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Bayern aim to continue recovery | Media criticism, internal criticism, huge injury concerns, a long winless streak, and the list goes on. All the aforementioned obstacles severely marred the opening of the current season for German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. In September, such was the state of affairs at Allianz Arena that new manager Louis van Gaal appeared to be on his way out of the Bavarian club sooner rather than later.
However, utilizing the mentality that only big clubs possess, FC Bayern finally gained momentum. Without the services of star playmaker Franck Ribery and the summer’s premium signing Arjen Robben – both missing through injuries – Bayern plumetted into the second half of the table with great ease.
The club’s record signing Mario Gomez did not help the proceedings as he followed up his poor form with a problematic temperament. Given that the aging Luca Toni and the injury-prone Miroslav Klose were not available for selection, van Gaal had to rely heavily on youngster Thomas Muller as well as new recruit Ivica Olic up front.
Goals subsequently dried up while defensive blunders prevailed. Leverkusen, Hamburg, and Schalke had raced miles ahead of Bayern until a couple of weeks ago, when the Bavarians turned things around. The return to fitness and form for the Klose-Toni combination paid dividends as the Bayern squad received a major boost of morale to overcome SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt with a 2-1 scoreline in consecutive weeks. The Frankfurt outfit was also thrashed 4-0 by the Bavarians in last night’s emphatic German Cup victory.
One thing is very obvious – Bayern Munich is back in business. With a visit to struggling VfB Stuttgart coming up over the weekend, van Gaal’s men could be within one point of the Bundesliga summit if things go their way. Besides, Bayern should also use the match as an ideal way to prepare for the midweek’s Champions League home game against French Champions Bordeaux, who defeated the Germans 2-1 when they met in France on October 1.
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