Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
A bit of a round-up...
...and some thoughts on the Liga Total Cup.
First, a warm welcome to Takashi Usami and Jerome Boateng who have arrived in Munich, completed their physicals and, in Usami's case, already played in a match. We're glad to have you both, especially you, Jerome, if you can help us come up with, you know, an actual defense.
Two matches in and this season looks a bit like last. Now, I could spend my time bitching about the fact that our defense has repeatedly been caught napping (my solution is that Neuer should be allowed to smack them upside the head every time they screw up), but I'd rather look at the bright spots. Because we are, after all, FC Bayern, and everyone knows that we perform best under ridiculous amounts of pressure and in the second half. 30 minute halves really don't favor our tendency to play down-to-the-wire football. If the match against HSV had been a full 90 minutes, we would have won.
On to some good stuff...
-Toni Kroos. He came off the bench in yesterday's match and added a lot of energy and creativity and today, he was by far one of our more solid players. His crosses looked good, he was a threat in the box, and his PK was stunning.
-Nils Petersen. Even though his second PK was saved, his PK after the foul on Muller was beautiful. And he's got some real flair. He's going to be fun to watch.
-Holger Badstuber. Okay, he was pretty bad in game one, but in today's first half, he was much better. And the boy has a pretty cross.
-Ivica Olic. He's back. And he got to wear the armband today.
-David Alaba. Our Austrian bb came through with a beautiful goal (and mad props to Contento for that cross). Plus, he's just adorable.
-Daniel Pranjic. For all the stress he causes me every time he touches the ball, he had a gorgeous shot on goal and his PK sealed the win for us. So, for what may be the only time this season, he makes my good list.
All in all, it could have gone better, but let's just pretend we're working out the kinks. That's what I'm using to reassure myself.
First, a warm welcome to Takashi Usami and Jerome Boateng who have arrived in Munich, completed their physicals and, in Usami's case, already played in a match. We're glad to have you both, especially you, Jerome, if you can help us come up with, you know, an actual defense.
Two matches in and this season looks a bit like last. Now, I could spend my time bitching about the fact that our defense has repeatedly been caught napping (my solution is that Neuer should be allowed to smack them upside the head every time they screw up), but I'd rather look at the bright spots. Because we are, after all, FC Bayern, and everyone knows that we perform best under ridiculous amounts of pressure and in the second half. 30 minute halves really don't favor our tendency to play down-to-the-wire football. If the match against HSV had been a full 90 minutes, we would have won.
On to some good stuff...
-Toni Kroos. He came off the bench in yesterday's match and added a lot of energy and creativity and today, he was by far one of our more solid players. His crosses looked good, he was a threat in the box, and his PK was stunning.
-Nils Petersen. Even though his second PK was saved, his PK after the foul on Muller was beautiful. And he's got some real flair. He's going to be fun to watch.
-Holger Badstuber. Okay, he was pretty bad in game one, but in today's first half, he was much better. And the boy has a pretty cross.
-Ivica Olic. He's back. And he got to wear the armband today.
-David Alaba. Our Austrian bb came through with a beautiful goal (and mad props to Contento for that cross). Plus, he's just adorable.
-Daniel Pranjic. For all the stress he causes me every time he touches the ball, he had a gorgeous shot on goal and his PK sealed the win for us. So, for what may be the only time this season, he makes my good list.
All in all, it could have gone better, but let's just pretend we're working out the kinks. That's what I'm using to reassure myself.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Italy sure is nice this time of year...
As you might have heard, Bayern had a friendly today against some folks in Trentino. In much the similar fashion as Bayern defeated the Paulaner XI a few months ago, we won by a sizable margin. So here are the highlights, the low points, and other happenings...
Good Things:
*New signing Nils Petersen scored a hat trick. Glad to have you, sir.
*Gomez, Schweinsteiger and Kroos all had braces.
*Also scoring were Tymo (!!!), Robben, Gustavo, Olic (!!!), Koz, and Pranjic.
*Lots of people got a chance to play (Petersen, Bastian Muller, Koz) and Jupp got a chance to play around with the lineup a bit. Pretty much the entire team changed over at the half.
*In a sight rarely seen, both Robben and Ribery wore the armband. So I guess we now know who the 2nd and 3rd vice captains are with Miro's departure.
Bad Things:
*Some fans felt the need to greet Manu Neuer with a banner that proclaimed that they will never accept him in a Bayern jersey. In other news, it's happened and you all need to get over it.
*Muller and Breno weren't able to play because of injuries. Hopefully they'll heal soon.
Other Happenings:
*We still haven't signed Boateng.
*Coentrao went to Real Madrid.
*Several players have come out against signing Vidal. My two cents? When Tymo decides to retire, sure. Until then? Our DM is good with Basti, Tymo, and Gustavo as a back up.
Good Things:
*New signing Nils Petersen scored a hat trick. Glad to have you, sir.
*Gomez, Schweinsteiger and Kroos all had braces.
*Also scoring were Tymo (!!!), Robben, Gustavo, Olic (!!!), Koz, and Pranjic.
*Lots of people got a chance to play (Petersen, Bastian Muller, Koz) and Jupp got a chance to play around with the lineup a bit. Pretty much the entire team changed over at the half.
*In a sight rarely seen, both Robben and Ribery wore the armband. So I guess we now know who the 2nd and 3rd vice captains are with Miro's departure.
Bad Things:
*Some fans felt the need to greet Manu Neuer with a banner that proclaimed that they will never accept him in a Bayern jersey. In other news, it's happened and you all need to get over it.
*Muller and Breno weren't able to play because of injuries. Hopefully they'll heal soon.
Other Happenings:
*We still haven't signed Boateng.
*Coentrao went to Real Madrid.
*Several players have come out against signing Vidal. My two cents? When Tymo decides to retire, sure. Until then? Our DM is good with Basti, Tymo, and Gustavo as a back up.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
an update from sam's subconscious
In the tragic time gap between the end of one Bundesliga season and the new one that's to come, one must inevitably find ways of coping. I, for one, have been re-watching my favorite HBO war mini series. If you honestly want to talk about anything that's not related to football or Band of Brothers, I am not your gal.
However, my subconscious has had other plans for me. It refuses to let me avoid the gaping hole in my life that has been left by FC Bayern München by harassing me with the strangest dreams.
Strange dream 1) Manuel Neuer miraculously scores a goal from all the way across the pitch, apparently against Liverpool (why would we be playing Liverpool, this remains a mystery to me).
Strange dream 2) Takashi Usami scores a goal in his first match for Bayern - while wearing a military camoflouge-themed kit. My dream!self says loudly in a Southern drawl (spoiler alert: I'm not Southern): "damn, we gotta get that kid a real kit now."
Conclusions to be drawn from this:
a) I really need to lay off those war mini series
and
b) if I have even a quarter of the psychic powers of the late, great Pulpo Paul, our new players are going to work out wonderfully for us.
How have you been coping with the Bundesliga break? The return to training and exhibition match today has caused a lot of excitement amongst the fans (read: the temptation to shuck on my dirndl and drape a Bavarian flag around myself and dance around like a lunatic was quite high) but we've still got some days to go until the new season starts. What holes do you think we still have in our line up? Will Jerome Boateng ever be ours? Does Berni have a girlfriend? Inquiring minds want to know.
However, my subconscious has had other plans for me. It refuses to let me avoid the gaping hole in my life that has been left by FC Bayern München by harassing me with the strangest dreams.
Strange dream 1) Manuel Neuer miraculously scores a goal from all the way across the pitch, apparently against Liverpool (why would we be playing Liverpool, this remains a mystery to me).
Strange dream 2) Takashi Usami scores a goal in his first match for Bayern - while wearing a military camoflouge-themed kit. My dream!self says loudly in a Southern drawl (spoiler alert: I'm not Southern): "damn, we gotta get that kid a real kit now."
Conclusions to be drawn from this:
a) I really need to lay off those war mini series
and
b) if I have even a quarter of the psychic powers of the late, great Pulpo Paul, our new players are going to work out wonderfully for us.
How have you been coping with the Bundesliga break? The return to training and exhibition match today has caused a lot of excitement amongst the fans (read: the temptation to shuck on my dirndl and drape a Bavarian flag around myself and dance around like a lunatic was quite high) but we've still got some days to go until the new season starts. What holes do you think we still have in our line up? Will Jerome Boateng ever be ours? Does Berni have a girlfriend? Inquiring minds want to know.
FC Bayern Saisoneröffnung 2011
Today was the season opener to the 2011/2012 season, and the first official appearance for our Neuer goalkeeper. (See what I did there ;)
The game ended 1-0, with a goal from kapitän Lahm and the teams were:
RED: Neuer, Lahm, Breno, Badstuber, Tymo, Ribery, Alaba, Schweinsteiger, Olic, Petersen, Rafinha
WHITE: Sattelmaier, van Buyten, Contento, Gustavo, Kroos, Robben, Pranjic, Müller, Gomez
Introduction of the players and coaches:
And a bit of penalty action with Manu:
(if the video doesn't work, you can view it from the channel page here)
There are tons of pictures floating around the internet, so feel free to share your favorites in the comments. :)
Monday, June 27, 2011
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
In the United States, as the start of the academic year approaches, one of the office supply companies runs the same commercial: kids in a store, shopping for school supplies, looking horribly sad, while their parents all giddily sing along to the Christmas carol "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Here at FC Hollywood, things like this
have the four of us giddly wearing our Bayern kits and counting down the days (39, if you were curious) until the 2011-12 Bundesliga season officially kicks off. Not that we're excited or anything...
While the Women's World Cup provides football on our teles, our thoughts are today at Sabener Straße with the return of the first wave of the FC Bayern boys and the arrival of a new coach and several new signings. Lots of our internationals are still off enjoying their holidays (Toni is in Spain, where apparently it's sunny, according to his latest blog update), but Basti was back today, along with new signings Nils Petersen (you may remember him from such feats as being the top scorer in 2.Bundesliga last season) and Rafinha (who says "Lahm and I have everything in order to be a superb pair of full-backs, to win many titles and to write history in Munich. I have more experience and am wiser now and I believe that I can play better at Bayern that I ever have before") and a cast of familiar faces (Contento, Gustavo, Butt).
So...39 days left. Will we sign Boateng? (Apparently, he has a physical on Wednesday with the team) Will we sign Vidal? In addition to looking forward to the start of the season, it'll be nice to be out of the transfer window where we might get an entire day without a ridiculous rumor that X player wants to go to X team or how we might buy the moon and ask him to play LB (wait...that was under LVG...nevermind).
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