The Bayern Juggernaut rolls on

Jupp Heynckes, the 67 year old manager of Bayern Munich had this to say after his team's decimation of Barcelona on Tuesday night: ""We've been playing extraordinary football all season. It was not a really big surprise to me that we scored four goals. We have played to a high level all season."

THE BEATING
The beating that Barcelona received at the hands of Heynckes' team was a first; it was the first time any team had suffered a 4-0 defeat in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. For a lot of Barca fans as well as other football aficionados not entirely attuned to the exploits of Bayern Munich this season, the result was a shocker. But, as Heynckes so gleefully pointed out, they have been playing "extraordinary football" all season and this result was if anything, a strong reinforcement of that very fact.

“They were physically very strong,’’ said Xavi. “In fact they were superior. We didn't create chances. It’s a dreadful result. No excuses.’’ added Xavi afterwards. “They have been the better team and we congratulate them.” This is an uncharacteristic line towed by Barca and Xavi, where upon previous exits to Chelsea and Inter Milan, the Spanish midfielder had taken the moral high ground saying the opposition did not play football the right way and that they attempted to play a 'dirty' game.

Tuesday's beating though was different. There was a sense amongst almost all Barca players that they had just been taken to the cleaners by a far superior footballing unit. Lionel Messi too agreed: “Bayern were the better team, in everything,’’ said Barcelona’s No 10, who had clearly not recovered from a recent hamstring problem. “They’re stronger, scored twice from set-pieces, every second ball was for them.’’

Gerard Pique, never one to shy away from giving his thoughts was candid, “They thrashed us, the referee didn't have an influence. It is almost impossible for us, but we have to show some face in the return-leg. They were quicker, stronger and better.”

THE BAYERN BEAST

Bayern were Runners-Up to Chelsea in last year's edition of the Champions League. In all fairness, it was a game that they dominated, but somehow contrived to lose in front of their home supporters. That disappointment has only added to their desire to conquer all and sundry that appear before them this term. In making the semi-finals this year, Barcelona had achieved a rare distinction of making 6 consecutive semi-final appearances. It is in a way a fair reflection of the dominance that the team from Catalonia has exerted on this competition.

The German club have not been far behind; Heynckes has led Bayern to two of the last three finals, and a third in four years, looks an inevitability after Tuesday's demolition job. The sourness from their inability to cross the final hurdle on a couple of occasions still lingers and Heynckes pointed it out after the game - "Falling short of success in the past two years has only made them hungrier to win this year. The tactical awareness of this team is top notch as well, just like their willingness to run and fight for one another. Today's (Tuesday's) game was a perfect example of that."

This is a team that has been built carefully by Heynckes, who will be stepping down at the end of the year. After being outgunned to the Bundesliga title the last two years by Borussia Dortmund, Bayern addressed key areas of the squad in the summer. In central defence, Jerome Boateng and Holger Badstuber, were being exposed against more physical teams and pacy forwards. Dante, the tall bushy-haired Brazilian defender, was bought from Borussia Monchengladbach for about €4 million to help solve matters. The second piece of the puzzle was securing the services of Javi Martinez from Athletic Bilbao for a record transfer fee of €40 million. Mario Mandzukic after his stellar season last year for Wolfsburg, was poached for €13 million and the Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri was purchased from FC Basel for €9 million to beef up the attack.

The addition of these players has helped address some of the shortcomings from previous seasons. Bayern have conceded only 14 goals in 30 Bundesliga games, an average of 0.46 goals per game, the best out of any leading side in the respective leagues - Barcelona have conceded 33 from 32 games (1.03), PSG 20 from 33 (0.60), Juventus 20 from 33 (0.60), Manchester United 35 from 34 (1.03), Ajax 31 from 31 (1.00).

They are also pressing the ball a lot better thereby allowing teams very little time on the ball. Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi constantly found themselves shackled and harassed by a player in a red shirt and the various channels that Barca constantly use were expertly cut out. ”You have got to analyse how an opponent plays, where they run, how they attack. Then find something you can hold against that. And I did that, I had a PowerPoint presentation, you could see all the runs they do. Defensively we were very strong, we worked very hard. Barcelona couldn't really do anything, they had one and a half chances.“, added Heynckes complimenting his team on their superlative effort.

The Bavarian giants have lost just 3 games all season, 1 in the league and 2 in the Champions League. Bayer Leverkusen are the only ones who have managed to upstage the Red Army of Munich domestically, while BATE Borisov and Arsenal registered unexpected convincing wins over them in Europe. Those results were merely an aberration in a season where the word 'thumping' has followed quite a few of Bayern's footballing encounters. Tuesday night was the 14th instance where Bayern had scored 4 or more goals in a match in all competitions. Over the weekend, they destroyed Hannover 6-1, even after the title had been well wrapped up and with several first-team regulars not playing! (Just to add, Hannover are 11th in the German league and not a bottom club). In 8 of those games, they've hit 5 or more - Stuttgart (6-1), Fortuna Dusseldorf (5-0), Hannover (5-0, 6-1), Werder Bremen (6-1), Hamburg (9-2), Wolfsburg (6-1), Lille (6-1) have all been at the receiving end of those maulings.

One striking feature of their play this season has been the spread of goals as well as the areas of attack. Of all their forward forays, 35% have come through the left flank, 39% through the right flank and 26% through the middle. In the Bundesliga, Mario Mandzukic is their top scorer with 15 goals while Thomas Muller has chipped in with 12 and the remainder of their 89 goals in total have come from others. Last year most of the goals were shared by Mario Gomez, who had 26 himself, and Ribery/Robben.

In the assist category, Franck Ribery, Muller and Philip Lahm are the joint top assisters in the Bundesliga with 10 each. Muller who bagged a double against Barca is their leading man in the Champions League with 7 and Bayern before Tuesday boasted one of the best attacks in this year's edition with 22 goals, second only to Real Madrid with 23.

The big picture hence shows a team that holds no dependence on any one player and hence Barca had an uphill task from the very first minute as they were going up against a superior team with strength and depth in all areas of the pitch and a team that has meticulously stuck to a system all year.


THE YOUNG BREED

Bayern's superb squad has been assembled with an excellent blend of marquee signings and young players who have come through from the Youth team. In fact, one of the features of Heynckes' current tenure has been his blooding of youngsters such as David Alaba, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos who have made the transition from the youth team to being seasoned internationals amongst the best in the world.

The core of Bayern's team is made up of their own, players promoted through their academy. Both captain and vice-captain, Philip Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger, are Bayern through and through, having joined the club as teenagers. Defenders David Alaba, who has been a revelation the last 2 seasons, along with Holger Badstuber also made the progression up from junior ranks.So have midfielders Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos. This composition has helped in the excellent team chemistry that these players share much like Barcelona do with their core having played with each other so often. And all these players are first-teamers occupying key positions for the Bundesliga giants.

With the likes of dangerous wingers such Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery also in the squad, this is a team that is as dangerous as they come and one that makes for a heady concoction of talent.

THE BRAINS

The contribution of Jupp Heynckes to the Bayern project should not be undermined. The former Monchengladbach striker, is a master tactician when it comes to coaching and is one of the most decorated German coaches of all time. As evidenced from the transcripts above, his preparation for games is meticulous and is as animated as they come on the touchlines. Nicknamed 'Osram', for the way that his face tends to redden when under pressure or when agitated during a game, Heynckes in 34 years of management has authored many a success story in Germany as well as Spain.

In his first stint with Bayern Munich (1987-1991), he won two back-to-back Bundesliga titles. He moved on to Athletic Bilbao in 1992 and in his second season there led the Basques to a UEFA Cup (erstwhile Europa League) spot by finishing 5th in the league. He returned to Spain with Tenerife in 1995 and led them to a UEFA Cup spot in the very first season. Following his success with Tenerife, Spanish giants Real Madrid came calling in June 1997 and that would be where he would celebrate his greatest triumph till date.

In the 1997-98 season,  he delivered the Champions League trophy to the 'Los Blancos'. That win in Amsterdam, where they beat Juventus by a solitary goal, broke a 32 year barren run without Europe's premier trophy for Real. However, as has come to be with fickle owners, the German's contract was terminated at the end of the season due to Madrid finishing 4th in La Liga, 11 points behind champions Barcelona.

After not so successful short stints at a host of clubs, 'Osram' returned to the Allianz for a third stint (had a brief spell as caretaker manager after Juergen Klinsmann's sacking in April 2009) with the Bavarian club, which has so far been a successful run. A 22nd Bundesliga title has been wrapped up, reclaimed from Dortmund, in record time even; the title has never been won this early ever.

Heynckes' teams are well known for their discipline and commitment to team ethic. They are very well drilled and are very efficient in picking teams apart with ruthless elan. To an extent, the wily German coach has been  a little disappointed at the way Guardiola was appointed to succeed him even before the end of the season and he has expressed his willingness to leave with his head held high having delivered a historic treble to the club.

THE BAVARIAN SUPREMACY
Bayern before the game announced the addition of Dortmund's talented attacking midfielder Mario Goetze to  their ranks from next season, and there are rumors rife that his teammate and prolific striker Robert Lewandowski is poised to join him. Bayern's ambitions stretch far beyond any amount of success that comes their way this term; they are building for domination of the European club scene in years to come.

That spells bad news for Bayern's opponents, as not only are they going up against a very, very talented team with the wherewithal to bully opponents into submission, as Barcelona found out, but also a group of players smarting from the heartbreaks of recent seasons, and an incumbent manager determined to leave with a bar set at  a near stratospheric level for his successor to match.

Borussia Dortmund vs Malaga: UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal Preview

 Last week at La Rosaleda, Borussia Dortmund failed to put away some really good chances against Malaga and as a result come into the 2nd leg of their UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal tie at home on level pegging, 0-0 on aggregate. They could have very well come here with at least a 2 goal advantage, away goals to boot, if Mario Gotze in particular had had his finishing boots on.

Of all 4 quarterfinal ties, this one is the most finely balanced. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have established sizable first leg advantages to be in control in their respective ties while Barcelona inspite of conceding a late equalizer will be more than happy having scored 2 precious away goals and with the 2nd leg at the Camp Nou. Juergen Klopp and Dortmund will no question be disappointed that they have to start with a clean slate, but you would still tip last year's Bundesliga champions to go through.

Dortmund are now the only team in the competition to remain unbeaten after Juventus' run was brought to an end by Bayern Munich last week. They faced stiffer opposition in the group stages and managed to come through with flying colors beating the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City. So, on paper, Malaga would appear a considerably lighter challenge as compared to those 2 sides. But, this is the knockout stage, when second chances are at a premium and the stakes are that much higher. The quality of the Dortmund strike force is exemplary. It is a team that is never short on goals and Klopp is not the kind of manager that would change the way his team plays in Europe.

Testimony to that was their 1st leg performance where they were clearly the better side. They were abetted by Malaga's resolute dedication to defence with an emphasis on not conceding away goals. Manuel Pellegrini has played it smart so far; in the previous round against Porto, he opted for damage limitation in the 1st leg in Portugal and his side came away with only a 1-0 loss, something which they managed to overturn in the return leg at home. This time with the 1st leg at home, he chose caution by choosing to eliminate the threat of away goals and leaving the fate of the tie to be decided in Gelsinkerchen.

Dortmund boast an intimidating home record in this year's Champions League. They have a perfect record having won all 4 home games, scoring 7 goals and conceding just 1. Gotze has been involved in 6 of the last 10 goals that Dortmund have scored; it is no surprise then that his off color performance in Spain has left his side with work to do at home if they are to progress into the final four. Their front line is as good as it gets with Marko Reus combining with the aforementioned Gotze and Robert Lewandowski to lethal effect. And it is unlikely that Dortmund would be as wasteful as they were in the 1st leg and if Malaga concede early, it could very well be a long night for them.

Malaga to their credit have been very efficient in seeing out games. Unfancied in the group stages, they managed to emerge as winners from a group that included AC Milan and Zenit St. Petersburg, both of whom were heavily favored to come through.  They have a good bunch of young players along with some wily veterans such as Joaquin, Martin Demichelis and Javier Saviola in the mix. The pick of the lot is Spanish sensation Isco, who has been a revelation so far and is widely sought after by the big boys of Europe. Good in scoring and setting up others, he will be crucial to Malaga's plans of upsetting the Dortmund apple cart. Malaga, along with Juventus and Porto, have the most clean sheets (5) in this year's competition, and if they can shut out the Germans for the second week running, they may be joining their more illustrious Spanish compatriots in the semi-finals.

TEAM NEWS
Borussia Dortmund will receive a major boost as Mat Hummels is set to return to action after being sidelined with a groin injury that he picked up in the Round of 16 clash against Shakhtar Donetsk. Jakub 'Kuba' Blaszczykowski is also expected to come in to team up with Reus and Gotze in a 3 behind striker Lewandowski.

Malaga suffered a couple of setbacks even as they managed to draw their home leg. 2 of their key players, centre back Weligton and midfielder Manuel Iturra, picked up yellow cards which sees them suspended for the 2nd leg.


Malaga need one goal to make sure that the tie doesn't go the distance and finishes in normal time. Pellegrini has been here before with Villareal and is an expert when it comes to grinding out results. However, with the suspensions to key defenders and the home form of Dortmund, not to forget that they were lucky to escape with a stalemate last week, the Germans would still be slight favorites to go through. A result in the other direction would definitely be an upset.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Borussia Dortmund: UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Preview

German champions Borussia Dortmund will make a trip to the Donbass Arena in Ukraine tonight as they face a tricky tie against Ukrainian Shakhtar Donetsk. Dortmund’s return to the knock-out phase of the Champions League marks the culmination of Juergen Klopp ‘s campaign started 3 years ago to bring Borussia back into the big league of European football. After winning back to back Bundesliga titles the last 2 years, they have made the step up in Europe after having failed to qualify in the previous attempts.

Dortmund finished as Winners of the dreaded Group of Death ahead of the likes of Spanish champions Real Madrid, English champions Manchester City & Dutch champions Ajax. That they were unbeaten en route to the knock-out phase was even more remarkable as they were impressive both home and away in the most demanding group of all. Filled with quality in all areas of the pitch, Dortmund play an attractive brand of football with their attacking quartet of midfielders Mario Goetze, Marko Reus & Jakub Błaszczykowski with striker Robert Lewandowski causing all sorts of problems to opposing defences. They have been backed up by their excellent backline where Germany international Mat Hummels  along with Neven Subotic, Tomas Pisczek & Marcel Schmelzer have been rock solid and conceded just 5 goals in the Group games against some of the finest opposition in the continent. Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan who anchors the Dortmund midfield has not travelled to Ukraine while both Pisczek and Schmelzer are set to face a late fitness test. Though struggling domestically, 15 points behind leaders Bayern Munich, Dortmund have been top notch in Europe and under the stewardship of Klopp look to be getting back to business in the big league.

Shakhtar Donetsk were one of the most impressive teams in the group phase as they progressed from Group E as Runners-Up behind Juventus & ahead of Chelsea, the reigning European champions.  Their dazzling attacking style influenced by a whole host of Brazilians in the squad caught the eye of many and the 1^st leg will witness a battle between 2 of the best attacks of the tournament this year. Top scorer Willian, who netted 4 goals in group play and who was their brightest star, has left the club though for richer pastures in a £30 million move to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala. But even in his absence, Shakhtar can boast the likes of Luiz Adriano, who is their leading assister with 3, along with fellow Brazilians Fernandinho, Alex Teixeira & new signing Taison , and led by the superb Darjo Srna will prove to be quite a handful for Klopp’s Dortmund to deal with.