Gladbach – Bayern preview: unexpected superfight

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FC Bayern’s attempt to cement its lead in the Bundesliga, with the hope of running away with the title early, starts away at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday. An unexpected superfight that will likely have a real impact on the league table.

Gladbach, rebooted

As Phil said in his piece about the race for Champions League spots, Gladbach has renewed with success and European football is likely to be in the cards. Their target is third place, according to central defender Alvaro Dominguez. It is precisely where they are, one point ahead of the Dortmund Bees.

Unbeatable at home, the old rivals have regained organization at the back. They are quick and creative on the counterattack. Their ball retention skills are refined, they move swiftly on the pitch, control the action with 56% possession and go from defending to attacking in a heartbeat. At 86%, their passing accuracy is only three points behind Bayern’s! They top the league for dribbling and love the long ball.

It is quite a contrast with 2012-13, when Gladbach took heavy punches to the chin as multiple players left for other, richer teams. How did they get back up to become a top ranked German contender again?

Having a level-headed sporting director in Max Eberl and a stable coaching position filled by the super-competent Lucien Favre since early 2011 does help.

The two men made a pair of key acquisitions in strikers Max Kruse (from SC Freiburg) and Raffael (from Dynamo Kyiv) last summer. That’s right. Known for their defence, Gladbach have reinvented by building from the front!

Kruse and Raffael now spearhead a traditional 4-4-2. Dislodging the disappointing Luuk de Jong, Kruse now is one of the best strikers in Germany with his almost-complete skill set. He could be better in the air. Raffael banks on proven finishing and throughball delivery in the area. A nine-goal production isn’t something to laugh at.

The two forwards have quality mates right behind them in the midfield. As always, Juan Arango loves to pull the strings from the left, delivering solid set pieces and threatening to shoot from any position. He’s not alone anymore, though. Having benefited from his team’s patience during his development, midfielder Granit Xhaka is gaining influence with a sizzling 1399 ball touches in central midfield, just to Arango’s right. On the right flank, I cannot forget to mention Patrick Hermann, who serves up glittering passes.

Defensively, Dante’s departure was felt for a while, but Tony Jantschke now plays as the anchor. He does great but he will miss this match with an injury. Oscar Wendt makes a solid contribution as left-back, with fast runs and three goals, thanks to a quick shot release. No other full-back is that productive in the league.

Behind them, Marc-André ter Stegen is a talented but nervous keeper. As seen on a Matchday 11 free kick, his challenges against opponents remain a soft spot. A week earlier, he gifted Frankfurt a goal with a poor clearance. He will not renew his contract, being strongly linked to FC Barcelona. It may or may not be a distraction.

Another major weakness is the air game. Winning the floating ball is not their forte, with only 22.5 challenges won per game. But then, FCB sucks at it with 19.4… The same dynamics apply to tackling.

Possible lineup

Bayern, needed software update

As highlighted in numerous pieces we published during the winter break, players are returning to the squad. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben should soon be available for selection, if not sitting on the bench for this game. (This info may get updated as the club reveals their status.)

Pep Guardiola should therefore very close to full strength against Gladbach and I, for one, cannot wait until I see the lineup when it comes out. As we suggested in Juan Pablo’s tactical preview, he will have to pick between his pet 4-1-4-1 and a 4-2-3-1 that proved more effective when used a handful of times this season. You know my choice. I think that the Pep Lab needs to apply a software update to feature the latter formation because FC Bayern’s squad has been built for it. Only a couple of players, such as Thiago and Mario Götze, can truly fit in another scheme.

Update: Javi Martinez will not not be with the team. Franck Ribéry also is out. Those are preventive measures to make sure they don’t get a serious injury.

At stake: holding on three points when considering that a successful January would give Bayern a stranglehold on the German title

This game will be a truly excellent test of the tactics that Pep goes forward with. The Reds’ defence has been suspect in November and December, aside from the number of goals conceded. The Foals are great counterattackers. Just what we need to find out where we stand at the restart.

In my opinion, a key element to victory is to make optimal use of Mario Mandzukic at striker. He is strong in the air and in challenges. Both are weak areas at Gladbach. Let’s take advantage of them.

The spin

As recently highlighted by legend Stefan Effenberg, Gladbach needs a good day while Bayern has a bad one for them to grab all three points. The odds of that happening are not the highest ones. I predict a win, but only by one goal.

Possible lineup

Game details

Matchday: 18

Time: 20:30 CET

Location: Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach

TV listings

On four yellow cards: Mandzukic, Stranzl, Korb

Referee: Peter Gagelmann

Gladbach – Bayern preview in facts and statistics (week 18)

By Felipe on 23 January, 2014

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The Bundesliga second half starts with a clash between Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC Bayern München. The two teams are historical rivals. Here is our preview in facts and statistics.

Stadium: Borussia-Park (Mönchengladbach)

Kick-off: Friday, 24 January 2014, 20:30

Current BL place: 3rd with 33 points (Gladbach), 1st with 44 points (Bayern)

Total market value: 96,225,000€ (Gladbach); 483,350,000€ (Bayern)

Number of players: 26 for Gladbach (12 foreign), 27 for Bayern (13 foreign)

Age average: 25,2 years (Gladbach); 25,6 years (Bayern)

League experience: 1,925 matches (Gladbach); 3,068 matches (Bayern)

Foundation date: 01.08.1900 (Gladbach), 27.02.1900 (Bayern)

Members: 60,000 (Gladbach, 2013); 223,985 (Bayern, 2013)

Most valuable player: Marc-André ter Stegen (11M€, Gladbach); Thomas Müller (45M€, Bayern)

Last 10 matches in general: 7 wins, 2 draws, 1 defeat (Gladbach); 9 wins, 1 defeat (Bayern)

Total matches between both teams in the BL: 91 matches. 20 Gladbach wins, 27 draws, 44 Bayern wins.

In those 91 matches, Gladbach scored 115 goals and Bayern scored 177 goals.

BL matches in Gladbach between both teams: 45. 18 Gladbach wins, 17 draws, 10 Bayern wins.

In those 45 matches, Gladbach scored 76 goals and Bayern scored 61 goals.

Last 10 matches between both teams: 2 Gladbach wins, 3 draws, 5 Bayern wins.

Recent transfers from Gladbach to Bayern: Dante (4,7M€), Baumjohann (free), Jansen (14M€)

Recent transfers from Gladbach to Bayern: Andersson (3M€), Effenberg (4,2M€), Matthäus (1,2M€)

Recent transfers from Bayern to Gladbach: Göktan (free), Witeczek (free)

Dante played 103 matches for Borussia Mönchengladbach, scoring 8 goals.

Last 10 BL matches in Gladbach between both teams: 2 Gladbach wins, 6 draws, 2 Bayern wins.

Lucien Favre v Bayern: 11 matches. 3 wins, 2 draws, 6 defeats.

Lucien Favre as Gladbach coach v Bayern: 7 matches. 2 wins, 1 draw, 4 defeats.

Pep Guardiola v Gladbach: 1 match. 1 win.

Biggest Bayern win in Gladbach: Gladbach 1 FCB 7 (Bundesliga 1978/1978)

Biggest Bayern defeat in Gladbach: Gladbach 5 FCB 0 (Bundesliga 1973/1974)

Typical result in Gladbach between both teams based on historical background: Gladbach 1 FCB 1.

Best winning record of consecutive matches for Bayern v Gladbach: 5 matches (1965 until 1967)

Best record of consecutive matches without defeat for Bayern v Gladbach: 12 matches (2005 until 2011)

The last time that Gladbach didn’t score a goal against Bayern at home: 18.10.2003. Match ended 0-0.

Five Bayern players to watch in 2014

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Bayern Munich is a club with such astounding depth and talent, you really don’t want to miss a single player. Die Roten is loaded with talent in almost every single position in attack, defense, and everything inbetween. But even the best teams have key players who will outshine others and be the most exciting to watch. So which Bayern players will prove most worth watching in 2014?

Franck Ribéry

Position: Winger/Attacking midfielder
Nationality: French

Franck Ribéry was Bayern’s best attacking player last season with almost all of the Bavarian’s attacks flowing through the Frenchman. Ribéry was drawn up into the final three for the Ballon d’or, falling behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the voting. (Which is probably a reason to just not take the award seriously anymore. I guess Herr Franck will have to settle with winning everything with one of the greatest club sides of all time.)

Despite missing out on the Ballon d’or, Franck Ribéry will still be one of, if not the most exciting Bayern player to watch next season. Under Pep Guardiola, the Frenchman has continued his good form and even adding a few more goals to his tally, standing with six goals and seven assists so far in the Bundesliga.

Expect Ribéry to light up the Bundesliga and the Champions League this season, especially after his Ballon d’Snub. He’ll be out to prove a point, much to the grievance of Bundesliga defenses everywhere.

Philipp Lahm

Position: Right-Back
Nationality: German

For many (myself included) Lahm was Bayern’s best player last season and probably the best player in Europe. The diminutive German contributed numerous assists and was a defensive rock. Lahm has found the magic formula to being the perfect wing-back, knowing when to attack and when to defend. I’m not sure how he did, but I assume it involves black magic and a couple of Black Sabbath albums.

But Philipp Lahm isn’t worth watching for just his wing-back abilities, but also his curious shift to defensive midfield. With Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger injured, Pep Guardiola opted to use Lahm as a defensive anchor with quite a high level of success. The only reason I don’t list Lahm as a defensive midfielder is because I want him as a right-back as soon as Martinez and Schweinsteiger are fit.

Lahm is the club’s captain, leader, and arguably their best player. Those are reasons enough to watch him. Plus he does cool stuff like this.

Mario Götze

Position: Attacking midfielder/winger/false 9
Nationality: German

By now, most of us are over the shock of seeing Mario Götze in a Bayern Munich trikot, even if not everyone is still totally comfortable with it. Regardless of many Bayern fans opinion of the young German (personally I’m starting to really come around) there’s no question that the 21 year old is loaded with talent and is one of the most exciting players not just in Germany, but in all of football. Plus the kid doesn’t seem to know how to score normal goals, just really pretty ones like this.

The biggest question mark over Götze now is where he’s going to play for Die Roten. As of yet, Götze has played as an attacking midfielder and a winger with pretty good results, and occasionally as a false 9 with mixed results. Most assumed that he would be shoehorned into the false 9 position, but so far that hasn’t exactly been the case and the purchase of Robert Lewandowski seems to indicate that the false 9 isn’t a long term plan either.

How will he be used, and what impact can he have on Bayern? Hard to tell. But it’s certainly worth watching.

Arjen Robben

Position: Winger/attacking midfielder
Nationality: Dutch

Arjen Robben, the player non-Bayern fans love to hate. As Bayern fans though, we can’t help but love him and for us he’s the only Flying Dutchman. (It seems every Dutch player in the world is given that nickname.)

With his wicked pace, intense dribbling skills, and crazy (sometimes big game) goals, Arjen Robben has cemented himself as a Bayern Munich legend and is only adding to his list of accomplishments. So far this season, Robben has notched six goals in the Bundesliga, some of them important goals like one against BVB. (I don’t think I love anything more than Arjen Robben loves scoring against BVB.)

Arjen Robben has been on fire for Bayern while healthy, and his form doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. So much for being the first on Guardiola’s chopping block.

Manuel Neuer

Position: Keeper
Nationality: German

One could argue that Manuel Neuer has virtually nothing to do considering that he plays for the best team in the world, with a world class defense in front of him. That argument doesn’t hold much water though. First and foremost, the defense hasn’t exactly been world class this season. Dante’s form has been suspect for some time now, and while Jérôme Boateng has been in mostly excellent form, he’s still prone to the occasional lapse.

Alaba is still learning the Philipp Lahm craft of perfection (seriously, start listening to those Black Sabbath albums kid.) Given that the defense hasn’t stepped up as much as though should, Manuel Neuer will have to try harder than he did last season.

Another reason to watch Manuel Neuer is his performance in big games. Neuer has a legitimate shout-out at being man of the match for the game in Wembley. He comes up big when it counts. (Which is probably easy for him, because he’s massive.) If Bayern ever finds themselves in a penalty shoot-out or a big game where the defense is having an off day, they will need the reflexes of Manuel Neuer. Knowing his history, he’ll deliver.

Nobody you won’t want to watch

Truth be told, there’s lots of players to watch for Bayern this season. If you haven’t noticed Kroos’s excellent midfield control this season, you should start noticing right now. You never want to miss a game where Schweinsteiger is on the pitch, and Boateng’s rise to excellence shouldn’t be avoided.

With all the talent on this team and possibilities that remain, we’re sure to be in for a fun year with Bayern.

FRANZ BECKENBAUER, legenda njemačkog nogometa i počasni predsjednik Bayerna, izjavio je kako je moguće da Mario Mandžukić napusti Munchen na kraju sezone.

U srpnju u Bayern iz Borussije stiže Robert Lewandowski, a to može značiti da za hrvatskog napadača više nema mjesta u prvih jedanaest Bayerna.

"Vjerujem da bi Mandžukić mogao napustiti Bayern", rekao je Beckenbauer, a zatim i pojasnio svoje riječi.

"Lewandowski sa svojim stilom daleko više odgovara filozofiji trenera Pepa Guardiole. S obzirom da ima mjesta samo za jednog pravog napadača, Robert je u prednosti ispred Mandžukića."