That was the target and the leitmotif Jürgen Klinsmann tried to establish in Munich at the beginning of his tenure. This, of course, happened not once. Actually quite the contrary. One example: The defensive line of the 07/08 Bundesliga year has received 21 goals throughout the whole season, an account which the current defense managed to reach after only 14 games. The funny part is that apart from the goalkeeper position the exact same players are involved. But the point why I’m referring to Klinsmann’s quote is that this sentence is buzzing through the media once again. But in such a ridiculous amount that it became something beyond annoying. From the reputable and sincere public-law TV channels to the babbitt and parochial local town newspapers. It seems that journalists get randy with this line of what seemed to be Klinsi’s fate. I guess, what goes around comes around.
Meanwhile did Jupp Heynckes had his first training session with the Bayern players, covered live of course by nationwide news channels (isn’t there something going on with swines and flus or anything like that?). Anyway. The big news today was that Franck Ribery and Luca Toni had a conversation during the session thus leading Heynckes to cut it off. Who cares about Mexico?
It is done. The media have finally got their booties today. After exactly 300 days of Klinsmania in Munich and its associated uncertainness the Bayern management axed the head coach this morning. ‘The aspired goals of the club were highly at risk’ chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenige illustrated, while manager Uli Hoeneß explained that Klinsmann lost all of the decisive games this season. A big relief for the Bavarian fans who never really accepted the Swabian from the beginning, demanding his replacement emphatically for a couple of months now. Former Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes who trained the club from 1987 until 1991 takes over for the last five Bundesliga games trying to accomplish the minimum goal by winning the championship.
Being a bit of a Klinsmann supporter myself, I somehow have to defend that always in a Tom Cruise kind of way grinning man a bit by accusing the players. They let him down. Of course, he made some unfortunate decisions, leaving captain van Bommel out of the starting eleven, introducing Landon Donovan, breaking promises towards Rensing or van Buyten or having puzzling issues for everybody with his former fair-haired boy Lukas Podolski. But apparently only the team knows what had happened between them and their coach. Still, this is no excuse to lose the important and decisive games in an embarrassing and humiliating kind of way. But with Klinsmann being dismissed, the alibis and the opportunity to hide behind the coach have left the club, too.
The succession of Jupp Heynckes is another golden opportunity not only for the German but for the European media. The British Daily Mail claimed today that Bayern managers have talked with Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger already, having the Bayern management denying it immediately. Thank God we have something to read again in the next couple of weeks.
And Klinsmann? I would be surprised if Schalke’s board of management had not already called the sunny boy. His introduction as the new Schalke head coach is only a matter of form and will be held at Schalke later this week. And maybe even together with his best buddy, Stuttgart goalkeeper and in addition studied economist Jens Lehmann as the new Schalke manager…?
Oh, and by the way, because the media and everybody else in this country is focusing on the new Bayern coach and his upcoming successor in summer, it is perfectly clear that Wolfsburg will be the new German Champion while enjoying being off the beaten track.
0-2 at Cottbus. After all the blahblahs about Bayern’s lost title aspirations and thus Klinsmann’s forced farewell, Wolfsburg proved all the smart-ass football experts wrong and lost in order to keep the title race interesting. A brilliant Cottbus keeper Gerhard Tremmel and unfocused Wolfsburg strikers were responsible for this upset. With a tight race for the championship and the European cup positions as well as the fear of relegating, the Bundesliga has never been more exciting than this year (but then again never been so week…). A big relief for Klinsmann and his Bayern but let’s see what tomorrow’s news will bring. But the bottom line is that Wolfsburg threw a huge opportunity into the garbage today, failing to make a huge step towards the Meisterschale.
At the same time in Mönchengladbach, the Borussia drew 1-1 against Arminia Bielefeld in one of maybe 73 upcoming relegation-finals. Although both teams lost a position in the tables due to cottbus’ win today, Bielefeld were able to take an important point back home. Bitter for the Borussia, making it harder and harder to avoid the bad r-word.
There it is! Finally did Bayern Munich lose another game desperately to sack coach Jürgen Klinsmann at last. At least that’s what the Bayern fans hoped for. But ha! Like a cat Klinsmann just used what seemed to be his eleventh or twelfth of his nine lives to lead the running down session on the Sunday morning after the Schalke 0-1 game as a Bayern coach. German news services tasted blood though, having the events covered from the Bayern HQ minute by minute in order to report from the inevitable (?) sacking of the head coach. New gossip and commentaries are published on top of every hour elevating this nonsense to a ridiculous high profile political event. Although leader Wolfsburg still has to play and thus has to win tomorrow to take Bayern’s title aspirations down three pegs or four, Klinsmann’s future as a Bayern employee seemed to have sadly come to an end.
In other games: After Berlin’s victory yesterday, Stuttgart managed to beat Frankfurt 2-0 bringing them to a fabulous fourth position, having Mario Gomez scored again.
Hamburg therefore seemed to have lost their winning streak. After losing mid-week against Bremen in the DFB-Pokal, they received yet again a huge damper losing 0-2 loss at Dortmund who is now in reach for the UEFA-Cup positions in the Bundesliga tables.
Meanwhile did Bremen prepare itself for game 2 of the Hamburg-Bremen series next week with a 3-2 home win against lower positioned Bochum after trailing 0-2 at half-time. Bochum, needing these points desperately to stay in the Bundesliga were unfortunately not able to bring home at least one point. Very bitter.
Talking about bitter, Cologne ridiculed itself once again losing 1-2 at the unofficial Bundesliga shooting gallery Hannover. Cologne having won only 10 out of 36 points in the second half of the season is so unbelievably lucky to have gained enough points already in fall and winter.
Another team who knows best about an embarrassing second half of a Bundesliga season is Leverkusen who was not able to win at home at all. But thank God, last in line Karlsruhe came to town being a thankful opponent to end this not-winning streak. And yes, of course, Karlsruhe won its first game since week 19. And not only that. But Karlsruhe’s defender Sebastian Langkamp scored what could be the goal of this Bundesliga season. Think it’s exaggerated? Okay, have a look! There you go. Congratulations Karlsruhe, you deserved it!
