Very early this morning (for us Americans), the CL Draw happened. I'll post the full listing below, but we've drawn Arsenal.
My two cents? While I'm confident that we'll prevail over Arsenal, I had really hoped we would draw someone else (Shakhtar Donetsk, Malaga, Porto). Why? Because one of my close friends is a Gunner and we have to co-write a paper about footy this spring together (literally, we're writing the weekend after the second leg), so I'm sad we have to face them (and eliminate them) so soon. And I believe, if I'm correct, we have the second leg at home, which is always a good thing. We're quite difficult to beat at home and I'm sure our guys will be excited about the leg at Emirates, since so many of them really love the English league (but none are Arsenal fans, at least none that I know of...couple of Chelsea, maybe a Man United or two, but no Arsenal that I can think of...I'm sure BSchray will comment with a correction if she knows of any).
Schalke and Dortmund have less-scary draws (though there's no such thing as an easy draw at this stage) than some. I have a feeling most eyes will be in the Real Madrid-Manchester United and AC Milan-Barcelona pairings, as that means that two major clubs will not be making the quarterfinals. (I'll definitely be watching RM-MU and cheering VERY loudly for AC Milan to knock out Barcelona...and not just because one of the members of my dissertation committee is an AC Milan fan).
Here's the full list of pairings and fixtures:
Galatasaray v Schalke Feb. 20 March 12
Celtic v Juventus Feb. 12 March 6
Arsenal v Bayern Munich Feb. 19 March 13
Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund Feb. 13 March 5
AC Milan v Barcelona Feb. 20 March 12
Real Madrid v Manchester United Feb. 13 March 5
Valencia v Paris Saint-Germain Feb. 12 March 6
Porto v Malaga Feb. 19 March 13
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Well hello
Like a/an (insert animal that hibernates for x amount of time) I have emerged to say:
We have defeated FC Augsburg in today's Pokal match.
Franck got a red card and
Mark van Bommel must have been near because it was raining yellows.
As someone who has watched only one Bayern match this season (or have I? wait… maybe? Yes. I think I was on the treadmill), this is going to be my only contribution for this half of the season.
And perhaps after June 3rd, you know, if this whole Mayan Calendar shenanigan stuff blows over, I shall emerge once more to shed my winter coat and offer my two cents (or a resume to become Hans Wilhelm Muller Wolfhart's replacement after he retires in 20 years).
Even Manu is skeptical of this
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, enjoy the break.
We have defeated FC Augsburg in today's Pokal match.
Franck got a red card and
Mark van Bommel must have been near because it was raining yellows.
As someone who has watched only one Bayern match this season (or have I? wait… maybe? Yes. I think I was on the treadmill), this is going to be my only contribution for this half of the season.
And perhaps after June 3rd, you know, if this whole Mayan Calendar shenanigan stuff blows over, I shall emerge once more to shed my winter coat and offer my two cents (or a resume to become Hans Wilhelm Muller Wolfhart's replacement after he retires in 20 years).
Even Manu is skeptical of this
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, enjoy the break.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Closing out the First Half of the Season
So, here's where we stand going into the winter break, kiddos. We've still got the DFB Pokal match up tomorrow but the Bundesliga is closed for the holidays.
I had the good fortune of being at Bayern - Gladbach although unfortunately, I missed out on the super rad laser show as my dad had turned into a snowman over the course of the 90+ minutes and talked me into leaving so that he may defrost.
It wasn't exactly our best match. But I'm hesitant to come out and complain the way many others have about how terrible we played because all in all, it was an entertaining match from start to finish. Some rubbish referee calls but I'm not gonna blame our misfortune on the ref because that would be silly. What I took away from this match is that we didn't give up where we would have a season ago. We've gone 1-0 down to Gladbach before and let it stay that way. On Friday night, we didn't.
Some stand outs:
♣ Franck Ribery was outstanding. Do I say this too often? Well.
♣ Sometimes Manuel Neuer is solid as a rock and I am never worried and sometimes he plays games like this where I am tempted to scream: THE BOX IS YOUR HOME. ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME?
♣ those good five minutes when Martinez was down and then he got up and stumbled over onto the sidelines were terrifying. For those who missed it, he got an elbow to the face and could not see out of his left eye for quite some time, but rumor has it that he's just fine right now. Deep sigh of relief all around.
♣ Mandzukic has matches where he's excellent and then he has matches where he has very little impact at all. This was one of the latter.
♣ Shaqiri Shaqiri Shaqiri
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Herbstmeister
If one looks at the Bundesliga table, and one is a Bayern fan, one cannot help but laugh.
Bayern: 16 matches, 13 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, +37 GD, 41 points
Bayer Leverkusen: 15 matches, 9 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses, +9 GD, 30 points
Borussia Dortmund: 16 matches, 7 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses, +13 GD, 27 points
Eintracht Frankfurt: 16 matches, 8 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses, +4 GD, 27 points
Schalke 04: 16 matches, 7 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses, +5 GD, 25 points
VFB Stuttgart: 16 matches, 7 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses, -5 GD, 25 points
Fact: Our GD is higher than anyone else's points. And that's true even if Leverkusen wins tomorrow.
There are still a few matches to be played between now and Christmas, and we wrapped up the Herbstmeister a few weeks ago, but it's still nice to look at the pretty table. :-)
(I don't have much to say about today's match, as I might have slept through it, but if Gomez isn't back in our Starting XI after the holidays, I'm going to be REALLY cranky!).
Bayern: 16 matches, 13 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, +37 GD, 41 points
Bayer Leverkusen: 15 matches, 9 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses, +9 GD, 30 points
Borussia Dortmund: 16 matches, 7 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses, +13 GD, 27 points
Eintracht Frankfurt: 16 matches, 8 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses, +4 GD, 27 points
Schalke 04: 16 matches, 7 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses, +5 GD, 25 points
VFB Stuttgart: 16 matches, 7 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses, -5 GD, 25 points
Fact: Our GD is higher than anyone else's points. And that's true even if Leverkusen wins tomorrow.
There are still a few matches to be played between now and Christmas, and we wrapped up the Herbstmeister a few weeks ago, but it's still nice to look at the pretty table. :-)
(I don't have much to say about today's match, as I might have slept through it, but if Gomez isn't back in our Starting XI after the holidays, I'm going to be REALLY cranky!).
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Being Bayern: Match report v. Bate Borisov
If you're like me, you had to switch away from the English commentators for this match. I'm sorry, but I don't want to be reminded of the CL final every 5 seconds, thanks. Thank goodness for the German stream!
Apparently, playing against ten men is difficult for us, but playing with ten men means you're facing an ANGRY and motivated Bayern squad. Thomas Muller, you are FC Bayern and that goal was so typically you it was both hilarious and a lovely statement of "Yeah, no, we're still gonna win. But nice try."
For the record: Boa didn't deserve a red card. He was clearly playing the ball and while it was a yellow, it was NOT a red. The foul on Contento that followed a few minutes later was far more dangerous and deserved a red if Boa was red-carded for his challenge. Apparently, it's okay for a Bate player to clear Contento's legs out from under him intentionally, but Boa can make a play for the ball.
Though it did help that a second yellow resulted in a Bate player being sent off. Clearly, Polyakov has been taking diving lessons from certain Spanish strikers who play in England and will remain nameless.
We had four awesome goals today, though, and it was really great to see four different men sharing in the scoring (though I want Gomez to come back to the league with a vengeance and win the cannon again this year). I have a hard time picking a favorite goal today...they were all pretty wonderful. Mario got his first CL goal of the season, as did Alaba and Shaqiri and Thomas...proved that a bad call won't ruin us this year.
Other highlights of today's match included the German comms talking about how Toni Kroos has the best shooting technique in the league and Kapitan Basti. And the linking up of Shaqiri and Gomez is something that we should all be paying attention to: two of our goals came from those two, one with Shaquiri feeding the ball to Mario and one with Gomez feeding the ball to Xherdan. And, if you're like me, you were excited to see that Manu is third in line for the captaincy. For a Schalker to join Bayern and become so beloved so quickly is impressive and it makes me incredibly happy to see Manu fully embraced by the team and the fans (and he's got experience and leadership, two things you want in someone who will occasionally captain the team).
But the best part? We are officially Gruppensieger! Congrats to the boys on taking first place in our group in the CL! We'll leave you today with the sign of support the team sent to Holger today.
Apparently, playing against ten men is difficult for us, but playing with ten men means you're facing an ANGRY and motivated Bayern squad. Thomas Muller, you are FC Bayern and that goal was so typically you it was both hilarious and a lovely statement of "Yeah, no, we're still gonna win. But nice try."
For the record: Boa didn't deserve a red card. He was clearly playing the ball and while it was a yellow, it was NOT a red. The foul on Contento that followed a few minutes later was far more dangerous and deserved a red if Boa was red-carded for his challenge. Apparently, it's okay for a Bate player to clear Contento's legs out from under him intentionally, but Boa can make a play for the ball.
Though it did help that a second yellow resulted in a Bate player being sent off. Clearly, Polyakov has been taking diving lessons from certain Spanish strikers who play in England and will remain nameless.
We had four awesome goals today, though, and it was really great to see four different men sharing in the scoring (though I want Gomez to come back to the league with a vengeance and win the cannon again this year). I have a hard time picking a favorite goal today...they were all pretty wonderful. Mario got his first CL goal of the season, as did Alaba and Shaqiri and Thomas...proved that a bad call won't ruin us this year.
Other highlights of today's match included the German comms talking about how Toni Kroos has the best shooting technique in the league and Kapitan Basti. And the linking up of Shaqiri and Gomez is something that we should all be paying attention to: two of our goals came from those two, one with Shaquiri feeding the ball to Mario and one with Gomez feeding the ball to Xherdan. And, if you're like me, you were excited to see that Manu is third in line for the captaincy. For a Schalker to join Bayern and become so beloved so quickly is impressive and it makes me incredibly happy to see Manu fully embraced by the team and the fans (and he's got experience and leadership, two things you want in someone who will occasionally captain the team).
But the best part? We are officially Gruppensieger! Congrats to the boys on taking first place in our group in the CL! We'll leave you today with the sign of support the team sent to Holger today.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Match Report: Bayern v. Dortmund
Okay, let's start with the bad news (as well as your German vocabulary lesson for the week). "Badstuber erleidet Kreuzbandriss" means Holger has torn his ACL and, for all practical purposes, is likely out for the rest of the season. They'll have to wait a bit for the swelling to go down before they can do surgery (can take anywhere from a day or two up to a few weeks) and then rehab post-op is at least three months. Realistically, if we're talking about him being fully healed and not brought back too quickly (*cough* Torres *cough*), we might have him back for the last few Bundesliga fixtures and any Pokal/CL championships. It's a huge blow to our back line, as Holger's move back to the center has strengthened our defense (and how good is it to see Alaba back in the Starting XI, by the way?). But we've got Boa and Dante, with Tymo and Martinez and Gustavo (once he's no longer injured) who can also play center half well. And yes, Bayern fans, those desires to see the ghost of Mark van Bommel slide tackle Gotze (for causing the injury to Holger) and Hummels (he's so freaking smug!) are totally normal and part of the healing process. (An interesting side note: this means that the central defense for the German NT is now Mertesacker and Hummels...I bet Per will REALLY be missing Holger, too!)
As for the match itself...there's not much to say. Their keeper had a good day, Mario Gomez was brought on FAR too late (honestly, Jupp, I love Mandy as much as anyone, but Gomez should have started...it's DORTMUND, for goodness sake!), and Holger's absence was clearly felt on the defensive lapse that led to Dortmund's goal.
I debated waiting to write this until I was less angry, but screw it. I am angry. We deserved to win that. Franck was offsides when he shouldn't have been, Toni was caught a little bit off-guard, but STILL. We had more possession, we played our hearts out, and, most importantly, we didn't sink to the chippiness that Dortmund displayed (clearly, they don't think they can win a match against us without scrapping).
So what did we learn today? We're still Herbstmeister, our goal differential is still at +35, and Mario Gomez is still a game changer (once again, within seconds of being brought on, he created a chance that almost won us the match, save for a pretty good save for Weidenfeller). And can we please stop calling this a "Classico"? Dortmund have a lot more to prove until they're in our ranks in terms of history and, let's face it, we'd all rather NOT have the comparison to Real Madrid/Barcelona.
And a brief note to Sky Sports: Did you SERIOUSLY just ask Toni how he felt to have let in the winning goal?!? While, yes, he was caught off-guard, there were TEN other Bayern players in the same area and it's not as if he was the only one caught sleeping there. I realize I'm being overprotective of my boys, but seriously, they just drew a game they should have won. Try not being an asshole to the guy who scored the goal.
We'll see you back here on Wednesday, when we meet Bate Borisov in Allianz at 2:45pm EST. Until then, be well, guard your ACLs, and AUF GEHT'S BAYERN!
As for the match itself...there's not much to say. Their keeper had a good day, Mario Gomez was brought on FAR too late (honestly, Jupp, I love Mandy as much as anyone, but Gomez should have started...it's DORTMUND, for goodness sake!), and Holger's absence was clearly felt on the defensive lapse that led to Dortmund's goal.
I debated waiting to write this until I was less angry, but screw it. I am angry. We deserved to win that. Franck was offsides when he shouldn't have been, Toni was caught a little bit off-guard, but STILL. We had more possession, we played our hearts out, and, most importantly, we didn't sink to the chippiness that Dortmund displayed (clearly, they don't think they can win a match against us without scrapping).
So what did we learn today? We're still Herbstmeister, our goal differential is still at +35, and Mario Gomez is still a game changer (once again, within seconds of being brought on, he created a chance that almost won us the match, save for a pretty good save for Weidenfeller). And can we please stop calling this a "Classico"? Dortmund have a lot more to prove until they're in our ranks in terms of history and, let's face it, we'd all rather NOT have the comparison to Real Madrid/Barcelona.
And a brief note to Sky Sports: Did you SERIOUSLY just ask Toni how he felt to have let in the winning goal?!? While, yes, he was caught off-guard, there were TEN other Bayern players in the same area and it's not as if he was the only one caught sleeping there. I realize I'm being overprotective of my boys, but seriously, they just drew a game they should have won. Try not being an asshole to the guy who scored the goal.
We'll see you back here on Wednesday, when we meet Bate Borisov in Allianz at 2:45pm EST. Until then, be well, guard your ACLs, and AUF GEHT'S BAYERN!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Match Report: Bayern v Hannover
How much of a difference does Super Mario Golmez make to the team? Well, today, he scored about 20 seconds after coming on as a sub. So...there's that.
Another big win for Bayern, and Schalke did us a favor by drawing Frankfurt (we'll just pretend that Dortmund didn't win and aren't now sitting second on the table). 5-0 against Hannover, who are not a bad team, is definitely something to be thankful for.
Martinez opened the scoring up nice and early, in the fourth minute, with a great goal, his first for Bayern. He really is turning out to be incredibly versatile and able to play wherever Jupp decides to stick him. And Toni's goal was fantastic as well. Then we added in a goal for Franck, a goal for Dante (complete with samba celebrations), and then our dear Herr Gomez came on, scored a pretty amazing goal.
It was nice to see Tymo get some playing time (and Basti get some rest). Only two yellows (Basti and Mandzukic), no reds, and five more saves for Neuer.
It's another English Week, as we head to face SC Freiburg on Wednesday 28 November at 2pm EST and then face Dortmund at home on Saturday 1 December at 12:30pm EST. Something to watch: we have two matches against FC Augsburg (8 December for the League, 18 December for the Cup). It'll be our first Pokal match against a Bundesliga team, but Augsburg are currently sitting dead last on the table. So should be interesting! See you all Wednesday! And, until then, just take a few moments to savor the beauty of the Bundesliga table that the moment: 34 points on 13 matches, with a GD of +33! And the 33rd goal? Scored by our own number 33, Mario Gomez!
Another big win for Bayern, and Schalke did us a favor by drawing Frankfurt (we'll just pretend that Dortmund didn't win and aren't now sitting second on the table). 5-0 against Hannover, who are not a bad team, is definitely something to be thankful for.
Martinez opened the scoring up nice and early, in the fourth minute, with a great goal, his first for Bayern. He really is turning out to be incredibly versatile and able to play wherever Jupp decides to stick him. And Toni's goal was fantastic as well. Then we added in a goal for Franck, a goal for Dante (complete with samba celebrations), and then our dear Herr Gomez came on, scored a pretty amazing goal.
It was nice to see Tymo get some playing time (and Basti get some rest). Only two yellows (Basti and Mandzukic), no reds, and five more saves for Neuer.
It's another English Week, as we head to face SC Freiburg on Wednesday 28 November at 2pm EST and then face Dortmund at home on Saturday 1 December at 12:30pm EST. Something to watch: we have two matches against FC Augsburg (8 December for the League, 18 December for the Cup). It'll be our first Pokal match against a Bundesliga team, but Augsburg are currently sitting dead last on the table. So should be interesting! See you all Wednesday! And, until then, just take a few moments to savor the beauty of the Bundesliga table that the moment: 34 points on 13 matches, with a GD of +33! And the 33rd goal? Scored by our own number 33, Mario Gomez!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Schweinez rides again!
Mario Gomez made his return to the first team on Tuesday against Valencia. Here's hoping for a Schweinez reunion in the Starting XI tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Pokal Time!
Now, I know that Kaiserslautern was relegated and they're in the 2-Bundesliga, but did anyone else have a little bit of a laugh (or cry) when they saw our lineup for today? Pretty sure someone (*cough* Jerome *cough*) is starting as a bit of a punishment for his performance last Sunday...and I much prefer Kapitan Tymo to Kapitan Arjen, but that's okay.
And 12 minutes in, Pizarro gives us the lead, 1-0, off a lovely assist from Robben.
By minute 18, my commentators had commented on Robben's attempt to re-gain fitness at least three times. I wonder how long before they start talking about how van Gaal is to blame...
We're back from the half and within the first few minutes, Robben scores to put us up 2-0. My German stream died, which means I'm now watching the match in Portuguese. Which, well, is interesting. Better than Arabic or another language I don't speak, but it's a little weird hearing the German AND the Brazilian names pronounced correctly.
Then there was another Pizarro goal and another Robben goal. Woohoo.
Not bad, folks, not bad at all. Glad to see some of the newbies get some playing time. And with that, despite the match not being over, I'm off to class. Until Saturday...(and the entire US cheers for a late match start! I can sleep in past 7:30!!!)
And 12 minutes in, Pizarro gives us the lead, 1-0, off a lovely assist from Robben.
By minute 18, my commentators had commented on Robben's attempt to re-gain fitness at least three times. I wonder how long before they start talking about how van Gaal is to blame...
We're back from the half and within the first few minutes, Robben scores to put us up 2-0. My German stream died, which means I'm now watching the match in Portuguese. Which, well, is interesting. Better than Arabic or another language I don't speak, but it's a little weird hearing the German AND the Brazilian names pronounced correctly.
Then there was another Pizarro goal and another Robben goal. Woohoo.
Not bad, folks, not bad at all. Glad to see some of the newbies get some playing time. And with that, despite the match not being over, I'm off to class. Until Saturday...(and the entire US cheers for a late match start! I can sleep in past 7:30!!!)
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
It's English Week!
You may be wondering why there was no post on Saturday...it's because we're all busy. Plus, it's English week and no one wants to hear from us three times in the span of a week. That said, let's look at the first two matches of English Week!
Saturday, we traveled to Gelsenkirchen and played Schalke. Not the prettiest match ever, but I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying that I'll take 3 points against a top flight team that ended 2-0. Especially in a week where we also were going to have to face Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen. There was a little chippiness (we were playing Schalke, after all, and they're nothing if not consistent in the chippy arena).
And today, we beat Wolfsburg at home. 3-0 looked pretty awesome, especially since Frankfurt drew Dortmund today (3-3) and thus leaves us alone at the top of the table with a perfect record. And a pretty darn awesome GD.
But I want to take a moment today to give some shout outs.
Thomas Muller, our scoring leader, continues to prove he's invaluable both as a scoring force and as someone who creates opportunities for others (he set up Toni's goal on Saturday against Schalke).
Bastian Schweinsteiger continued to prove that he's THE most valuable player in footy. Last year, there was a great article about how important he is defensively (the most important player, actually, according to that article), but it's more than that. Basti is a leader; his presence on the pitch makes the team better. And this year, he's been a huge offensive force for us, too, sitting at 3 goals in the Bundesliga and 1 so far in the Champions League. I realize that all of us here at FC Hollywood would fall into the camp of being head-over-heels in love with Basti, but it's not without reason. He makes a difference and we're lucky to have him.
And, seriously, how fast is Xherdan Shaqiri?!?
Saturday, we traveled to Gelsenkirchen and played Schalke. Not the prettiest match ever, but I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying that I'll take 3 points against a top flight team that ended 2-0. Especially in a week where we also were going to have to face Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen. There was a little chippiness (we were playing Schalke, after all, and they're nothing if not consistent in the chippy arena).
And today, we beat Wolfsburg at home. 3-0 looked pretty awesome, especially since Frankfurt drew Dortmund today (3-3) and thus leaves us alone at the top of the table with a perfect record. And a pretty darn awesome GD.
But I want to take a moment today to give some shout outs.
Thomas Muller, our scoring leader, continues to prove he's invaluable both as a scoring force and as someone who creates opportunities for others (he set up Toni's goal on Saturday against Schalke).
Bastian Schweinsteiger continued to prove that he's THE most valuable player in footy. Last year, there was a great article about how important he is defensively (the most important player, actually, according to that article), but it's more than that. Basti is a leader; his presence on the pitch makes the team better. And this year, he's been a huge offensive force for us, too, sitting at 3 goals in the Bundesliga and 1 so far in the Champions League. I realize that all of us here at FC Hollywood would fall into the camp of being head-over-heels in love with Basti, but it's not without reason. He makes a difference and we're lucky to have him.
And, seriously, how fast is Xherdan Shaqiri?!?
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
CL Group Stage Action: vs. Valencia
Well, folks, today Bayern opened up our 2012-3 Champion's League campaign. All in all, there's not that much to say about the match. We dominated possession (67% of it was ours) and led in every category save for fouls, yellow cards (2), red cards (1). And despite Mandzukic's missed penalty, we still won 2-1.
So, for now, I'd just like to bask in the fact that, in all competitions, we have four men who are our co-scoring leaders...
Thomas Muller, who has clearly decided to fight for his spot in the first team.
Mario Mandzukic, who is settling in well.
Toni Kroos, who, like Muller, is making it clear he belongs in our Starting XI.
And Bastian Schweinsteiger, who is back from injury and has now scored in 3 of 4 matches he's played so far this season.
I was explaining to a friend earlier that there are four things (this is not an exhaustive list...I wouldn't be physically or mentally capable of listing EVERYTHING) that I really love about Bayern:
1. Basti
2. Toni
3. Basti goals
4. Toni goals
So, as far as I'm concerned, this match was pretty much perfect.
We'll be back with you on Saturday when we head to Gelsenkirchen to take on Schalke. Until then, please enjoy this picture of our two goal scorers from today...
So, for now, I'd just like to bask in the fact that, in all competitions, we have four men who are our co-scoring leaders...
Thomas Muller, who has clearly decided to fight for his spot in the first team.
Mario Mandzukic, who is settling in well.
Toni Kroos, who, like Muller, is making it clear he belongs in our Starting XI.
And Bastian Schweinsteiger, who is back from injury and has now scored in 3 of 4 matches he's played so far this season.
I was explaining to a friend earlier that there are four things (this is not an exhaustive list...I wouldn't be physically or mentally capable of listing EVERYTHING) that I really love about Bayern:
1. Basti
2. Toni
3. Basti goals
4. Toni goals
So, as far as I'm concerned, this match was pretty much perfect.
We'll be back with you on Saturday when we head to Gelsenkirchen to take on Schalke. Until then, please enjoy this picture of our two goal scorers from today...
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Matchday 3: Bayern v. Mainz
Before I get into today's match post, I'd just like to share my least favorite German phrase with everyone: Robben verletzt. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Arjen Robben has once again been returned to Bayern injured after international duty. I know we've all mentioned our dislike of international duty, but here, I want to point out something. Last year, under Heynckes and Bert (whose last name I'm too lazy to Google) who was Dutch NT coach (and MvB's father-in-law), Robben wasn't injured. Yes, he still managed to catch the flu, but he didn't break any of his precious glass bones or tear any of his tissue paper-thin ligaments. But you know who the new Dutch coach is? LvG. Under whom, at Bayern, Robben was repeatedly injured. I'm just saying...can we maybe stop loaning him until they sack LvG? We all know it'll happen sooner or later and I'd prefer Robben stay in his bubble wrap until after that. Also, Ribery picked up a knock. NO MORE INTERNATIONAL DUTY INTERFERING WITH BAYERN MATCHES!
Okay, not that we've gotten that out of the way, let's look at today's match against Mainz. We'll (hopefully) have a first-hand account for you later, as one of our FC Hollywood team was actually at the match, but until then, the highlights:
-Mario Mandzukic getting things started in the 2nd minute. Nice goal, nice assist from Thomas.
-Bastian Schweinsteiger giving me the best 30th birthday present I could ask for: a goal and a win.
-At this point, I start wondering if Bayern read my wish list for the match. I forgot that for about 25 minutes when Mainz had far too much possession and seemed like they might get back in it (note to Dante: please to not be giving away penalties. We like our GD nice and high).
-And then, because it's my birthday, Toni Kroos felt the need to keep up with Basti and give me a goal and cement the win.
Other than the goals, for me, the highlight was watching Thomas Muller play, well, like Thomas Muller. It's clear he's decided to work his butt off and fight for a spot in the Starting XI and it's awesome to see him back with such energy and creativity. It didn't always work, but he was all over the place today, creating chances, and taking chances. And an honorable mention to Shaqiri, who I'm starting to think is part cheetah. He's REALLY fast.
But, all in all, not a bad showing. Unless Eintracht Frankfurt wins and scores more than 5 goals tomorrow, we're still top of the table. Here's your leaderboard as it stands with two matches left of matchday three:
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Okay, not that we've gotten that out of the way, let's look at today's match against Mainz. We'll (hopefully) have a first-hand account for you later, as one of our FC Hollywood team was actually at the match, but until then, the highlights:
-Mario Mandzukic getting things started in the 2nd minute. Nice goal, nice assist from Thomas.
-Bastian Schweinsteiger giving me the best 30th birthday present I could ask for: a goal and a win.
-At this point, I start wondering if Bayern read my wish list for the match. I forgot that for about 25 minutes when Mainz had far too much possession and seemed like they might get back in it (note to Dante: please to not be giving away penalties. We like our GD nice and high).
-And then, because it's my birthday, Toni Kroos felt the need to keep up with Basti and give me a goal and cement the win.
Other than the goals, for me, the highlight was watching Thomas Muller play, well, like Thomas Muller. It's clear he's decided to work his butt off and fight for a spot in the Starting XI and it's awesome to see him back with such energy and creativity. It didn't always work, but he was all over the place today, creating chances, and taking chances. And an honorable mention to Shaqiri, who I'm starting to think is part cheetah. He's REALLY fast.
But, all in all, not a bad showing. Unless Eintracht Frankfurt wins and scores more than 5 goals tomorrow, we're still top of the table. Here's your leaderboard as it stands with two matches left of matchday three:
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Sunday, September 2, 2012
And we're back (both us and Bayern!)
Well, it's Match Day 2 and Bayern's first real test: Stuttgart. (Stop laughing! They have beaten us in quasi-recent memory AT HOME)
If you're like me, you took one look at today's line up and wondered why Holger was back on the left and Dante was given the start at centreback. And it seems to have us a little bit out of sorts at first. When I wasn't falling asleep, I was yelling at my computer, because our back line looked a mess and our holding mids...weren't really holding anything. Stuttgart scored (and, to be completely fair, it was a pretty great goal) and...I commenced venting my frustration with the boys with one of our regular readers.
And then, in typical Thomas fashion, Muller assisted himself. Because I enjoy teasing my friend who is a Gunner, for those keeping track, Muller now has as many goals as Arsenal does on the season.
And Toni Kroos. Can we just take a moment to celebrate the fact that Toni Kroos plays for us? Not only did he, in the first cup match of the season, do fangirls everywhere a huge service by dowsing himself in water and thus making us all appreciate the fact that the away kit is mostly white, but he can score from 30 yards out. And does. More often than he really should be able to. What a screamer of a goal!
And then, after missing the best chance of the first 20 minutes or so for Bayern, Luis Gustavo defeats both the Stuttgart keeper and the woodwork (I think the wood sometimes forgets it is only supposed to play for Bayern...) and scores another 30-yard screamer.
Immediately after the half, mostly because he wanted Chary to be able to play his torhymne ("Mandy" by Barry Manilow), Mario Mandzukic scored. Followed by Muller. At this point, it's just getting fun for us and really embarrassing for Stuttgart.
Feeling left out, the love of my life, er, our vice captain decides to open his scoring for the season, making it 6-1 Bayern with another 40 minutes to play. To quote a regular reader, he is the Mary Poppins of football: practically perfect in every way.
And we have officially reached the point in the match where your team here at FC Hollywood starts placing bets on things like whether Neuer will score (or do anything other than rescue kittens from up trees while the other ten boys play footy), whether Holger will score (please check out hasholgerscoredyet.tumblr.com for all your Holger-scoring needs), what the likelihood was that Robben caught a cold because he was trying to squeeze into a child's size small kit or Tymo is out because he slipped on the butter the team used to squeeze everyone into smaller kits this year (note: Team FC Hollywood FULLY approves of the boys wearing their jerseys tighter).
Mandzukic comes off in the 70th for Pizzarro and everyone is waiting with baited breath: will we see Javi Martinez? Since Basti's still not at 100%, it'd be great to rest him and give Martinez a chance to show us why we just spent the Bundesliga-record obscene amount of money for him. And, for the record, we'd like to welcome Javi Martinez to Bayern. Bienvenido, Javi, y esperamos que jugara bien para nos!
In the 73, Shaqiri comes on for Ribery (Ribery was still playing? He was a little quiet today, but that's maybe not fair since we can say that only because he didn't score). Then Boa gets a yellow for a mid-air collision with a Stuttgart player (who gets a straight red for then shoving Boa after they picked themselves up off the floor).
And it's the moment you've all been waiting for! Javi Martinez makes his debut in the 77th and Basti heads to the bench for a (VERY) well-deserved break.
13 minutes later, it's all over. Bayern win VERY decisively 6-1, are at the top of the table with a +8 goal differential, and "Stern des Sudens" is still really catchy.
Your German word of the week: torgala. What does it mean? Well, I'm pretty sure it means "scoring enough goals that you thoroughly embarrass your opponents" but it could also just mean "lots of goals."
Until next week, friends, let's all sing together:
If you're like me, you took one look at today's line up and wondered why Holger was back on the left and Dante was given the start at centreback. And it seems to have us a little bit out of sorts at first. When I wasn't falling asleep, I was yelling at my computer, because our back line looked a mess and our holding mids...weren't really holding anything. Stuttgart scored (and, to be completely fair, it was a pretty great goal) and...I commenced venting my frustration with the boys with one of our regular readers.
And then, in typical Thomas fashion, Muller assisted himself. Because I enjoy teasing my friend who is a Gunner, for those keeping track, Muller now has as many goals as Arsenal does on the season.
And Toni Kroos. Can we just take a moment to celebrate the fact that Toni Kroos plays for us? Not only did he, in the first cup match of the season, do fangirls everywhere a huge service by dowsing himself in water and thus making us all appreciate the fact that the away kit is mostly white, but he can score from 30 yards out. And does. More often than he really should be able to. What a screamer of a goal!
And then, after missing the best chance of the first 20 minutes or so for Bayern, Luis Gustavo defeats both the Stuttgart keeper and the woodwork (I think the wood sometimes forgets it is only supposed to play for Bayern...) and scores another 30-yard screamer.
Immediately after the half, mostly because he wanted Chary to be able to play his torhymne ("Mandy" by Barry Manilow), Mario Mandzukic scored. Followed by Muller. At this point, it's just getting fun for us and really embarrassing for Stuttgart.
Feeling left out, the love of my life, er, our vice captain decides to open his scoring for the season, making it 6-1 Bayern with another 40 minutes to play. To quote a regular reader, he is the Mary Poppins of football: practically perfect in every way.
And we have officially reached the point in the match where your team here at FC Hollywood starts placing bets on things like whether Neuer will score (or do anything other than rescue kittens from up trees while the other ten boys play footy), whether Holger will score (please check out hasholgerscoredyet.tumblr.com for all your Holger-scoring needs), what the likelihood was that Robben caught a cold because he was trying to squeeze into a child's size small kit or Tymo is out because he slipped on the butter the team used to squeeze everyone into smaller kits this year (note: Team FC Hollywood FULLY approves of the boys wearing their jerseys tighter).
Mandzukic comes off in the 70th for Pizzarro and everyone is waiting with baited breath: will we see Javi Martinez? Since Basti's still not at 100%, it'd be great to rest him and give Martinez a chance to show us why we just spent the Bundesliga-record obscene amount of money for him. And, for the record, we'd like to welcome Javi Martinez to Bayern. Bienvenido, Javi, y esperamos que jugara bien para nos!
In the 73, Shaqiri comes on for Ribery (Ribery was still playing? He was a little quiet today, but that's maybe not fair since we can say that only because he didn't score). Then Boa gets a yellow for a mid-air collision with a Stuttgart player (who gets a straight red for then shoving Boa after they picked themselves up off the floor).
And it's the moment you've all been waiting for! Javi Martinez makes his debut in the 77th and Basti heads to the bench for a (VERY) well-deserved break.
13 minutes later, it's all over. Bayern win VERY decisively 6-1, are at the top of the table with a +8 goal differential, and "Stern des Sudens" is still really catchy.
Your German word of the week: torgala. What does it mean? Well, I'm pretty sure it means "scoring enough goals that you thoroughly embarrass your opponents" but it could also just mean "lots of goals."
Until next week, friends, let's all sing together:
- FC Bayern, Stern des Südens, du wirst niemals untergehn,
- weil wir in guten wie in schlechten Zeiten zu einander stehn,
- FC Bayern, Deutscher Meister, ja, so heißt er mein Verein,
- Ja, so war es und so ist es und so wird es immer sein!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Vielen dank, Jörg.
At the request of one of our regular readers, I am taking a break from moving (I wish I were kidding, given it's the middle of the quarter and all, but I'm not...tomorrow's the big day!) in order to bring you an update.
If you're anything like me, you're probably still riding high from Tuesday's PK shootout. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of the best footballers in the world.* One of the things that really impressed me was the demeanor of the team before the PKs. While Madrid's players stood around in small groups, Bayern was united as one. It was Basti who was keeping them focused and psyching them up and it was Basti who finished what they'd all begun (I almost said 'saved the day,' but I think that goes to Manu...those were two impressive saves during the shootout!). And they celebrated as a team.
But, if you're anything like me, you're also a little sad today. Not because we lost the league to Dortmund (though that does suck, especially since it's Dortmund), but because today was the farewell match for Jorg Butt. I have told this story a million times, but it bears repeating here and now because it's the best way I can think of to pay my respects to the man who made me fall in love with a team, with a game.
A few years ago, I would have scoffed at you if it was suggested that I would ever come to love soccer. I loved football and baseball, but I considered soccer to be incredibly boring. And then Sam (yes, my fellow FC Hollywood writer) made a deal with me. You see, she'd been talking about soccer for a while and I just didn't get it. So the deal was this: watch one match and if, after it was over, I still thought it was horribly boring, she would never talk to me about it again. I figured it was an easy win for me, because there was no way that I was going to care about soccer.
Until I tuned into the match. It was Bayern vs. Juventus in the CL in December of 2009. And I happened to tune in just in time to watch Bayern's keeper take and make a PK to put Bayern up 1-0. I was confused. I knew enough about the sport to know that keepers aren't usually the ones called up on to score goals, even PKs, and that moment had me hooked. Within a few months, I was a jersey-wearing, early-rising, obsessively-informed fan. So obsessed, in fact, that I am writing my dissertation about the social ethics of soccer and, in November, will be presenting at paper at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting about Bayern's actions during the period from 1933-1945 and how they are the foundation of what I believe a social ethic within a club should be.
All of this because of one man. To say that I am sad to see him retire is an understatement; if today's match proved anything, it's that he may be older than you, but he's still faster. Watching the third place match during the 2010 World Cup, where Jorg started in goal, was something I will never forget. As keepers kept dropping like flies prior to the WC, I kept complaining to Sam and anyone who would listen that Jorg was one of the best keepers in Germany and deserved a spot on the squad. I may have squealed with excitement when he (finally!!!) was selected. And no offense to Tim Wiese, but I was SO glad he was sick and Jorg got the start instead. It makes me so happy and proud to know that he is staying on with the team and will be helping with our youth system.
And so, on the off chance that he enjoys doing Google searches for himself, I'd like to say something directly to him (please pardon what will likely be a butchering of your native language...I'm still learning and most of what I know consists of impolite things I can yell at referees):
Vielen Dank für alles. Es gibt keine Worte um auszudrücken, wiedankbar ich Ihnen binweil sie mich verlieben sich in diese Mannschaft.
*I would say the best, but I firmly believe that you can only have a best player at each position. Oliver Kahn would have made a terrible striker and, while Thomas Muller may have some chops in goal, I think we can all safely assume that Messi would be a terrible keeper. So thus, I'll just say one of the best.
If you're anything like me, you're probably still riding high from Tuesday's PK shootout. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of the best footballers in the world.* One of the things that really impressed me was the demeanor of the team before the PKs. While Madrid's players stood around in small groups, Bayern was united as one. It was Basti who was keeping them focused and psyching them up and it was Basti who finished what they'd all begun (I almost said 'saved the day,' but I think that goes to Manu...those were two impressive saves during the shootout!). And they celebrated as a team.
But, if you're anything like me, you're also a little sad today. Not because we lost the league to Dortmund (though that does suck, especially since it's Dortmund), but because today was the farewell match for Jorg Butt. I have told this story a million times, but it bears repeating here and now because it's the best way I can think of to pay my respects to the man who made me fall in love with a team, with a game.
A few years ago, I would have scoffed at you if it was suggested that I would ever come to love soccer. I loved football and baseball, but I considered soccer to be incredibly boring. And then Sam (yes, my fellow FC Hollywood writer) made a deal with me. You see, she'd been talking about soccer for a while and I just didn't get it. So the deal was this: watch one match and if, after it was over, I still thought it was horribly boring, she would never talk to me about it again. I figured it was an easy win for me, because there was no way that I was going to care about soccer.
Until I tuned into the match. It was Bayern vs. Juventus in the CL in December of 2009. And I happened to tune in just in time to watch Bayern's keeper take and make a PK to put Bayern up 1-0. I was confused. I knew enough about the sport to know that keepers aren't usually the ones called up on to score goals, even PKs, and that moment had me hooked. Within a few months, I was a jersey-wearing, early-rising, obsessively-informed fan. So obsessed, in fact, that I am writing my dissertation about the social ethics of soccer and, in November, will be presenting at paper at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting about Bayern's actions during the period from 1933-1945 and how they are the foundation of what I believe a social ethic within a club should be.
All of this because of one man. To say that I am sad to see him retire is an understatement; if today's match proved anything, it's that he may be older than you, but he's still faster. Watching the third place match during the 2010 World Cup, where Jorg started in goal, was something I will never forget. As keepers kept dropping like flies prior to the WC, I kept complaining to Sam and anyone who would listen that Jorg was one of the best keepers in Germany and deserved a spot on the squad. I may have squealed with excitement when he (finally!!!) was selected. And no offense to Tim Wiese, but I was SO glad he was sick and Jorg got the start instead. It makes me so happy and proud to know that he is staying on with the team and will be helping with our youth system.
And so, on the off chance that he enjoys doing Google searches for himself, I'd like to say something directly to him (please pardon what will likely be a butchering of your native language...I'm still learning and most of what I know consists of impolite things I can yell at referees):
Vielen Dank für alles. Es gibt keine Worte um auszudrücken, wiedankbar ich Ihnen binweil sie mich verlieben sich in diese Mannschaft.
*I would say the best, but I firmly believe that you can only have a best player at each position. Oliver Kahn would have made a terrible striker and, while Thomas Muller may have some chops in goal, I think we can all safely assume that Messi would be a terrible keeper. So thus, I'll just say one of the best.
Friday, March 30, 2012
uh? here I am again?
I feel as if I start every blog entry here with "don't worry, I'm still alive!" It's just been that kind of year - busy, hectic, you pick your favorite adjective.
A couple of thoughts:
→ The first leg against Marseille: it wasn't pretty. We won but it was hardly with the same ease that we had against Basel. That's okay - Marseille played defensively at home and we didn't let them get many solid chances. If this is how we have to learn how to win away, I'm at peace with it.
→ As the overly dramatic English comms like to put it, we are breathing down Dortmund's neck in terms of the league table. Today, they face Stuttgart, our Southern brother's from another mother. Will Stuttgart do us a solid? I'm trying not to think about it too much - we'll see how that plays out.
→ Derby Time! Tomorrow, we take on Nürnberg. You could listen to me (or, you know, read) natter on about it or you could check out the excellent match preview by our friends over at Red Robbery: Right here.
Have a great weekend. Eat some chimichangas. Take it easy, kiddos.
A couple of thoughts:
→ The first leg against Marseille: it wasn't pretty. We won but it was hardly with the same ease that we had against Basel. That's okay - Marseille played defensively at home and we didn't let them get many solid chances. If this is how we have to learn how to win away, I'm at peace with it.
→ As the overly dramatic English comms like to put it, we are breathing down Dortmund's neck in terms of the league table. Today, they face Stuttgart, our Southern brother's from another mother. Will Stuttgart do us a solid? I'm trying not to think about it too much - we'll see how that plays out.
→ Derby Time! Tomorrow, we take on Nürnberg. You could listen to me (or, you know, read) natter on about it or you could check out the excellent match preview by our friends over at Red Robbery: Right here.
Have a great weekend. Eat some chimichangas. Take it easy, kiddos.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
14 goals in 4 days: This ain't no exhibition match!
Apparently, Chary's last post got through to the team. Two 7-goal matches in four days? Sign me up for that!
The match against Hoffenheim was lovely from start to finish. Wide open, lots of chances created (and quite a few resulted in goals, thus the score), but, most importantly, the boys seemed to be enjoying themselves again. Ribery was absolutely everywhere and David Alaba playing at LB has injected some energy into the back line.
But the match against Basel was, to borrow a term from our coach, perfect. Anyone who doubted Mario Gomez's abilities has to sit back and be quiet after that match (seriously, watch the goals from that, and how some of them were scored from ridiculous body positioning and angles, and tell me that you're not impressed). Gomez is now on 11 hat tricks in 17 months. Even Muller scored, and we all know how hard it's been for him to find the back of the net.
So what's responsible for this turnaround? Honestly, I think a lot of it has to do with our vice captain being back with the team. Even his presence on the bench seems to do wonders for team morale and having him back on the pitch has been lovely. If you're questioning whether his form is back, check out his assist from the Basel match. Brilliant stuff.
The big question is who we will draw for the Round of 8. Possibilities include Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Barcelona. We're only 5 points off the top of the table in the league (and, let's be honest, our GD is freaking awesome) and we have a pokal match coming up with Monchengladbach. All in all, the treble is still very much a possibility.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
For lack of a better term
if I can get it together for an 8 am class after a night of raucous drinking, Bayern can at least get it together for the rest of the season.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
FC Bayern München vs Schalke 04 Match Report
I take a break from reading Cable and Deadpool to bring you, ta-da, your latest match report! See how much I love you, kiddos? That's some dedication.
The question on everyone's mind today is: what did we do differently? What was the key to our success?
I'm not sure there's any one answer - but the biggest one in my mind is that we had a shift in attitude, we were more motivated and it showed. Maybe there's just something about playing Schalke that brings it out but we were a different team today than we were against Basel.
Assorted thoughts, in bullet point form:
+ This is the Franck Ribery that we like to see. Fired up, consistent, and chasing down every ball that goes his way. If he played every match like this, we'd be in fantastic shape.
+ The defense works - most of the time. Today, we were clicking. Holger Badstuber has been in particularly good form, although I am baffled as to why he always looks so angry. Someone needs to sit down with a beer.
+ Speaking of form, Thomas Müller needs to find his. Perhaps he should go on a quest, meet some knights in a forest, and ask a favor from a wizard. Jupp Heynckes should tell him he smells of elderberries, maybe that'll help.
+ I really hope you laughed at that.
+ No, I'm not a needy blogger.
+ (Yes, I am).
+ Not much for Manuel Neuer to do but as always, props to him for keeping his cool despite the continued booing from the Schalke faithful.
+ The goal videos for anyone who missed it.
Have a great rest of the weekend, folks.
The question on everyone's mind today is: what did we do differently? What was the key to our success?
I'm not sure there's any one answer - but the biggest one in my mind is that we had a shift in attitude, we were more motivated and it showed. Maybe there's just something about playing Schalke that brings it out but we were a different team today than we were against Basel.
Assorted thoughts, in bullet point form:
+ This is the Franck Ribery that we like to see. Fired up, consistent, and chasing down every ball that goes his way. If he played every match like this, we'd be in fantastic shape.
+ The defense works - most of the time. Today, we were clicking. Holger Badstuber has been in particularly good form, although I am baffled as to why he always looks so angry. Someone needs to sit down with a beer.
+ Speaking of form, Thomas Müller needs to find his. Perhaps he should go on a quest, meet some knights in a forest, and ask a favor from a wizard. Jupp Heynckes should tell him he smells of elderberries, maybe that'll help.
+ I really hope you laughed at that.
+ No, I'm not a needy blogger.
+ (Yes, I am).
+ Not much for Manuel Neuer to do but as always, props to him for keeping his cool despite the continued booing from the Schalke faithful.
+ The goal videos for anyone who missed it.
Have a great rest of the weekend, folks.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Match Report: FCB v. FCK
There's something rather comedic about watching a Bayern match with Spanish commentators. And not just because my brain seems to think it should translate the Spanish into German, because clearly, German and Bayern are synonymous. No, it's the fact that apparently all commentators who work for ESPN, be they English- or Spanish-speaking, love Bastian Schweinsteiger with a fiery passion. One might have thought he was man of the match today, listening to them talk, despite the fact that he didn't play as he's out with a ligament injury in his ankle (this would be a good time to send him healing thoughts!). But there were also some beautiful turns of phrase, including discussing the "tranquility and absolute peace" with which Philipp Lahm plays.
All in all, it was a good match. Our fullbacks proved that LVG's tendency to play people out of position wasn't all crazy, as both Lahm and Rafinha looked like wingers for most of the match because of how far forward we played. Yeah, we missed some chances (poor Arjen Robben wanted a goal more than anything), but it was a solid win and we have much to be happy about (especially since CL action resumes this week...well, not for us, but CL action resumes anyway).
Next week, we're away to Freiburg.
All in all, it was a good match. Our fullbacks proved that LVG's tendency to play people out of position wasn't all crazy, as both Lahm and Rafinha looked like wingers for most of the match because of how far forward we played. Yeah, we missed some chances (poor Arjen Robben wanted a goal more than anything), but it was a solid win and we have much to be happy about (especially since CL action resumes this week...well, not for us, but CL action resumes anyway).
Next week, we're away to Freiburg.
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