Van Nistelrooy needs time: Hamburg coach

February 3, 2010


Hamburg’s new star signing Ruud van Nistelrooy needs more time to get fit before making his Bundesliga debut, his coach Bruno Labbadia said on Wednesday.

Having spent most of the season on the bench at Real Madrid before signing for Hamburg 10 days ago, the 33-year-old Dutch hot-shot striker is only 60 percent fit, according to Labbadia.

And it looks as though the striker will sit out Hamburg’s Bundesliga game at Cologne on Saturday and needs plenty of fitness work after knee surgery in November 2008 and having played just 127 minutes of football for Real this season.

“We would never put someone under a pressure of time to say when they will be fit,” Labbadia told SID, a subsidiary of AFP, with his side fifth in the German league table.

“Ruud is still working his way back to fitness and it is only 60 percent.

“Whether or not he is in the squad, we will decide at the end of the week.”

Labbadia says the Dutchman needs “a few more weeks” to return to top fitness.

“We don’t want to rush him back too early and risk him getting injured,” said Labbadia.

A calf injury meant van Nistelrooy only trained with the squad for the first time on Tuesday.

“He has not played for the best part of a year, it is a different story if a player has just been out for a few weeks.”

Van Nistelrooy has signed a contract until June 2011 and Hamburg are reported to have spent four million euros on him.

He has already been crowned the best striker in Holland, having scored 62 goals for Eindhoven between 1998 and 2001, England, having scored 95 goals for Manchester United between 2001-06 and Spain, having netted 46 goals for Real between 2006 and 2010.

Having retired after Holland were knocked out of Euro 2008 by Russia in the quarter-finals, van Nistelrooy has said he would like to play for the Netherlands again at this summer’s World Cup.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Flying Dutchman Robben puts Bayern back on top

January 30, 2010


Dutch winger Arjen Robben scored his second goal in two matches to seal Bayern Munich’s 3-0 win over Bochum on Saturday to put his side top of the Bundesliga and give them their seventh straight league win.

Having scored the winner in the 3-2 win at Bremen the week before, Robben curled in another free-kick to give Louis van Gaal-coached Bayern three more Bundesliga points.

With Leverkusen facing strugglers Freiburg on Sunday, Bayern can expect to lose their place at the top of the table, but for now they enjoy a single-point lead.

Bayern’s Mario Gomez and Daniel Van Buyten had fired the German giants into the lead before Robben stepped up with the third goal.

The home side took the lead amidst heavy snow when Van Buyten headed home after a cross from Robben on 58 minutes.

French winger Franck Ribery, who continues to work his way back to fitness after a knee injury, came off the bench with 30 minutes remaining.

Ribery and Robben combined to free Germany defender Philipp Lahm down the right flank who fired in a cross which Gomez slotted home on 75 minutes before Robben struck with four minutes remaining.

Elsewhere, Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf is in a precarious position as his side have now gone seven German league games without a win after they went down 4-3 at midtable Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The home side raced into a 3-0 lead after just 18 minutes before Mesut Oezil and Claudio Pizarro pulled goals back for Bremen and captain Torsten Frings converted a penalty with six minutes left to guarantee a frantic finish.

Second from bottom Nuremberg picked up only their second win in their last 10 games when they won 3-1 at Hanover and the result leaves bottom side Hertha Berlin five points adrift after they drew 0-0 with Bochum in the capital.

Cologne are up to 12th after their second consecutive win having beaten Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1.

With defending champions Wolfsburg drawing 1-1 at Hamburg on Friday, fourth-placed Dortmund face Stuttgart on Sunday.

Under former Tottenham Hotspur boss Christian Gross, who took over from Markus Babbel in December, Stuttgart have moved up to 13th in the table.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Bayern must keep winning, says striker Gomez

January 30, 2010


Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez believes the German giants will need to win all of their remaining Bundesliga games to be sure of the title – starting with Mainz on Saturday.

Bayern are second in the table, two points off leaders Leverkusen who host strugglers Freiburg on Sunday.

Having let a 2-0 lead slip to a 2-2 draw against Bochum last weekend, third-placed Schalke will be hoping to take advantage of Hoffenheim’s slump in form when the sides meet on Saturday.

The fate of this season’s Bundesliga title could well be decided when Bayern visit Leverkusen on the second weekend of April, but until then Gomez says Bayern must keep winning.

Louis van Gaal’s team suffered a shock when they were beaten 2-1 at Mainz last August, but with Bayern locked in a fierce battle with Schalke and Leverkusen, Gomez says only consistent victories will put them top.

“I think we?ll need to win nearly all our games to take the title,” said Gomez, who is set to travel to June’s World Cup with Germany, with 15 league games left to go.

Mainz beat Hanover last weekend to pick up their first Bundesliga win in seven games, but Bayern boss van Gaal will want three more points with his side having won all of their last eight games in all competitions.

Bayern have a good chance of making the Champions League’s quarter-finals as they play Fiorentina in the last 16 next month, but the men from Munich are focused on the German league for the time being.

“The only thing which can stop us now is ourselves,” said midfielder and rising star Thomas Mueller who was called into the Germany squad for fitness testing last week.

But unbeaten Leverkusen continue to resist Munich?s march up the standings from eighth place after 12 matches.

“Bayern have overtaken us twice but we?ve hit back on both occasions. We?ve shown real durability,” said Toni Kroos, who is on loan from Bayern to Leverkusen.

The Rhineland outfit have earned a reputation for dramatic losses of form in the second half of the campaign, but no-one at Bayern thinks that will happen this time.

“Leverkusen are playing consistently well right now. We need to focus on ourselves and win our matches, and success will follow automatically,” said Bayern goalkeeper Joerg Butt.

“We have to keep winning, and see how the others react,” said Butt.

Munich were top of the league for 26 hours last weekend.

“What matters is being first in May,” said Butt. “And it?s all still in our own hands.”

Saturday

Borussia M’gladbach v Werder Bremen, Eintracht Frankfurt v Cologne, Hertha Berlin v VfL Bochum, Bayern Munich v Mainz 05, Hanover 96 v Nuremberg, Schalke 04 v Hoffenheim

Sunday

VfB Stuttgart v Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen v Freiburg

BERLIN (AFP)

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Fighting-fit Klose keeps the pressure on at Bayern

January 23, 2010


Germany’s Miroslav Klose plans to fire both his country and Bayern Munich to success in the coming weeks as the German giants look to keep up the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen.

The 31-year-old, the top-scorer at the 2006 World Cup, scored his first German league goal of the season in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Hoffenheim which leaves Bayern two points behind Leverkusen.

But Saturday’s clash at his former club Bremen promises to be a battle royal and, although he is set to start on the bench, Klose looks sure to be used by Bayern coach Louis van Gaal.

Munich have scored 17 goals in their last five league matches and the return of the killer instinct in front of goal has sent the club off on an impressive winning run as they are now 11 league games without defeat.

Mario Gomez (five goals in the last six games) and Ivica Olic (four in the last five) have claimed regular status up front, but now Klose is pushing hard to win back his place in the starting line-up.

“My goal is to become a regular again as fast as possible,” he said having suffered a string of injuries including ankle surgery and a sprained elbow which hampered his autumn.

“Provided I?m fit and avoid injury I?ll be picked to play, at Bayern and for Germany, because when I?m fit, I?m the best,” he said with the World Cup in South Afria now five months away.

With three quality strikers fighting for two places at Bayern, Klose intends to carry the fight to Germany’s Gomez and Croatia’s Olic.

But Klose may have to be patient in terms of his first start since mid-November, as van Gaal reaffirmed his faith in Gomez and Olic after the Hoffenheim game.

“I won?t change anything for the trip to Bremen,” he said.

Bayern are expected to welcome back midfielder Franck Ribery, but will be up against a tough Bremen midfield which includes rising Germany stars Mesut Oezil and Marko Marin.

Ribery has been out of action with a troublesome knee injury since October 3 and is expected to play some role in the clash against sixth-placed Bremen.

Both Bayern and second-placed Schalke, who are at Bochum on Saturday, have the chance to take top spot in the league with leaders Leverkusen travelling to play Hoffenheim on Sunday.

Bottom side Hertha Berlin are looking for their second straight win at home to Moenchengladbach having finally broken their winless run at Hanover last weekend.

Saturday

Werder Bremen v Bayern Munich

VfL Bochum v Schalke 04

Mainz 05 v Hanover 96

Nuremberg v Eintracht Frankfurt

Hertha Berlin v Borussia M’gladbach

Borussia Dortmund v Hamburg

Sunday

VfL Wolfsburg v Cologne

Hoffenheim v Bayer Leverkusen

BERLIN (AFP)

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Schalke sign Brazilian striker Edu

January 2, 2010


Brazilian striker Edu signed for his third German club on Saturday as he joined high-flying Schalke 04 from Korean outfit Suwon Blue Wings.The 28-year-old signed a three-and-a-half year contract with Schalke, who are second in the championship, a point behind Bayer Leverkusen.

Edu previously played for Bochum and Mainz, scoring five goals in 44 appearances.

The German league resumes in mid-January after its traditional winter break.

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AFP)

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Kroos double puts Leverkusen back on top

December 19, 2009


Teenager Toni Kroos scored twice on Saturday to fire Bayer Leverkusen back to the top of the Bundesliga as the home side came from behind to inflict a 3-2 defeat on Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Kroos, who only turns 20 on January 4, scored the first and last goal of the game as Leverkusen wrestled back control of the German league after Schalke had briefly taken over on Friday night after their 1-0 win over Mainz.

The 19-year-old Kroos opened the scoring on 18 minutes after a pass from ex-Liverpool defender Sammi Hypia.

But goals from ‘Gladbach’s Roel Brouwers and Brazil defender Dante put the guests ahead.

Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok equalised on 60 minutes for the hosts before Kroos scored his second after Germany striker Steffan Kiessling found him on the edge of the penalty area.

The teenager drilled home the winner on 69 minutes to leave his side top going into the winter break.

Bayern Munich stay third and were ruthless against bottom-side Hertha Berlin in a 5-2 rout at Munich’s Allianz Arena.

Bayern’s Belgium defender Daniel van Buyten produced a pin-point accurate header on 16 minutes before Gomez bagged his sixth goal in seven games when he converted a close pass from Germany team-mate Philipp Lahm on 31 minutes.

Gomez then turned goal provider when he set up Dutch star Arjen Robben on 33 minutes before rising star Thomas Mueller gave Berlin goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny no chance to make it 4-0 on 60 minutes.

Hertha’s Adrian Ramos and Raffael scored consolation goals on 71 and 90 minutes and Bayern’s Ivica Olic hit his side’s fifth on 77 minutes.

But Berlin are still relegation candidates as they finish the first half of the season with just six points and are six points adrift at the foot of the table.

Dortmund went fourth after they celebrated their 100th anniversary as a club with a 1-0 win at home over Freiburg.

The hosts took the lead when Argentina striker Lucas Barrios scored his ninth goal in ten games when he headed past Freiburg’s French goalkeeper Simon Pouplin on 19 minutes.

Defending champions Wolfsburg were held to a 2-2 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt to finish eighth in the table, while Bochum pulled away from the relegation zone with a 3-2 win thanks to a late free-kick from defender Christian Fuchs.

On Friday, a first-half goal from Peruvian star Jefferson Farfan had put Schalke top after a 1-0 win over Mainz.

Farfan notched his sixth goal of the campaign after taking a neat pass from German under-21 international Lewis Holtby, but Leverkusen took back the lead less than 24 hours later.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Five-star Gomez hoping to fire Bayern top

December 19, 2009


Germany striker Mario Gomez is hoping to score his sixth goal in seven games for Bayern Munich against Hertha Berlin on Saturday as his side aim to enter the winter break as Bundesliga leaders.

The 24-year-old started his purple patch in the 1-1 draw with league leaders Leverkusen on November 22.

Since then he has scored in all of the last three German league games plus a top class effort in the 4-1 win at Juventus which put Bayern in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Bayern have risen up the Bundesliga table from eighth and go into the weekend third in the league, just two points behind leaders Leverkusen.

A win over Hertha, who have failed to record a single league success since their victory on the opening day of the season, would give them a chance of finishing the year on top of the league.

Leverkusen would need to lose at Borussia Moenchengladbach and second-placed Schalke would have to fail to beat Mainz on Friday night, but Louis van Gaal-coached Bayern have a chance to claim the lead.

“I am not only scoring goals, I am creating them too,” said Gomez who is hoping for his sixth consecutive goal at Munich’s Allianz Arena.

“I had a chat with the coach (van Gaal) and he explained what he expects of me, since then everything has worked well and I feel liberated now.”

And for his partner up front Ivica Olic, who scored twice in last weekend’s 5-1 win over Bochum, Gomez is justifying the 30 million euros Bayern paid Stuttgart for him last summer.

“The combination works well,” said Olic. “I always have fun playing with a striker like Mario. He is showing why Bayern paid so much money for him.”

Bayern, who have gone 11 home games without a Bundesliga defeat, should have few problems against Hertha.

A 70th minute goal by Gojko Kacar was enough to see Berlin reach the last 32 of the newly-formed Europa League against Group D leaders Sporting Lisbon last week, but they are six points adrift at the foot of the Bundesliga.

Leverkusen have announced they will loan striker Theofanis Gekas to Hertha as they look to consolidate their place at the top of the table and victory at home to ‘Gladbach will see them finish the year on top.

Stuttgart coach Christian Gross will be without banned Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann who picked up a three-match ban after being sent off in the 1-1 draw against Mainz last Sunday.

Gross replaced Markus Babbel as coach earlier this month, but is still chasing his first Bundesliga success since taking over at Stuttgart as his side, who are 15th in the table, host Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Friday

Schalke 04 v Mainz 05

Saturday

Bayern Munich v Hertha Berlin, Borussia Dortmund v Freiburg, Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia M’gladbach, Hanover 96 v VfL Bochum, Eintracht Frankfurt v VfL Wolfsburg, VfB Stuttgart v Hoffenheim

Sunday

Hamburg v Werder Bremen, Cologne v Nuremberg

BERLIN (AFP)

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Ignore Juve, beat Gladbach demands Bayern boss

December 4, 2009


Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal has ordered his side to forget next week’s Champions League clash at Juventus and concentrate on closing the gap to Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern must beat Juventus at Turin’s Olympic Stadium next Tuesday to ensure they reach the Champions League knockout stages, but Friday’s German league clash with Borussia Moenchengladbach is far more pressing for van Gaal.

Munich are six points behind Leverkusen and the Dutchman is ordering his side to focus on their next game.

“The mark of a top professional is the ability to concentrate on the next game, which is Gladbach. Juventus has to wait,” said van Gaal on the eve of the Allianz Arena clash.

“The really decisive match is against Moenchengladbach. By the mid-season break, I hope we?re no more than six points behind Leverkusen, and perhaps fewer.”

Van Gaal’s side has climbed to fourth in the table behind Leverkusen, Werder Bremen and Schalke 04.

After Gladbach, who have won just once in 41 league visits to Munich, Bayern play relegation-threatened Bochum away and bottom club Hertha Berlin at home before the winter break starts on December 20.

On current form, Gladbach appear to pose the most serious threat.

Borussia are the team of the moment in the Bundesliga with eleven points from their last five games, including victories in Hamburg and at home to Schalke in their most recent outings.

“They?re on a roll,” acknowledged Van Gaal.

“They?re very well organised, and they defend by closing down space, which is something we?ve always had trouble with. I hope we find the key to unlock their defence and surprise them.”

An important factor will be current strike pairing Mario Gomez and Ivica Olic, scorers of four of Bayern’s last five goals.

“The feeling you should never write Bayern off has returned,” said Gomez.

“You play very different football when you?re confident.”

Dutch winger Arjen Robben will be on the substitutes bench and van Gaal expects to give him around 30 minutes of game time after four weeks out following surgery.

Robben last played a half of football back in early November in a 1-1 draw with Schalke, but has been sidelined by persistent knee problems ever since.

Leaders Leverkusen are waiting on the fitness of ex-Germany defender Manuel Friedrich, who is struggling with a calf strain, ahead of their match at Hanover on Saturday.

“It would be a pity (if he can’t play), he has had an excellent season,” said coach Jupp Heynckes. “We will see how he is closer to the game.”

Third-placed Schalke have Brazilian defender Marcelo Bordon back after suffering from the ‘flu as the Royal Blues prepare to host bottom side Hertha Berlin, who are six points adrift.

Fixures

Friday (1930GMT)

Bayern Munich v Borussia Moenchengladbach

Saturday (1430GMT unless otherwise stated)

VfL Wolfsburg v Freiburg, VfB Stuttgart v VfL Bochum, Hamburg v Hoffenheim, Borussia Dortmund v Nuremberg, Hanover 96 v Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt v Mainz 05 (1730GMT)

Sunday

Cologne v Werder Bremen (1430GMT), Schalke 04 v Hertha Berlin (1630GMT)

BERLIN (AFP)

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Martins out for the rest of the year

November 28, 2009


Nigeria and Wolfsburg striker Obafemi Martins will undergo surgery on a shin problem and will be ruled out until the New Year.

He misses Wolfsburg’s German league clash with Werder Bremen tomorrow and will have the operation on his left shin next week.

“He is suffering a lot from the injury and the pain has become strong,” Worlfsburg coach Armin Veh said.

“There is no way around an operation now.”

Martins was originally scheduled to go under the knife at the end of the first half of the Bundesliga season on 20 December, but that has now been brought forward since the player is currently unable to even train.

Nigeria will be hoping that he recovers in time for him to be part of their squad for the Africa Cup of Nations that kicks off in Angola on 10 January.

Abhimanyu Rajput

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Bayern need both victory and luck for Haifa clash

November 25, 2009


German giants Bayern Munich go into their home Champions League group stage fixture against Israel’s Maccabi Haifa FC on Wednesday with their destiny no longer in their own hands.

After home-and-away defeats by French side Bordeaux, Louis van Gaal’s men have slipped to third in Group A – four points behind second-placed Juventus.

All they can do now is defeat Haifa and hope that Juventus fail to beat Bordeaux in the other group game in France.

Bayern have also drawn their last three Bundesliga games to go seventh in the German league and with coach Van Gaal under increasing pressure, a defeat to the Israeli side could make his position precarious.

“We’re unhappy, because none of us likes the situation in the league table,” said chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

“The fans don’t like it, the coach doesn’t like it, the team doesn’t like it, and neither do I, naturally enough.

“We need a big win to relieve the pressure.”

Haifa travel to Munich still seeking their first points after their own successive losses to Juventus left them out of the running at the foot of the table.

Four points adrift, they retain a slim hope of finishing third and claiming entry into the Europa League, but they must beat Bayern to keep that ambition alive.

Bayern won the first-ever encounter between the two sides at the Ramat Gan Stadium in the first group stage match on September 15, when Daniel Van Buyten and Thomas Mueller scored on the way to a 3-0 win.

But the Germans go into the match looking for the first home goal of their campaign having recorded blanks in a stalemate with Juventus and a 2-0 loss to Bordeaux.

Elisha Levi’s Haifa have even bigger problems in front of goal as they are the only team of the 32 in the group stage yet to find the back of the opposition’s net.

If they fail to reach the knock-out stages, this would be the first time they have missed out on a place in the last 16 in their five previous attempts.

The last time they failed to do so was in 2002/03 when they finished bottom of their group with just two points.

BERLIN (AFP)

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