rekordmeister

Player Report Cards - The Final Treble Edition

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:37:43 -0400

Here I look at and grade the individual seasons of all Bayern players. Please note that all grades are 1. subjective (that means just my opinion) and 2. relative (that means Weihrauch gets a better grade for 5 goals than Gomez). We end the series with, of course, a treble. 3 in 1: 9 player reports, pure extravaganza. Here’s everything from Claudio Pizarro to Daniel van Buyten.

Claudio Pizarro: B

Claudio Pizarro started the season as striker #3 and ended it as striker #3. It only ever changed when #1 or #2 was sidelined. Yet Pizarro was on the pitch for about 25% of the Bundesliga and Champions League season. His goals per 90 minutes ratio was the second best in the CL (excluding players who only scored one goal) and just as respectable in the league, being only slightly lower than the ratios of Mandzukic and Kießling. I’m sure he would’ve loved to play more often and have more appearances in the big matches. That being said, Claudio Pizarro is the perfect third striker for Bayern: experienced, reliable, skilled.

Rafinha: C+

For Bayern, Rafinha is a great backup. He’s fairly talented, can also be used to shut down a wing in the final minutes of a match and a positive guy which is always a good thing for the locker room. But, for him personally, the playing time was very limited. Can you blame him for that? Not really, considering that the man he’s competing with is Philipp Lahm. But you can’t praise him for it, either. Similar to Diego Contento, if Rafinha is happy with this role, there won’t be any complaints.

Franck Ribery: A-

This might be one of the more controversial grades. No straight A for Franck Ribery? Nope. Don’t get me wrong, Ribery played an outstanding season and is a vital part of the side, I don’t need stats to convince you of that, but…there’s a but. Two, actually. First, I felt like Ribery’s season wasn’t as consistent as I’d like it to be. He started brilliantly and finished hot but in between there were many less convincing performances. The second issue might be an even bigger one: Franck Ribery has temper issues. People forgot about it because the end result wasn’t negative but the red card in the cup match against Augsburg was nothing short of stupid and forced him to miss the quarter- and semifinal. Another example is his wild elbow work early in the Champions League final that could just as well have ended in a red card. You’d just expect better from a man who already missed a CL final due to suspension. Ribery is a ticking time bomb. But a damn good one.

Arjen Robben: B+

Arjen Robben himself said it best: sometimes you’re the asshole, sometimes the hero. You don’t even have to look back an entire year when Robben was booed in his own stadium (although I have to make clear one more time that the vast majority of Bayern fans condemned that behavior immediately, unfortunately the crowd for that postseason match didn’t), just remember what happened six months ago. An injured Robben had to face media and fan opinions that he’s no longer needed, that he should leave, that his selfish behavior hurts the team more than it helps. He felt a strong urge to prove them wrong again and literally begged Heynckes to give him more playing time. It wasn’t until Kroos’ injury that Robben finally became a part of the regular lineup. The rest is history. Arjen Robben scored a goal in each of the last three Champions League matches, including the big winner we will still remember and talk about in decades. All he needs is health so that he can regain the lethal speed and shooting, then he’s invaluable again. Will that happen? Who knows.

Bastian Schweinsteiger: A-

Remember when a “football expert” said that Schweinsteiger is over the hill, too slow and only plays safe passes? It was only months ago and the outrage wasn’t big enough to let me believe that the public absolutely disagreed with it. We know that this was bullshit. But it also reminds us that the co-captain’s season wasn’t as flawless as we might remember. It seemed to take Schweinsteiger a bit to get used to Javi Martinez. As vital as he was (and is) to the system, there were some ups and downs. In my opinion, the main change Bastian Schweinsteiger needs is to play less. I don’t know if it’s his style, his role or his age but he has to deal with too many injuries that aren’t major enough to keep him out for weeks but they do make him play worse on a more regular basis. Schweinsteiger needs more breaks (and the Götze signing should lead to him getting more) or he will fall apart sooner than later.

Xherdan Shaqiri: B

Xherdan Shaqiri’s season was kind of overlooked. His scorer points per 90 minutes ratio was more than decent: 0.66 in the Bundesliga is basically the same number as Toni Kroos registered and the 2.28 scorer points per match in the German cup are a breathtaking number that’s not inflated by playing against an amateur team. Shaqiri is the future but, as the number of minutes played in the knockout stages of the CL prove (by the way, it’s 3) not the present, which is a good thing, as he still has a lot to learn. Xherdan Shaqiri got lots of sheltered playing time, the perfect way to be handled as a talent at a big club. But the pressure will grow with every season, he can’t afford stagnation. The future is now for Shaqiri.

Tom Starke: A-

Tom Starke played exactly four times this season, pretty average for a backup. What’s not average is the goals conceded column. If you can’t find it that’s because it doesn’t exist, Starke didn’t concede a single goal in four matches. He was the only Bundesliga keeper who played more than 45 minutes and still had a save percentage of 100%, one of these saves a penalty shot. Tom Starke never complained, Tom Starke never conceded. What else do you want from a backup keeper?

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk: C

Did he even play? Okay, such a statement would be unfair as Anatoliy Tymoshchuk was on the pitch for almost one fifth of the Bayern season. Still, this isn’t a lot. Tymo was more or less reliable, more or less quiet and, like Rafinha, a positive guy who seems to be friends with every player (or he’s just really obsessed with taking pictures). That’s almost all we can say. Tymoshchuk wasn’t a hindrance, he wasn’t a masterpiece. Tymoshchuk was simply solid.

Daniel van Buyten: B+

The zombie of football. How many times have we thought that this guy is done and over the hill? When he suddenly had to play against Arsenal, people spent weeks only wondering in which way he will ruin it for Bayern. Instead, Daniel van Buyten was rock-solid. As always. If there’s a god, he or she is a van Buyten fan and enjoys punishing Bayern fans for not trusting him.

Due to their limited roles, Raeder, Riedmüller, Weihrauch and Weiser will not be graded.

Best season: Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller (A)

Worst season: Emre Can (D-)

Most assigned grade: A- (6 times)

Player Report Cards - Martinez to Neuer

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:20:04 -0400

Here I look at and grade the individual seasons of all Bayern players. Please note that all grades are 1. subjective (that means just my opinion) and 2. relative (that means Weihrauch gets a better grade for 5 goals than Gomez). We continue with what might be the most elite group of all: Javi Martinez, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer.

Javi Martinez: B+

40 million. At first it was all about the 40 million. Now it’s nothing but a side note. There were a couple of things Bayern’s central midfield lacked a year ago and Javi Martinez offers all of those without showing a major weakness. He’s a decent passer with either foot, knows when and how to contribute offensively, Is strong in the air and can protect any ball. Pressing isn’t an effective weapon against him. Furthermore, he won more of his tackles than any other midfielder in the Bundesliga and it wasn’t even close. Martinez was great, Martinez was vital. I’m not giving him an A simply because it was his first year in Germany and the Champions League and because he didn’t have a summer break. These facts make me think he can do even better.

Thomas Müller: A

He doesn’t make sense, he will never make sense. Thomas Müller produced and, as opposed to many others, did so with a reliable rhythm. His 22 goals in BL, CL and Cup were scored in 19 matches. From August to June, Müller scored at least once every single month. And he scored in every competition, from Supercup to DFB cup final. Add to that another 17 assists, smart play and possibly the most effective time wasting in history and there just isn’t any reason why he doesn’t deserve this grade. If Müller can do any better than this I’m scared.

Manuel Neuer: A-

If you watched Bayern on a semi-regular basis you couldn’t miss the development Manuel Neuer showed this season. Last year, his first in Munich, he visibly struggled with staying focused. Neuer needed time to get used to the completely different job, away from the shiny life of a busy keeper to the mentally more demanding life of a waiting keeper. Most of the times it is just that one chance to have to stop, that one moment you have to be there for, with no other opportunities to shine. Manuel Neuer has learned to stay prepared for that one moment. Most of the times. Once he’s no longer in any risk to give up a goal like in Nürnberg, that’s when he earns the straight A. But I don’t think it’s gonna take him long.

Bastian Schweinsteiger Birthday gift! - Project

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:34:34 -0400

iheartbastischweinsteiger:

To all Bastian’s fans:

My friend Hedi and I have come up with the idea to give a little gift to the FC Bayern boss, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and we want all of you to be a part of this project.

We will be in Germany during the summer, and we will meet in München twice and one of those times will be during Bastian’s birthday. Therefore we thought that this would be an amazing opportunity for his fans to reach out to him.

So our idea is to make a nice-fashun book with letters/messages (i.e. birthday wishes + anything you’ve wanted to say to him) from his fans (you) from all around the world, and this project will only be successful if you participate!

We will be delivering it to Bastian personally, so we will make sure he receives the book.

If you want to join this project just send an email to: bastianbdayproject@gmail.com with your letter or message. If you want to send a handwritten letter/message please send it in good quality so we can print it. (Don’t forget to add where you come from - and letters cannot be longer than one page)

The languages that we accept for the messages: GERMAN & ENGLISH

Deadline: July 12th

JOIN US AND LET’S MAKE THIS A GREAT BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR BASTI, BECAUSE HE DESERVES THIS, AND OF COURSE, SO MUCH MORE!

Please reblog this post and share it with whoever you think may be interested. Again, we can only make this work if you join :)

PS: If you have any suggestions or questions, just leave us a message in our ask boxes, we will be more than happy to answer your questions and your ideas will be taken into consideration.

badstuberfans: We never thought we’d be facing this hard moments again with Holger Badstuber. He...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:20:41 -0400

badstuberfans:

We never thought we’d be facing this hard moments again with Holger Badstuber. He suffered a second rupture of the cruciate ligaments in his right knee and that will keep him out for another ten more months.

We think Holger needs as much support as he can get at the moment, he is a strong, dedicated man but something to cheer him up would be great. Thats why we are doing a second project for him, to show him that, no matter how long he is going to be away from the pitch, he was our endless support. He is a fighter, and we believe in him.

The project consists in 3 things:

We are going to make him a letter, from BF but signed for as many fans from all over the world as we can get. For this, we will ned you to send us a small picture of a SHORT handwritten message, with your signature (or name) and your country. Use a white page and black pen or marker so its easier for us to add it to the letter! Examples:

When we think of Holger, we think of him using a cap. So we are going to make him a cap! Like the ones he always wears, but with a big “BF” in the front, from us to him. So he remembers that he has fans that will always support him.

A video! Of fans from all over the world showing him support. The video will be included inside a usb that along the rest of the things that will be delivered. Record yourself saying “Get well soon Badstuber” in YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE. So he knows the support is from all over the world.

Again, our lovely Hadiya who helped us delivering the book at Doha on January, will be helping us! She is travelling to Munchen in the summer and she offered herself to deliver everything.

The deadline is June 20th. You can start sending us your material to: badstuberfans@aol.com

YO SEXIES, I hope we don't lose David Alaba. Has this been reported anywhere credible or just a silly blog rumour?

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 06:30:49 -0400

Silly blog rumor. It’s said that Arsenal want to buy an “unsettled” David Alaba from Bayern - offering him the midfield position he wants.

We’re just gonna sit back and laugh and not bother with it because he just won the treble - why would he move to a club that can’t win a trophy to save their lives?

Player Report Cards - Kroos to Mandzukic

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:56:36 -0400

Here I look at and grade the individual seasons of all Bayern players. Please note that all grades are 1. subjective (that means just my opinion) and 2. relative (that means Weihrauch gets a better grade for 5 goals than Gomez). This edition features three of this season’s regulars: Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm and Mario Mandzukic.

Toni Kroos: B+

Naturally one of the less flashy offensive midfielders due to his style, Toni Kroos stepped up when it mattered this season. In the Bundesliga home match against Dortmund, Kroos scored Bayern’s only goal and was arguably the best player on the pitch. At Arsenal, he again scored the first goal and was one of Bayern’s strongest guys. And even when he didn’t shine with goalscoring, Toni Kroos seems to have made the long expected step forward. Unfortunately an injury kept him out for the most important weeks of the season and while some claim that this was a blessing in disguise for the team, nobody will ever know for sure. Knowing Kroos, it’s not too crazy to think that he would’ve stepped up again. The biggest problem for him isn’t the present, it’s the future. With Mario Götze under contract, another high-profile player will now be demoted to the bench for the big matches and Kroos certainly doesn’t have the safest job in Bayern’s offensive midfield. Despite a rather outstanding season, Toni Kroos will have to make another step immediately. Either forward to become an absolute force in the offensive midfield or a step back to the central parts of the midfield.

Philipp Lahm: A

There isn’t much to talk about here. Unnoticed, probably because he didn’t score a goal against Costa Rica, Philipp Lahm played the season that comes the closest to perfect for anyone at the club. I can remember a few not-so-great performances, including a stupid and rare mistake that gave Leverkusen the lead in the only lost league match, but those are the only negatives. Lahm was great offensively and solid defensively. He found the perfect balance for a full-back, never being suicidal. In my eyes, Philipp Lahm was this season’s MVP for Bayern.

Mario Mandzukic: A-

You might remember that I said on Twitter about a year ago that I think Mario Mandzukic would be a pretty good signing for Bayern. I’m not mentioning this to toot my own horn, at least not mainly, but because he exceeded even my expectations. Sure, Mandzukic benefitted from Gomez’ early injury but his starting spot was not in jeopardy throughout the entire season. Obviously a completely different type of striker than we’ve gotten used to, call him a defensive striker if you like, he managed to shine with things that aren’t scoring goals. That being said, it would be very unfair to say that Mandzukic isn’t a goal scorer, his goals per 90 minutes ratio in the Bundesliga is the third-best of all relevant strikers only behind Mario Gomez and Robert Lewandowski. Since he was surprisingly good, vital and, most importantly, I don’t see much more room for personal improvement, Mario Mandzukic earned one of the best grades.

Player Report Cards - Gomez to Højbjerg

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:46:56 -0400

Here I look at and grade the individual seasons of all Bayern players. Please note that all grades are 1. subjective (that means just my opinion) and 2. relative (that means Weihrauch gets a better grade for 5 goals than Gomez). This time we’re talking about three guys who only have the alphabetical proximity in common: Mario Gomez, Luiz Gustavo and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.

Mario Gomez: B-

What grade could you possibly give Mario Gomez? An injury made him miss a lot of time early in the season when the regular lineup is not yet set in stone. When he returned it was almost impossible for Jupp Heynckes to send Mario Mandzukic to the bench, practically only a clear and lasting team improvement with the German on the pitch or an injury for Mandzukic could’ve brought Gomez back the driver seat up front. Neither happened so Gomez, without playing any worse than in the last campaigns: he scored a league goal every 80 minutes in 12-13 which, considering a deviation caused by him playing 1. only about a third of the time compared to previous years 2. more garbage time when matches were decided and opponents less focused on defending, is an average value for him (95min in 11-12, 87min in 10-11) and of course a great one for any striker. Gomez wasn’t weak, Bayern’s game simply outgrew him. A less vertical, more versatile forward is wanted now and that a player like Mario Gomez, a striker who can score 25+ goals in any league, isn’t happy with being a backup is no surprise. So the slightly negative grade for Gomez signals more of an unfortunate than a disappointing year. He never gave up or complained, he was just out of fashion. You can’t blame him for that. Under a different system he will thrive again. Unfortunately it looks like that will be outside of Bavaria. A team’s development doesn’t stop for anyone, not even a Mario Gomez. Or does it?

Gustavo: B

Up to the injury in November, Luiz Gustavo was on his way to earn himself a fat A. His excellent performances made it difficult for Javi Martinez, a man the coach wanted and the club had spent a lot of money for, to become a true regular. That pressure on the depth chart looked to motivate Gustavo, not intimidate him. When he returned, however, the central midfield was well-established without him in a starting role. Not unlike Gomez, Luiz Gustavo needed impressive performances to regain that spot. Unfortunately he never found the pre-injury form back, Gustavo again looked like last year’s version, a reliable, more than solid defensive midfielder but still a downgrade from Martinez. That being said, he did find his scoring touch, beating keepers in this Bundesliga season as many times as in his first four combined. I can’t imagine a better backup than Luiz Gustavo.

Højbjerg: B+

Such a good grade for someone who hasn’t even played half an hour of Bundesliga football yet, you might be wondering. As I said, these grades are relative and you tell me that a guy who arrived in Munich from a foreign country a year ago, 16 years old, living in Michael Tarnat’s basement (no clue if it’s actually the basement), planned to be spending a year or two with the U19, technically even still allowed to play for the U17, who got promoted to the reserve team almost immediately and then even impressed there almost immediately, earning regular practice with and the occasional spot in the professional squad, you tell me that this guy didn’t play a great season. Just as convincing off the pitch, giving very mature interviews, shining with patience instead of a lack of motivation, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s first year in Germany was a bigger success than he could’ve dreamed of.

BILD interview with Franck

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:48:14 -0400

BILD: Monsieur Ribéry, the fans are dying to know: when will you extend your contract (still 2 years left on the current one) with Bayern until 2017?

FR: We talked it all through. And a yes from me is a yes! We don’t actually need it on paper. But of course it has to be signed and that’s happening at the next opportunity. There’s isn’t much of a rush.

BILD: Does the new contract make the treble season perfect for you personally?

FR: Yes, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. In my private life as well. Why should I go anywhere else where I might be unhappy? When I finish my career here some day, then I want to do it like a Grand Seigneur. With a farewell match like Mehmet Scholl had.

BILD: Like him, you are championship winner, cup winner and CL winner. With the difference that you achieved all this in one season.

FR: Championship and cup winner I’ve been twice already but to win the Champions League on top of that - that’s the biggest of all.

BILD: Describe it for us…

FR: My compatriot Zinedine Zidane congratulated me. Before the final, I talked to Eric Abidal on the phone. He said: “That’s your trophy, go and get it! It’s an incomparable feeling.”

BILD: And was it?

FR: I wanted to laugh, wanted to cry. Everything at the same time, it was a jumble of emotions. My life, my career passed me like a movie. I saw myself play in France’s 3rd league, saw me work with my father in road construction. Our family never had much money, we lived in a small apartment. Two, three people in one room. My father, amateur footballer, worked his ass off for us. When I handed him the CL trophy in London, we both cried.

BILD: You took the trophy to bed with you. Did your wife Wahiba like that?

FR: She said: “You’re crazy!” We made funny pictures via selftimer: my wife, the trophy and I in bed. Those pictures better stay private though (laughs). Afterwards, we put the trophy in front of the bed. It’s unbelievable to finally have won it. The CL trophy is the proof that I’m a big player. And I play for a big team that wrote history. You know what makes me proud?

BILD: Tell us.

FR: I was captain three times, that motivated me even more. And when Jupp Heynckes subbed off Schweinsteiger and Lahm in Barcelona, Lahm came to me right away and gave me the badge. A small gesture that had the biggest meaning to me. I told Lahm so.

BILD: 2012 during the halftime break in the semi final against Madrid, you slapped Robben in the heat of the moment. Now you played two deciding passes to him in the Wembley final. If you two hadn’t made up, Bayern might not have won the CL. How is your relationship these days?

FR: We talked a lot. I said: “It doesn’t matter who scores the goal”. This isn’t the FC Ribéry nor is it the FC Robben. It’s about FC Bayern, only together we can be successful. That was our big strength this season: the cohesion as a team. Robben changed his way of playing, he works a lot for the team now.

BILD: You too helped a lot defensively. And yet you were still strong offensively. Do you have a secret?

FR: Everyone of us put in more work after last year’s shock. I myself feel like this was the best season of my career. I’m fitter than ever before. That’s Jupp Heynckes’ training. But I also trained on my free days, I ran on my own on the trainings ground and went to the sauna afterwards. And I often slept in the afternoon.

BILD: When will your push-up duel with Matthias Sammer take place that you planned in case of a CL win?

FR: He just has to say when. I’m ready at all times - and here for many more years (laughs).

source

Player Report Cards - Can to Dante

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:42:24 -0400

Here I look at and grade the individual seasons of all Bayern players. Please note that all grades are 1. subjective (that means just my opinion) and 2. relative (that means Weihrauch gets a better grade for 5 goals than Gomez). Today we continue with the second ~~treble~~ triplet: Emre Can, Diego Contento and Dante.

Emre Can: D-

It’s no surprise that Emre Can hardly played for the first team this season, that’s certainly not the reason for the bad grade. But, when you look back a year or two, he was the big promising talent in the eyes of many. Captain of the German U17 that finished 3^rd at the World Cup In 2011, Can was the safe bet as the next youth player to make it to Bayern’s big guns. He even had a chance to do so at the beginning of the season when both Contento and Alaba were injured but Jupp Heynckes wasn’t convinced enough and chose Holger Badstuber instead. Now he got the time everybody was more than willing to give and suddenly his future doesn’t look that promising anymore. Joining the old doubts of him just being too advanced for youth teams in physical terms are positional (Midfield? Defense?) and mental (“Can’t motivate myself for small opponents”) doubts. There have been more than a few reports that Emre Can didn’t really stick out in the fourth division, his second season against grown-ups. Whether that’s because of the aforementioned lack of motivation or an ultimate lack of translating talent to adult football doesn’t even matter because both would be equally alarming. Emre Can needs one thing at this point: a convincing season. For the Bayern reserves or some higher club on loan. Because one thing is for certain: he’s not just gonna be thrown right into the starting lineup in a Champions League semifinal because that’s the kind of match he’d be motivated for.

Diego Contento: C

The only possible grade for Diego Contento. There when you need him, good enough to not scare the living hell out of you, not good enough to ever be talked about as a realistic option for the regular lineup. It looked like the beginning of a wonderful story when David Alaba had to leave the pitch in a preseason match against Napoli, the club Diego’s parents love, giving Contento the big chance he was waiting for. But it again wasn’t meant to be, an injury left him sidelined for long enough that Holger Badstuber could claim the temporary left-back position. Diego Contento was back in the usual situation of always being ready in case of an emergency but only an emergency. And that ultimately is what you can say about his season. He was there when needed without making anyone worry. Not even David Alaba. A reliable homegrown backup who could be a regular for quite a few other Bundesliga clubs, the question is if Contento wants to leave the so far only club he’s ever played for. Maybe he’s already living his dream and more than willing to wait for the next opportunity.

Dante: A-

It’s very difficult not to like Dante, the entertaining defender with a smile as big as his afro. Within months if not weeks of his arrival he turned into a guaranteed regular and leader of the defense and became an instant fan favorite for young and old. In short, Dante played a pretty great season. You all know that so I feel like I have to shift some attention to slightly more negative things. As I said, Dante was great. Relatively cheap, immediately successful and integral. But, in all honesty, I feel as if he receives too much praise from fans and media compared to the other central defenders. Once again, Dante was great. But Dante wasn’t perfect. Like every human defender, Dante made some mistakes. He caused some goals, he caused some penalties and he got away with a couple of other bad decisions. Which is all completely natural, of course. He was just not the only useful man back there, the one defender who doesn’t make mistakes. The reputation is a massive part of a defender’s career and Dante’s happens to be pretty great right now and why not, he’s good and likeable. But it also means that the public allows him to make more mistakes than for example a Jerome Boateng. What I want to point out here is not that Dante is a bad player, I wouldn’t even be outraged if you say he was Bayern’s defensive MVP this season. All I want to remind people of is that he wasn’t as superior as some might remember. Of course I could never blame Dante for that, he exceeded expectations and I hope he will continue to be a strong defender, an important part of this team for years to come. Dante, after all, was great.

Player Report Cards - Alaba to Boateng

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:18:18 -0400

Here I look at and grade the individual seasons of all Bayern players. Please note that all grades are 1. subjective (that means just my opinion) and 2. relative (that means Weihrauch gets a better grade for 5 goals than Gomez). Going through the squad alphabetically, we begin with the first three: David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Jerome Boateng.

Before I begin, here’s what the grades more or less mean:

A – Career year

B – Quality year with room for improvement

C – Acceptable year

D – Disappointing year

E – Alarming year

F – Just leave already.

David Alaba: C+

It was very far from a horrible season for David Alaba but a preseason injury and what American sports fans would refer to as a “sophomore slump” led to him often being one of the less convincing players of the regular lineup. He still looks a little hesitant, a little scared when he doesn’t share the left flank with Franck Ribery. The Austrian had some very strong matches and looked more stable after the winter break but didn’t impress as much as he did last year. More the end of the beginning than the beginning of the end, Alaba looked to spend the season going through a transitional phase that’s only natural for any 20-year-old who has to deal with both offensive and defensive responsibilities. Once he finishes that process he will be a force and with great chances to be in the mix for the best left-back in football. Unless he’s absolutely serious about that midfield dream and willing to leave the position that’s more in demand than any other on the highest level.

Holger Badstuber: B-

For Holger Badstuber himself this season must be nothing short of an F with an injury that will keep him sidelined for more than a year. But it would be as unfair to give him that grade as it is difficult to decide on one. Badstuber played the vast majority of the season out of position as a left-back, replacing the then injured Alaba. Looking at the stats, Bayern conceded 0.38 goals per match with him on the pitch as opposed to 0.70 without him. Pretty impressive. In terms of offense there wasn’t much of a contribution but that’s to be expected for a defensive-minded stopgap. All that being said, neither Badstuber’s season nor the grade can or should be analyzed too much because of the aforementioned reasons of position and injury.

Jerome Boateng: B

Jerome Boateng was never the most popular man for media and many fans. That feeling peaked on December 6 when Boateng must’ve woken up to an almost outrageous amount of negative feedback. The night before, he was sent off for an admittedly stupid tackle in an all but meaningless match against BATE, meaning he’d miss the tricky matches against Arsenal. Even worse, only weeks later he had to witness how Franck Ribery’s way more avoidable red card in Augsburg didn’t create a fraction of the outrage and criticism Boateng had received. But, instead of breaking, he sought professional help to work on what many saw as his biggest weakness, a lack of focus. Boateng was ready to prove these people wrong and, looking back, he surely did. While his already good first half of the season was completely overshadowed by the red card, he finished the season on a very high note, storming back into the starting lineup just in time to help keeping Barcelona scoreless and ultimately starting the play that won Bayern the Champions League. In the final months of the campaign, Jerome Boateng was Bayern’s best center back. Yet he only gets a B because there’s still tons of potential to improve, after all this was only his second real season as a central defender. He has all the tools and might finally have acquired the right toolbox.

Next edition: Emre Can, Diego Contento, Dante

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 10:19:06 -0400

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 09:55:30 -0400

Neues Music kkkkkkkkkk auf geht’s Mia Sam Mia. (x)

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 09:49:40 -0400

Neues Music kkkkkkkkkk auf geht’s Mia Sam Mia. (x)

Bayern won the triple. Now watch them celebrate LIVE right now!

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 09:40:52 -0400

Bayern won the triple. Now watch them celebrate LIVE right now!

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 09:38:51 -0400

I wish the team luck in their match against Stuttgart and that...

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 02:02:00 -0400

I wish the team luck in their match against Stuttgart and that we can win the German Cup and consequently the Triple Crown. I’ll be rooting for you!! (x)

Thank You Jupp Heynckes Project!

Tue, 28 May 2013 14:26:25 -0400

dankejupp:

Hey, everyone!

Considering everything our wonderful coach has done for us through the past years, I thought we could give him a nice goodbye by thanking him. If you’re shy, send us text; if you’re not, go crazy - record a video, take a photo, anything you can to say thanks to this wonderful man!

Then send it all to juppproject@gmail.com and I’ll post everything here (:

Mia San Mia!

zizizfashun

“FCB.tv! Hier is das Ding!”

Tue, 28 May 2013 00:22:58 -0400

“FCB.tv! Hier is das Ding!”

Photo

Mon, 27 May 2013 02:37:46 -0400

Photo

Mon, 27 May 2013 02:15:26 -0400