Bayern on record course

Trying to forget a bit the whole World Cup, yesterday I watched a match from the German league: Freiburg versus Bayern Munich. 

Mighty Bayern are on the way to take the title yet again (their 13th in the last 14 seasons) in record format. Before the Freiburg match they had 97 goals, well on the way to beat their 1972 record of 101 goals. But it was not to be easy against Freiburg. After 0-0 in the first half the side from Baden-Wurttenberg managed to get ahead 2-0 by way of Johan Manzambi and Lucas Höler on two mistakes by the now rather old Manuel Neuer. 

Freiburg was still leading with 10 minutes to go when the young Tom Bischof scored his first two goals ever for Bayern Munich, and made it 2-2 on two great strikes from outside the box to the massive disappointment of the Freiburg fans. And it was to get worse: 8 minutes into added time another youngster, Lennart Karl, scored the winner and 100th season goal for Bayern Munich as the Freiburg defense just waited for the match to end.

Bayern Munich will be champions again. 

Leverkusen!

The German Bundesliga have new champions for the first time in 11 seasons, all of which have been won by Bayern Munchen. Bayer Leverkusen won their first title ever in style. with seven matches to go they are 16 points clear of Bayern Munchen and have in fact not lost a single match the entire season, something that could cement this incredible victory under Manager Xabi Alonso, who is already touted as one of the new great managers of the world, and may have offers from many of the clubs he played for as a player, such as Bayern Munchen, Real Madrid and Liverpool. 

That said he appears to want to stay in North Rhine-Westphalia with a club that had only been runners-up (and a memorable Champions League final in 2002). And more may be in store for Leverkusen this season, as they are on their way to the semifinals of the Europa League, after defeating West Ham 2-0, a tournament they are so far also undefeated at.

I think Leverkusen's victory is great for German football, as Bayern's dominance is broken by a team that plays good football and has managed to put together a solid side of players from all over the world, as well as many young players, but without any overshadowing superstar. Leverkusen are above all a team!

Champions and losers

 Both the Premier League and the Bundesliga ended this weekend. 

In the Premier League we already knew that Manchester City won the league ahead of an Arsenal side that had it all until the last stretch. Liverpool were close to catch Manchester United, but the Manchester side did well in its last stretch and even made it to third place, while Liverpool stayed fifth and will only play the Europa League next season. In the meantime, Newcastle's Arab investment paid off and on fourth place the old club full of traditions will be in the Champions League next season. Birghton is the other big surprise as they will be playing Europa League next season, after taking sixth spot.

The biggest disappointment in my view is in terms of relegation: two big clubs, Leicester and Leeds are being relegated. Leicester only seven years after winning the league in one of the biggest sensations of all time.

I hope both sides will return soon.

The Bundesliga had no champion until the last round, and it all looked set for Borussia Dortmund to take the title from Bayern Munich. All the had to do was win at home to Mainz. Alas, it didn't work. They were down 0-2, missed a penalty, and only managed to equalize in the dying seconds. In the meantime, Bayern Munich was playing Cologne; also needing to win, Jamal Musiala gave them the winning 2-1 goal in the 89th minute, and with that the 11th Bundesliga title in a row, in a league that is evermore onesided.

No league football for a while now....

Bundesliga start

The Bundesliga opens today with defending champions Bayern Munich facing Bayer Leverkusen. Despite the dominance of Bayern Munich, the German league always has surprises, amazing young talent, plenty goals and some of the best atmosphere in Europe (Borussia Dortmund fans are perhaps the best I have ever seen).
And the Bundesliga leads the way also in terms of equality, with the first female referee, Ms. Bibiana Steinhaus, who will be making her debut in the Bundesliga! I hope that we will soon see her in the Champions League!
(but don't count on me not complaining about the referee anyway)

Early and coming Champions

Seasons are ending all around Europe, and we can already see some of the titles being handed out!
With a 0-1 victory over West Bromwich Albions Chelsea mathematically became champions of the Premier League with still three games to go before the end of the season. This cements Chelsea's amazing season, which few saw coming I think: a disastrous last season which led to the hiring of Antonio Conte as manager, and he has stabilized the team, that plays excellent football. One has to wonder whether the absence of European football may as well have been an advantage, as they were able to focus entirely on the Premier League.
In Germany Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga again and as expected by many. That said, it is a disappointing season, as they did not win the DFB Cup and were eliminated in the Champions League. Bayern Munich is set to go through changes next season, so it remains to be seen how they will do.
In Italy Juventus is only a victory away from taking the title, while in France Monaco are on the brink of taking a title that seems to have belonged in Paris since 2013, and this also cements their extraordinary season where they won themselves a lot of friends in the CL!

Jurgen Klopp to Liverpool

After the correct firing of Brendan Rogers it has now been confirmed that the ex-Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp will be going to Liverpool. Mr. Klopp surely has all the experiences to coach Liverpool: strong personality and charisma, a good approach to football, good selection of young players, as well as experience with a club that fought well to remain among the best. And most of all, and very differently from Mr. Rogers in my view, he normally has a plan! That is what most annoyed me with Mr. Rogers, that it was never clear where he wanted to go with his player selection and strategy.
That said, it will not be easy for Mr. Klopp: pressure will be higher to deliver at Liverpool (Dortmund is a big club, yes, but the expectations for titles are strangely lower), and he will no doubt be coaching in a much more competitive league in terms of fighting for the title (the German league is a competitive league in terms of fighting for Bayern Munich's scraps).
But no matter what it is bound to be a good renewal for Liverpool, which has been underperforming for years.

Pep to Munich

We are only a few weeks into the year, but the news today will surely be some of the most surprising and interesting of 2013. Barcelona's former coach, Pep Guardiola has ended speculation about his future (and rumours included Brazil, Manchester United and Chelsea. One has to admire that he did not choose the soap opera of Chelsea) and has signed a contract with none other than the German giants of Bayern Munich from the summer of 2013.
As many were surely expecting Guardiola to go to England or Italy, the news that he will be in the Bundesliga must have surprised many. Still, there is logic to the choice. Contrary to prejudice the German league is quite offensive with a massive amount of young talent, surely also in Bayern Munich. The German giants must at the same time have considered that Guardiola represents a style of football that they will be eager to play, while Guardiola is coming to a club that has the same level of ambitions to win in Europe as Barcelona.
Guardiola has never coached anything but his native club, so it will be hugely interesting to see whether his personality and style can adapt to a completely different footballing culture. There is no doubt though, that he will be under enormous pressure, but at the same time, Guardiola is a cool-headed guy.
Surely Bayern Munich has won some fans with Guardiola as well!

Towards the championship

The European leagues are entering their last stage, and one can begin to see the shape of the champions more or less in many of them:

• In Germany, Borussia Dortmund destroyed 4th placed Hannover 96, and are 7 points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen with six matches left. They have had an extraordinary season, and it would be a pity if they don't win it.
• In Italy's local derby between AC Milan and Inter, AC Milan won 3-0. Pato played an extraordinary match in this important step for the Milanese, although the Serie is hot: Napoli took second spot after defeating Lazio, only three points up to first place! It will be an exciting ending!
• In the Netherlands Twente defeated PSV Eindhoven 2-0 in a hugely important victory to retake the title. There are five matches left, and a five point difference between Twente, PSV Eindhoven and Ajax Amsterdam on first, second and third spots respectively.
  
• In Portugal FC Porto defeated second placed Benfica 1-2 in Lisbon, and now 16 points ahead of Benfica and five matches left, is certain to win the championship. The Portuguse league has been completely dominated by a mighty Porto side that might still go through it undefeated!
  

While I was gone

I have been travelling, and although watching football as much as possible, have not been able to post much here. Still, many interesting things have happened in the world of football!

• In the Italian Serie A, AC Milan and Napoli played a match where the southerners had the chance of taking over the first spot. However, they faced a concentrated Milan side where Brazilian Pato was extraordinary and Milan won 3-0 to become entrenched at the first spot, where only a rather unstable Inter seems able to threaten them for the title.
• The team of the moment is surely Germany's Borussia Dortmund. Last week they defeated Bayern Munich, in Munich, 3-1. They are a young, hugely talented side who are now heading straight for the Bundesliga title!
• In Spain, Barcelona has again pulled a bit more away after Real Madrid only managed 0-0 with La Coruña. In spite of winning in Valencia, Barcelona is looking a bit more shaky, also looking ahead at the play-off match in the Champions League with Arsenal.
• The Champions League started with excellent matches. Arsenal's 2-1 victory against Barcelona was excellent, and although my sympathies surely lie in Catalunya, I hope that Arsenal can put up a great fight! I was in Aruba when I saw Lyon and Real Madrid play 1-1, ahead of what will be an interesting match in Madrid. Also, I was unashamedly delighted to see that Chelsea defeated FC Copenhagen, although at the same time, I am nervous about Valencia's options after 1-1 with Schalke 04, no matter how much I sympathise with Raul!

Anyway, back to work and to football!

League triumphs

The football seasons are ending all around Europe, with some interesting and notable results!

Last weekend FC Twente won their first Dutch championship ever, upsetting the power of the usual greats of Dutch football; Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord.

In France, Olympique Marseille coached by the former French national team captain, Didier Deschamps, today won the French Championship for the first time since 1992 (not counting the one they were stripped for in 1993 for bribery) with a 3-1 victory over Rennes, while their closest rivals Auxerre lost points to Olympique Lyon. This also further upsets the balance in French football, where Olympique Lyon had won for seven seasons in a row until Bordeaux won last season.
French club football is entertaining and surely the league, such as the Dutch, is more varied than in some other countries where the leagues have only become a rivalry between 2-3 clubs, with the rest being mere spectators.

Such a league is the Ukranian league, where Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kiev always fight for the title. This season it was Shakhtar's turn as they defeated Dynamo Kiev 1-0 to take the title.

In Spain, Real Madrid is still trailing FC Barcelona by one point, with both teams winning against anyone they encounter. Today Cristiano Ronaldo was spectacular scoring 3 goals in Real Madrid's 4-1 victory against Mallorca. There are now really (and sadly if you are a fan of the Spanish league) only two teams in the Spanish league, with the rest just vying for the extra Champions League spots that Spain gets only because of Real Madrid's and FC Barcelona's exploits.
I must admit though that I am very happy that Valencia CF just made sure that they will be in the CL next season by winning 3-1 against Xerex, but one should not expect too much of them among the top of European football - in Spain they are only "the best of the rest of them"....

The German Bundesliga is often dominated by the southern German giants of Bayern Munich, who with a 3-1 win over Schalke 04 almost made sure they will be German champions this season. In fact, Bayern Munich will be going for "the Triple", as they will be playing the final of the German Cup against Werder Bremen, and the CL final.

The other CL finalists, Inter Milan from Italy also has all chances to win the "Triple", and took their first step by winning the "Triple" by taking the Italian Cup with a 1-0 victory against AS Roma, who is also their closest rival for the Serie A title. But also there Inter Milan is set to win: with two matches left they are 2 points ahead of the Romans, and will also be hoping to win their third title in Madrid on May 22nd.

In England the Premier League title is a struggle between Chelsea and Manchester United, with Chelsea very close to taking the title. In the meantime, Arsenal is sure of one of the CL spots, while Tottenham Hotspurs made sure that they will be in the CL next season by defeating Manchester City 1-0. It will surely be interesting to see the Londoners in Europe next season!

A lot of happy and some disappointed fans!

European travels

I have been travelling around in Europe for a month, and although with the break, there wasn't much football on my busy programme, I did nevertheless notice some things:
-I was in Barcelona when R.D. Espanyol inaugurated their new stadium by winning a 3-0 victory against Liverpool. I have always felt some sympathy for Español for being the "little guys" in Barcelona, and was happy to see them play well. But it was nevertheless truly sad to hear, barely a week later, that Español's captain, Dani Jarque, passed away due to heart failure during a training session in Italy.
-R.I.P.
-While in Barcelona, I also watched FC Barcelona's trianing match against L.A. Galaxy. Barcelona was far superior, presaging a strong next season, although the victory of 2-1 was arguably too small.
-Great free-kick goal by Beckham! Good that he will be back among the stars in Europe, where he belongs!
-And the Ibrahimovic fever has set in in Barcelona, although the Swedish striker has yet to play a match; his shirt can already be purchased everywhere in the Catalonian city. It will indeed be interesting to see how he unfolds in Barcelona!
-I was also in Austria, a country whose football history I still know very little about. I was only in Vienna, and seeing signs of the two city clubs, Austria and Rapid Vienna, I had to find out about their status, only to find out that Red Bull Salzburg won the league last season. While there, Salzburg in fact qualified to the final qualification round of the Champions League after defeating Dynamo Zagreb 1-2, while Austria Vienna continued to the next round of the Europe League qualification, after defeating Vojdovina 4-2.
-Salzburg is up against Maccabi Haifa FC in the next round.
-I was in Berlin as the Bundesliga season 2009-2010 got underway. The locals of Hertha Berlin, who are still hoping to bring a title to the capital, defeated Hannover 1-0 in the season debut, while defending champions of Wolfburg defeated Stuttgart 2-0.

It was a great trip, but now I am also looking forward to all leagues getting underway for the next season!

Wolfburg champions

This weekend Wolfburg won their first ever Bundesliga title after an impressive 5-1 victory against the UEFA Cup finalists from Werder Bremen. Under Felix Magath, the team has grown, and it is a pity that he will be leaving for Schalke 04 for the next season. It will be interesting to see how Wolfburg will do without Mr. Magath, but also how they will do in next seasons' Champions League, where German teams have not done well lately.
In any case, until then, congratulations to all Wolfburg fans!

The bundesliga

I follow the German Bundesliga superficially; I always have. This season the Bundesliga is more exciting than ever; differenly from all other European leagues, that seem pretty set or just a petty fight between two, or max three, teams, the German league is a contest where many teams have a shot at the title with only three matches left!
This season's sensation, Vfl Wolfburg is still top of the league with 60 points, and may still win their first title ever under Felix Magath. However, the defending champions, the southern German giants of Bayern Munich, in spite of a poor season (where coach Jurgen Klinsmann was recently fired), are second, with 60 points as well, and looking to put pressure on Wolfburg. And putting pressure on these two teams, are Hertha Berlin and VfB Stuttgart, on third and fourth place, with 59 and 58 points respectively, and thus with a good chance of taking the title as well. For Hertha Berlin, the major team from the capital, it would be great to take the German title they have never taken since the 1930s. VfB Stuttgart won the title in 2007, and is eager to win it again.
Finally, Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV have 55 point each, and also a chance of taking the title (although I must add, that as I write this, HSV has one match less, and thus, potentially 58 points. HSV is playing against Werder Bremen, and will surely want revenge after being denied the UEFA cup final spot last weekend when losing 2-3 at home!).
There are some exciting matches in the last three rounds: Wolfsburg-Dortmund and Bayern Munich-VfB Stuttgart. The two top teams are the ones with two home matches, while Hertha Berlin and VfB Stuttgart has two away matches, while Hamburger SV also has two (on paper easy) matches at home, and one away.

In any case, the Bundesliga is currently the most exciting league in Europe, and is probably only going to be decided in the last round, and be sure that all the teams will do their utmost to get the title!

Klinsmann fired

Jurgen Klinsmann has just been fired as Bayern Munich coach after they lost 0-1 to Schalke 04 at home. The mighty southern Germans are now trailing Vfl Wolfsburg in the struggle for the German championship. Bayern Munich has been poor under Klinsmann, who never managed to provide the passion he provided for the German national team in the 2006 World Cup. Just shows the huge difference between training a national team (at best a part-time job) and coaching a top professional club-side.