How is Holger Badstuber doing for you?
Great story mate!
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I can't wait for the result against Man City but I think you can handle The Citizens Great story mate!
Great story mate!
There's always a special attraction to "big team" stories and you are delivering this very well. Keep it up
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BayernAmerica: He hasn't played at all, he's still injured.
Kubik: Thanks, City will be difficult but perhaps we can get the win.
P-Kiddt: Thanks mate, it's been fun to write.
Kubik: Thanks, City will be difficult but perhaps we can get the win.
P-Kiddt: Thanks mate, it's been fun to write.
Congrats boys
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“Boys, you have just won the hardest game you will have to play this calendar year. That was a great performance, we didn’t dominate them but we kept them at bay. They had 19 shots but. did Manuel have to make any really good saves….no. They were unable to find a way past us. Do you know what pleases me most about this performance, our organisation. When they pressed forward, everybody was marked, you left hardly any space and when you did it was closed down in an instant. Set pieces as well, every player was marked and if we had a man left over the key areas would be occupied. Of course I didn’t expect any of you to mark Xherdan *laughs*.
Credit to Philipp for getting everyone in position and I’m sure the rest of you at the back had something to do with this as well. There was one other person who really stood out in defence. Jerome, you were fantastic. Whenever a ball came flying into our area, I always saw you attacking it and getting it away which did us an absolute world of good. Now when we had the ball we were efficient and that in my eyes is because of one man. He saw the passes and the runs. He was the one that realised Mario was in a better position to finish it and gave it to him and he was the one that finished them off with a goal. Toni you were brilliant. Those two were not the only ones to play really well, you all did. Now then, enjoy the journey back to the hotel.”
I walked out of the dressing room and I saw a few Sky broadcasters. They looked as though they wanted to do an interview. I nodded at them because I was in a good mood. They escorted me to the little room. I walked in and the Etihad logo was everywhere. Too bad their team lost. The interviewer did a count down and we were on.
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“Hello Pep and congratulations on your victory.”
“Thank you”.
“It was quite a game today and your side did well but you got a bit lucky with the first goal, do you agree?”
“I think I have to, Joe Hart is a world class keeper but he should not be making these mistakes. It was an extremely poor kick, but Toni was alert and found Mario. He still had to put it in the net and he did.”
“Did you think the game was over when Kroos put in the second?”
“ Well yes actually, but they kept coming back and we had to stay on the ball and I think we did that very well, our organisation was superb and I think Jerome Boateng had a really good game. But Toni’s goal was very good, it was a good move down the left and it was a really powerful strike and this one I did not expect Hart to do better with.”
“Ok and finally, Man City pulled one back but I would imagine it was quite embarrassing for Shaqiri”.
*Laughs* “A little bit. It was a good header no? *laughs* No seriously he has received a bit of stick from the players but it is OK and it is all in good spirits, honestly I had to make sure which end he had scored in because there was no way he could do that in his own net, but he did. However it doesn’t change the result and this is all we care about”.
I walked away with the same smile that I had walked in with. I was happy, the players were happy the coaches were happy. It was a great day, the boys spent a good while cheering the away support today and some of the boys reckon that there was some United fans in there too. The team was now full of confidence, they believed that they could beat any team and they may have to put all that confidence to use as our next game consisted of a trip to Gelsenkirchen and the Veltins arena.
I am glad you won and i would love to see the own goal lol
Jason: It was a good game and Shaqiri's header was great but just in the wrong net.
Walter: Hopefully although we got a tough game next, Schalke away
Walter: Hopefully although we got a tough game next, Schalke away
7 Goals in Gelsenkirchen
I through my bag down on the ground and slumped on the bed. I put my head in my hands and rubbed it, it felt rougher than usual. I just wanted to take my mind of it. So to do that I went and found the TV remote. I just wanted to watch something so I turned on the TV. However the first channel that came up was Sky sports and of course they were showing the weekly Bundesliga review and of course we were the first game. Suddenly the camera’s showed David (Alaba) standing on the pitch and for some reason I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. I listened to the commentators words with great focus.
“Hello and welcome to the Veltins arena for the visit of Bayern Munich. Both teams have come off the back of great away wins in the champions league, Schalke beat Olymipakos as Bayern saw off Man City. However today is a different day and for Schalke, Höger starts at right back as Leon Goretzka starts alongside Draxler and Farfan, meanwhile Huntelaar is preferred to Szalai. For Bayern Munich, Kirchhoff drops out and Volland gets the nod up front along with Mandzukic as Ribery and Müller occupy the wide positions.”
18th minute: Neuer has the ball in his hands and he launches it, it’s taking forever to come down and the players are still scrambling for position. Volland rises high and wins it, oh Mandzukic has a chance here! GOOOOOAAAAAAAAL! Bayern Munich take the lead and Schalke look stunned, a goal out of nothing. Mandzukic had all the time in the world and fired it past Hilderbrand.
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24th minute: Ribery delivers a cross and Mandzukic is running towards the near post but he goes down.The referee points to the spot and suddenly Bayern have a chance to double their lead. It was Höwedes who tripped him and the Schalke players have no complaints. Schweinsteiger steps up………and he buries it into the bottom corner, Bayern double their advantage.
33rd minute: Höger plays a ball to Farfan, the Peruvian makes his way to the byline but Alaba closes him down quickly. Farfan still manages to find Höger, who’s in a lot of room and he hits it! GOAL! Schalke get themselves back in the game and it was Neuer’s error. Oh dear, he really should of held that but instead he’s pushed it into the back of his own net. Disaster.
42nd minute: Schweinsteiger plays a long ball to Ribery out wide who brings it down perfectly. Ribery delivers a corner to the near post and Boatengs there! Bayern restore their 2 goal lead. Boateng did so well to lose his marker Fuchs and he managed to guide it between Hilderbrand and Draxler on the post.
Half Time: Bayern ultimately hold a deserved lead, they’ve played well when in possession, however the Royal Blues have had some chances and are quite unlucky to be down by 2 goals.
47th minute: Farfan stands back after the foul by Alaba. Neuer is organising his wall. He stops the shouting and waits for the winger to strike it. The Peruvian takes a deep breath and takes a run up…..OOOOOAAAAAHHHHHH. What a strike, Neuer didn’t move, he was helpless and Schalke are back in the game. We will be seeing that goal for a long time. What a piece of magic from Jefferson Farfan.
64th minute: Goretzka plays it out wide to Draxler. The winger shapes to cross but turns away. He plays it back to Leon Goretzka. Gotezka hits it, Neuer stops it down low but Draxler is there. Schalke are level. There’s still 25 minutes left and Schalke have the momentum. Can they pull it off?
70th minute: Höger sprays it out wide to Farfan. The Peruvian runs at Alaba, he goes wide and finds Goretzka. He strikes it high and it’s a GOAL. SCHALKE HAVE DONE IT. Neuer has his hands in his head. This time he had no chance. The Schalke players have gone wild. Lahm is shouting orders at his players, trying to rally them. There’s still 20 minutes left but I don’t really see them getting back into this.
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90th minute: Alaba has the ball in the box, his cross is blocked by Draxler and the ball rolls towards the corner flag. Alaba gets there first and goes down. The Bayern players look to the referee and he shakes his head. Draxler comes away with the ball and smashes it forwards. The ref blows the whistle and that’s it. The Schalke players throw their arms into the air. What a game it’s finished 4-3.
I turned off the TV and threw the remote at the wall. I put my head in my hands and lay back in my bed. I lay down and thought for a while. I glanced at the clock; 11:03. I slowly got up and trudged to the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror and stared hard at myself. The toothbrush was in the corner of my eye and I picked it up. Examined it for a while and then covered the bristles in toothpaste. I put it to my mouth. As I brushed I went and looked out the window and what I saw made me stop and stare. Two Bayern fans with their scarves and hats walking to the hotel adjacent. They were glum and tired. I didn’t know what this would achieve but I whipped out my phone and took a picture of them. They looked up for a second but then dismissed me as a bold idiot. They didn’t realise who I was and they continued the walk. For them I would bring success.
Question mark over Manuel
"Boss, I wanna let 'em have it, please let me defend myself, please."
"All in due time my friend, however I think it is best for both of us if I go out first."
"Why? What will this achieve?"
"Oh you'll see".
*sigh* "OK, go ahead"
"Thank you, I will give a nod to you when I want you in"
"Alright".
Manuel had always been an assertive guy who was usually a kind of no s*** person,However this was one the pitch. Off the pitch he was usually a fun guy but sometimes he would show what he was like on the pitch off it. However he respected my position and more importantly I felt that he trusted me. I looked across at him and smiled. Then I walked into the press room and I heard a few complaints already as most of the reporters were expecting Manuel to be up their with me. As soon as I sat down this was my first question.
"I was under the impression that Manuel Neuer would be attending this conference, so where is he?
"Manuel is not here at this current time due to personal issues and I refuse to answer any morequestions regarding his whereabouts today." As I said this I looked over at him. He was smiling softly at my excuse but I knew he would be listening to everything with great focus. I still did not know what not letting him in just yet, would achieve. I was bluffing when I answered his question. However I knew I had to get on with the press conference and so I pulled in my chair and listened.
"Anyway, we must proceed.Were you able to take any positives from the defeat to Schalke?"
"I don't know really. We scored 3 goals but we conceded four. I think that really we were complacent, we were fantastic in the first half but then the team's effort dropped. I think I am partly to blame for this but you know. As for positives, we scored good goals and if we play like we did in the first half against anyone else we will win."
"Watching the replays of some of Schalke's goals, they seem to be Neuer's fault. Have you acknowledged this?"
"Well I don't think so. Personally I think he was a little bit unlucky. The goals they scored were very good shots which any goalkeeper would have found difficult to stop". At this point I stooped and thought. Was it too early? Maybe but there's only one way to find out. "Actually I think I'm going to get some expert opinion on his performances. I'm sure this person will be able to judge whether Neuer should have done better."
I looked over and gave him the nod. He looked up and with no expression on his face whatsoever made his way to the vacant seat next to me.
Suddenly a barrage of flashes came from the journalists below. I waited for them to die dwon before I turned to Manuel.
"I'll let you field this one".
"I think I would have to disagree with Pep. I believe that I should have saved some of those. Perhaps if I had done we would have won the game. Even though the strikes were powerful. They were at my near post, I should've done better. When I hear the fans cheering that day. Of course I realise that I could have and probably should have saved it. I think some of my team mates would agree with me judging by the looks I got from them."
"Have you looked at stooping these mishaps in training?"
"I don't think this is necessary. You've all seen what Manuel is capable of and I think this is just one blip. Things will return to normal".
"I will keep working hard in training as I always do. I don't think we will change my training schedule. I am going to stop these kind of mistakes regardless."
"Do you think that Manuel will still be in contention for the Germany squad?"
"He will always be in the squad, whether he starts is a different question. There are so many Goalkeepers who deserve a starting place for once, Trapp, ter-Stegen, Weidenfeller, Zieler, Baumann, Adler. The list is endless. Manuel in my opinion is the best of the lot but I think someone else does deserve a turn."
"Well Manuel's place in your side is not under threat though is it?"
"No, however our next game is in the pokal against Karlsruhe. I have decided that Tom Starke is going to play. He's a great lad who works very hard and he's also a fantastic goalkeeper, so I think it's only fair he is given a chance. However I can't imagine him taking over from Manuel full time."
Pep, Manuel. Thank you for your time.
"No problem".
Your welcome.
4 ups 1 big down
Bayern Munich 2-1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
For the start of September we were at home to Bayer Leverkusen. They hadn’t had the greatest of starts but still were a threat. Kevin Volland started up front and Ribery and Müller occupied the wings. While Shaqiri started in the middle ahead of Kroos and Thiago. On the stroke of Half time, Ribery did some brilliant work down the left leaving Donati for dead as he glided past him, he got to the byline and floated a beautiful cross to the back post and onto the head of Thomas Müller who dispatched it with ease. Late on in the second half Thiago who had come on for Shaqiri drilled a cross to the back post but Hegeler got there first. However he could only get it as far as Ribery who was just inside the box and he vollied it into the far corner to make it 2-0. Right at the end of the game, Leverkusen won a corner and Castro took it. He hit it low towards the near post and Stefan Kieβling knocked it home for 2-1. However it was not enough and we held onto our 3 points.
Manchester City 1-2 Bayern Munich
Our first Champions League game of the campaign was potentially our hardest one. An away trip to the Etihad warranted a very good side and this is what I put out. Mandzukic was given the nod up front. Meanwhile Dante and Boateng were at the heart of the defence. Müller and Kroos started in
attacking midfield with Thiago and Schweinsteiger just behind them. The deadlock was finally broken on 55 minutes and it was Mandzukic with the goal. Hart cameforward to take a free-kick but it went straight to Kroos, he teed it off to Mnadzukic who hit home from 40 yards as Hart scrambled back to his goal.Then on 77 minutes we had doubled our lead, Schweinsteiger played a ball to Kroos in the box, the Germans touch took him pass Clichy and he hit it hard into the corner. Shaqiri then added a third to the game, unfortunately the ball ended up in Neuer's net. The winger had headed in David Silva's corner to give City hope in the dying seconds of the game. However it was not enough forthe Citizens and we walked away with 3 points.
Schalke 04 4-3 Bayern Munich
We came up against deadly rivals Schalke. A few days after Man City and our players were tired. Kroos was forced to settle for the bench. On 18 minutes Neuer launched a ball up the pitch and the header was won by Volland. It fell to Mandzukic who calmly gave us the lead. On 23 minutes, Matip brought down Volland in the box which brought about a penalty in which Schweinsteiger doubled our lead. 10 minutes later and Schalke were level. Farfan played a short ball inside to Höger, the midfielder struck it and Neuer pushed it in. It was a poor shot straight at Neuer and he should have saved it. Schalke had got one back. With 5 minutes of the first half left, Ribery smashed a corner towards the near post and Boateng ran in and touched it home. Straight away in the second half, Jefferson Farfan curled in a beautiful free-kick. Suddenly Schalke were back in it. With 30 minutes still to go there was a scramble in the box. Goretzka’s shot was saved by Neuer but it fell to Draxler who tucked it home. They were level and there was still half an hour left. On 70 minutes Farfan found some space on the wing and found Goretzka. He hit it at goal and it went straight over Neuer who should really have saved it. Unfortunately that was the last highlight and the game ended with Schalke taking the points.
Karlsruher SC 0-4 Bayern Munich
Next, we had a DFB-Pokal fixture next and we were playing Bundesliga 2 side Karlsruher. We made some changes to the side. Starke played in goal while Lahm and Alaba were given rests allowing Rafinha and Contento to start. Pizarro also started ahead of the other two. Our first goal came in the 27th minute where Thiago found Kroos who blasted home from 16 yards. Only 4 minutes later and Mauersberger took out Müller in the box and Rafinha stepped up and slotted the penalty away. 10 minutes into the first half and Müller delivered a wonderful cross for Pizarro who even had time to take a touch before poking it in. With 5 minutes left in the game, Thiago took a corner in which Dante chested down. The Brazilian played it back to Thiago who came inside and brilliantly placed it in the near corner. We ran out comfortable 4-0 winners, and advanced to the next round.
Bayern Munich 3-0 TSG Hoffenheim
Our final game of the month was a home game against Hoffenheim. Lahm, Alaba and Neuer came back into the side whereas Pizarro kept his place in the starting lineup. On 14 minutes, Martinez received the ball outside the area and he played it to Thiago who brilliantly turned Polanski and curled it into the corner for 1-0. A quarter of an hour later and Müller lobbed a ball into the box and Tim Weise came to get it but missed and Pizarro was on hand to nod it home. On 42 minutes Ribery was running towards goal and Beck slid in hard with 2 feet. The referee sent him off immediately. Late on in the second half Shaqiri was tackled on the edge of the box but it fell to Pizarro who hit it on the turn to grab his second goal of the game.
Typical month for Bayern bar the tired legs at Schalke Well done v City especially
Well done v City especially
but you're in a top form anyway!
You are reading "Pep Guardiola: Proving Grounds".
