In 2009, when Bayern thrashed Juventus in Turin, the result was almost considered an anomaly. The unspoken rules of the game say that this is not supposed to happen.
Bayern has a negative record against Juventus coming into the match up tomorrow. This is not surprising at all considering how abysmal Bayern’s records against almost all excellent Italian sides are. In the 2006-07 season, a Milan side which won the competition took Bayern out. This was despite the fact that the first leg in Milan finished 2-2.
In 2009-10, Bayern bumped into a Jose Mourinho coached Inter side and paid for their openness at the back as they lost 0-2 in the Madrid finale. In 2010-11, despite beating Inter at the San Siro, Bayern somehow managed to go down at the Allianz Arena, 2-3. And as expected, they had initially led 2-1 in that game and 3-1 on aggregate.
The record is not too treacherous considering that they beat Juventus en route to the 2010 finale and Napoli en route to the 2012 finale. However, the events which occurred in Munich against Napoli perhaps show just how unlucky Italian teams are to Bayern. Mario Gomez’s quick first half hat-trick led to everyone thinking that ‘the best Bayern side in history’ would thrash the Italians.
Federico Fernandez’s goal left just a small doubt in the mind. In the second half, the most unexpected event occurred. Iron man Gokhan Inler collided with Bastian Schweinsteiger, breaking the German’s collar bone. The loss of the heart of their midfield saw Bayern’s season almost end. While they did recover to reach second place in all competitions, they never played the same kind of football again in the season.
The curse is not just limited to Bayern. The national team suffers endlessly at the hands of Italy too. In the 2006 World Cup, a German side which was flying conceded two goals in the final two minutes of extra time in Dortmund to lose 0-2. A friendly played between the two nations the in 2011 saw Germany take the lead through Miroslav Klose. Despite being the superior side throughout the match, a late Giuseppe de Rossi equalizer saw the Germans draw 1-1.
Finally, the last straw came in 2012 during the Euros. A German side consisting of the bulk of mentally fatigued Bayern players played reasonably well en route to the semi final. Mario Balotelli who had just one goal to his name throughout the tournament suddenly seemed to become Didier Drogba as he struck twice due to defensive blunders by the Germans. Italy won 0-2 and finished finalists.
Hence, why does this happen when talented Bayern or Germany sides come up against the Italians? Some say that the Germans simply cannot combat the Italians’ tactics. They have problems playing against the 3-5-2. Others say that the burden of history simply is too much for the mentally fragile Germans. And Bayern this season, despite beating all ahead of them in the league, has not fared too well in the Champions League, leading to the same question about mentality which was previously asked after last season’s finale.
Italian teams by nature know how to cheat their way to the next round. While this sounds pathetic, it is indeed an example of their ‘knock out round’ mentality. Little pushes and kicks here and there do help their causes. It is however not always a bad thing to push the rules to their limits without breaking them.
Juventus for example was involved in a massive debate in the English press about manhandling players in the penalty area. Against Celtic, the Juventus defenders were often seen ‘hugging’ the Celtic attackers, preventing them from having a chance on corners. The referee only told off the players but did not brandish a card to the Italian defenders.
Germans perhaps nowadays are more focused on playing their beautiful football than they are on winning. Italians simply know how to win. Many highly talented German sides have not managed to win tournaments whereas many average Italian sides have overachieved.
The last team to knock Juventus out of the Champions League was indeed Bayern. This time an Andrea Pirlo led midfield will look to avenge that humiliating night in Turin. The odds are against Bayern in this one as far as history is concerned. Will Bayern win this time? Or will the curse of the Italians strike again?
In 2009-10, Bayern bumped into a Jose Mourinho coached Inter side and paid for their openness at the back as they lost 0-2 in the Madrid finale. In 2010-11, despite beating Inter at the San Siro, Bayern somehow managed to go down at the Allianz Arena, 2-3. And as expected, they had initially led 2-1 in that game and 3-1 on aggregate.
The record is not too treacherous considering that they beat Juventus en route to the 2010 finale and Napoli en route to the 2012 finale. However, the events which occurred in Munich against Napoli perhaps show just how unlucky Italian teams are to Bayern. Mario Gomez’s quick first half hat-trick led to everyone thinking that ‘the best Bayern side in history’ would thrash the Italians.
Federico Fernandez’s goal left just a small doubt in the mind. In the second half, the most unexpected event occurred. Iron man Gokhan Inler collided with Bastian Schweinsteiger, breaking the German’s collar bone. The loss of the heart of their midfield saw Bayern’s season almost end. While they did recover to reach second place in all competitions, they never played the same kind of football again in the season.
The curse is not just limited to Bayern. The national team suffers endlessly at the hands of Italy too. In the 2006 World Cup, a German side which was flying conceded two goals in the final two minutes of extra time in Dortmund to lose 0-2. A friendly played between the two nations the in 2011 saw Germany take the lead through Miroslav Klose. Despite being the superior side throughout the match, a late Giuseppe de Rossi equalizer saw the Germans draw 1-1.
Finally, the last straw came in 2012 during the Euros. A German side consisting of the bulk of mentally fatigued Bayern players played reasonably well en route to the semi final. Mario Balotelli who had just one goal to his name throughout the tournament suddenly seemed to become Didier Drogba as he struck twice due to defensive blunders by the Germans. Italy won 0-2 and finished finalists.
Hence, why does this happen when talented Bayern or Germany sides come up against the Italians? Some say that the Germans simply cannot combat the Italians’ tactics. They have problems playing against the 3-5-2. Others say that the burden of history simply is too much for the mentally fragile Germans. And Bayern this season, despite beating all ahead of them in the league, has not fared too well in the Champions League, leading to the same question about mentality which was previously asked after last season’s finale.
Italian teams by nature know how to cheat their way to the next round. While this sounds pathetic, it is indeed an example of their ‘knock out round’ mentality. Little pushes and kicks here and there do help their causes. It is however not always a bad thing to push the rules to their limits without breaking them.
Juventus for example was involved in a massive debate in the English press about manhandling players in the penalty area. Against Celtic, the Juventus defenders were often seen ‘hugging’ the Celtic attackers, preventing them from having a chance on corners. The referee only told off the players but did not brandish a card to the Italian defenders.
Germans perhaps nowadays are more focused on playing their beautiful football than they are on winning. Italians simply know how to win. Many highly talented German sides have not managed to win tournaments whereas many average Italian sides have overachieved.
The last team to knock Juventus out of the Champions League was indeed Bayern. This time an Andrea Pirlo led midfield will look to avenge that humiliating night in Turin. The odds are against Bayern in this one as far as history is concerned. Will Bayern win this time? Or will the curse of the Italians strike again?
