cabinet.
Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler had a hard time fighting back the tears after the final whistle:
“It is difficult to say anything meaningful. Second place, you don’t get anything for that. Second place is the first loser. It’s terribly bitter. Vizekusen is just a word. It is a shame it was again confirmed tonight.”
PHOTO: Bayer Leverkusen’s Michael Ballack walks past the European Cup after his team lost the Champions League final against Real Madrid at Hampden Park. May 15, 2002. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
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Tags: bayer, bitter story, borussia dortmund, Bremen, Bundesliga, champions league, CHELSEA, equaliser, European, everton, FA Cup, fighting back the tears, german cup, hampden park, MADRID, Michael Ballack, Photo, real madrid, rene adler, Schalke, second place is the first loser, treble, trophy cabinet, UEFA Cup, Vizekusen, werder bremen, whistle, WolfsburgMay 31, 2009
Werder Bremen have won the 2008-09 edition of the German Cup, beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in the final. The only goal of the match came after 58 minutes, and was scored by Mesut Özil. Ten days after losing the UEFA Cup final, Werder now defended their narrow lead to end the season with a trophy after all. To get to the final of the ‘DFB Pokal’, Werder had already beaten Eintracht Nordhorn, Erzgebirge Aue, Borussia Dortmund, VfL Wolfsburg and Hamburger SV.
Werder had won the tournament five times before, in 1961, 1991, 1994, 1999 and 2004.
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Tags: bayer, bayer leverkusen, beating, Borussia, Bremen, Bundesliga, Cup, DFB, dfb pokal, dortmund, edition, Eintracht, Erzgebirge, erzgebirge aue, German, german cup, goal, Hamburger, hamburger sv, LEVERKUSEN, match, mesut, narrow lead, Nordhorn, Özil, Pokal, season, the, tournament, trophy, UEFA Cup, VfL, vfl wolfsburg, Werder, werder bremen, WolfsburgMay 30, 2009
BERLIN (AFP) – Werder Bremen won the German Cup on Saturday, a a second-half goal from midfielder Mesut Oezil sealing a 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
Tags: bayer, bayer leverkusen, berlin, Bremen, Bundesliga, german cup, mesut, olympic stadium, victory, werder bremenMay 23, 2009
Luca Toni is willing to do anything for Bayern Munich to win this year’s German championship. The Italian striker offered Werder Bremen players a holiday in his home country if they manage to beat leaders VfL Wolfsburg.
On the final day of the season, Bayern have a two-points gap with Wolfsburg to overcome and depend on Werder to earn at least a draw. “If Bremen need motivation, then I will offer those players a summer residence in Italy. Surely they will amuse themselves there,” the forward said.
Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge isn’t quite as positive, he revealed in an interview with Kicker magazine. “I hope our position won’t change,” he said, referring to the fact that his club could also drop to third or even fourth place.
“I don’t think that Wolfsburg will do anything strange,” he added.
Werder, who lost the UEFA Cup final on Wednesday, have little left to play for in the Bundesliga but will want to stay in good shape ahead of the German Cup final, in which they face Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern need a victory over third-placed VfB Stuttgart, who with the same amount of points could still win the league as well. For Wolfsburg, a draw with Werder should be enough due to their comfortable goal record.
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Tags: bayer, bayer leverkusen, Bayern, bayern munich, Bremen, Bundesliga, gap, german championship, german cup, good shape, holiday in italy, Italy, Jonathan Roorda, karl heinz, karl heinz rummenigge, kicker magazine, Luca, luca toni, motivation, players holiday, striker, stuttgart, Toni, UEFA Cup, vfb stuttgart, VfL, werder bremen, Wolfsburg
