FC Bayern is the biggest spender in the Bundesliga so far. Will their spending pay off?
FC Bayern beat Eintracht Braunschweig 0-3 to start off their German Cup campaign. Most importantly, they kept a clean sheet. Jupp Heynckes was pleased with the performance of the entire team, especially with the defence and Jerome Boateng. Looking back into preseason, when Bayern lost to Barcelona, Heynckes was pleased with the performance of another new arrival Takashi Usami.
Manuel Neuer has had his problems with some of the fans but has pulled off some very good saves. The most impressive signing so far has been Rafinha, who hasn’t put a foot wrong yet. David Alaba, who has returned from a loan spell at Hoffenheim has put in some good shifts. Nils Petersen has shown sparks of his abilities.
Rafinha needed a Bundesliga club to rescue him. His spell at Genoa was very damaging to his career. He built his reputation up at Schalke. He almost threw everything away at Genoa. The move to Genoa came only because Rafinha wasn’t on good terms with Felix Magath.
Bayern hasn’t had a fullback complementing Philipp Lahm since Willy Sagnol stepped down. Rafinha seems to have finally filled that gaping hole after unsuccessful attempts by Hamit Altintop, Massimo Oddo, Christian Lell, Marcell Jansen, Diego Contento and David Alaba. Rafinha’s performances in pre-season friendlies and in the DFB Pokal (German Cup) first round were picture perfect. Even the mighty Barcelona failed to get past the Brazilian.
Looking at Rafinha’s record, he should go on to become a permanent feature in the team. He seems to have a bright future at Bayern ahead of him unless a serious injury hampers him. Considering that Jupp Heynckes is a coach who is willing to encourage his players, Rafinha shouldn’t have the kind of problems he had with Magath with Heynckes.
Jerome Boateng’s signing was questionable. Alex, the Chelsea defender, had been all set to arrive in Munich. Manchester City gave in to Bayern at the last moment. Bayern got their man who has been hampered by injuries in the past season and who had a torrid time in England. Also, Boateng wanted to play at a club which gave him the chance to feature in his favoured position in central defence.
Bayern’s biggest need was a central defender and Boateng seems to be the one. All his tackles so far have been timed perfectly. He seems to enjoy his role. He is definitely going to be the first choice centre-back for the rest of the season provided that he doesn’t sustain a long term injury. This season should turn out to be a great one for the German international.
Takashi Usami, the little known Japanese arrived at Bayern on a season long loan deal. Usami showed flashes of brilliance against Barcelona. He seems to be a very good back-up for the oft injured pairing of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. Usami was excluded from the German Cup squad against Braunschweig; this decision by Heynckes was strange considering Takashi’s preseason performances. Usami might find playing time hard to come by if Robben and Ribery stay healthy for most of the season.
Another back-up attacker is Nils Petersen. Mario Gomez tends to get lost in certain matches and Petersen might be perfect for those matches. He hasn’t really done too much but has displayed his quality at times. He will find it very difficult to get into the first team unless Gomez’s form completely deserts him.
Manuel Neuer is the biggest name to arrive. At the beginning, the fans seemed to be getting to him. He made a very uncharacteristic error against Hamburg in the pre-season competition, the Liga Total Cup where he misjudged a cross and completely missed the ball. He has been impressive since then and saved penalties against Mainz and AC Milan.
One player who isn’t a new signing but might turn out to be like one is Toni Kroos. He picked up man of the match honours against AC Milan. He seems to be rejuvenated under his old coach Jupp Heynckes. Considering his versatility, he can play almost anywhere in midfield. The Bayern hierarchy seemingly has plenty of faith in their young midfielder.
Bayern is not short of options in attack. Outscoring opponents is rarely a problem for them even though they failed to find the target in a few matches last season. They boast an attack with Ribery, Robben, Thomas Mueller and Gomez. Luis Gustavo has come into form this season and looks set to be Bastian Schweinsteiger’s defensive midfield partner for the rest of the season.
Holger Badstuber will feel better about his chances as Jupp Heynckes likes giving youngsters a chance. His confidence levels have risen by playing next to Boateng. If Bayern qualifies for the Champions League, this season could turn out to be picture perfect for Bayern. And they might be thanking their new signings at the end for their enormous contributions.
Manuel Neuer has had his problems with some of the fans but has pulled off some very good saves. The most impressive signing so far has been Rafinha, who hasn’t put a foot wrong yet. David Alaba, who has returned from a loan spell at Hoffenheim has put in some good shifts. Nils Petersen has shown sparks of his abilities.
Rafinha needed a Bundesliga club to rescue him. His spell at Genoa was very damaging to his career. He built his reputation up at Schalke. He almost threw everything away at Genoa. The move to Genoa came only because Rafinha wasn’t on good terms with Felix Magath.
Bayern hasn’t had a fullback complementing Philipp Lahm since Willy Sagnol stepped down. Rafinha seems to have finally filled that gaping hole after unsuccessful attempts by Hamit Altintop, Massimo Oddo, Christian Lell, Marcell Jansen, Diego Contento and David Alaba. Rafinha’s performances in pre-season friendlies and in the DFB Pokal (German Cup) first round were picture perfect. Even the mighty Barcelona failed to get past the Brazilian.
Looking at Rafinha’s record, he should go on to become a permanent feature in the team. He seems to have a bright future at Bayern ahead of him unless a serious injury hampers him. Considering that Jupp Heynckes is a coach who is willing to encourage his players, Rafinha shouldn’t have the kind of problems he had with Magath with Heynckes.
Jerome Boateng’s signing was questionable. Alex, the Chelsea defender, had been all set to arrive in Munich. Manchester City gave in to Bayern at the last moment. Bayern got their man who has been hampered by injuries in the past season and who had a torrid time in England. Also, Boateng wanted to play at a club which gave him the chance to feature in his favoured position in central defence.
Bayern’s biggest need was a central defender and Boateng seems to be the one. All his tackles so far have been timed perfectly. He seems to enjoy his role. He is definitely going to be the first choice centre-back for the rest of the season provided that he doesn’t sustain a long term injury. This season should turn out to be a great one for the German international.
Takashi Usami, the little known Japanese arrived at Bayern on a season long loan deal. Usami showed flashes of brilliance against Barcelona. He seems to be a very good back-up for the oft injured pairing of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. Usami was excluded from the German Cup squad against Braunschweig; this decision by Heynckes was strange considering Takashi’s preseason performances. Usami might find playing time hard to come by if Robben and Ribery stay healthy for most of the season.
Another back-up attacker is Nils Petersen. Mario Gomez tends to get lost in certain matches and Petersen might be perfect for those matches. He hasn’t really done too much but has displayed his quality at times. He will find it very difficult to get into the first team unless Gomez’s form completely deserts him.
Manuel Neuer is the biggest name to arrive. At the beginning, the fans seemed to be getting to him. He made a very uncharacteristic error against Hamburg in the pre-season competition, the Liga Total Cup where he misjudged a cross and completely missed the ball. He has been impressive since then and saved penalties against Mainz and AC Milan.
One player who isn’t a new signing but might turn out to be like one is Toni Kroos. He picked up man of the match honours against AC Milan. He seems to be rejuvenated under his old coach Jupp Heynckes. Considering his versatility, he can play almost anywhere in midfield. The Bayern hierarchy seemingly has plenty of faith in their young midfielder.
Bayern is not short of options in attack. Outscoring opponents is rarely a problem for them even though they failed to find the target in a few matches last season. They boast an attack with Ribery, Robben, Thomas Mueller and Gomez. Luis Gustavo has come into form this season and looks set to be Bastian Schweinsteiger’s defensive midfield partner for the rest of the season.
Holger Badstuber will feel better about his chances as Jupp Heynckes likes giving youngsters a chance. His confidence levels have risen by playing next to Boateng. If Bayern qualifies for the Champions League, this season could turn out to be picture perfect for Bayern. And they might be thanking their new signings at the end for their enormous contributions.
