FC Bayern 2015/16

strongwalker said:
Correction: They *play* better than yours. I blame that on a 6-year run of three very good managers who all focussed on player development and have/had the team play in a similar style that sort of built up on top of what each of the predecessors did.
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That wasn't my point, their players as individuals are also better, so there is no need for your *correction*
Lewa, Robben, Costa, Thiago, Alaba etc are all better players than what we currently have irrespective of system playing style, or form. Note some of those haven't even been there that long either.
 
They won't be beating Barca with Pep in charge. If Peps teams don't have full control of a match, the are extremely vulnerable to the opposition. Essentially for them to win vs Barca they're gonna need to peg them back. That just won't happen with the quality of footballers that Barca have. There's no way, and it hasn't happened for ages where Barca can't move the ball out from defence.
 
Gol123 said:
What is with Redcafe's obsession with signing all of Bayerns players?
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Robben and Müller are the only players in the world who:
  • are good enough
  • like LVG
  • are not yet at MU
LVG also seems to have a thing for Lewa and Ed looks like he thinks Bayern players are gettable. Redcafe follows.
 
Very happy about it. I don't understand why we'd extend Alonso until 2017, to be honest, but apart from that: Great news!
 
Piratesoup said:
Very happy about it. I don't understand why we'd extend Alonso until 2017, to be honest, but apart from that: Great news!
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Maybe the deal with Ancelotti is actually done and both look forward to working with each other again? Either way, I love to have Alonso in the squad as long as he isn't a guaranteed starter when we play a high defensive line against quick counterattacking sides. He still has a lot to offer.
 
Piratesoup said:
Very happy about it. I don't understand why we'd extend Alonso until 2017, to be honest, but apart from that: Great news!
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I guess the Bayern board is planning with Kimmich and he can definitely learn a thing or two from Xabi. He's a great backup as well.
 
Balu said:
Maybe the deal with Ancelotti is actually done and both look forward to working with each other again? Either way, I love to have Alonso in the squad as long as he isn't a guaranteed starter when we play a high defensive line against quick counterattacking sides. He still has a lot to offer.
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You're right, I guess Ancelotti might be able to hide his weaknesses way better than Saint Pep.
 
Surprised about Alonso getting an extension. But a nice Christmas gift for Bayern fans.
 
strongwalker said:
I note the absence of Alaba :confused:
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I fear Alaba's extension might prove a little trickier.
He's probably the most coveted of our players, while, along with Boateng, he's imo the one whose extension would be most vital.

Great news nonetheless, and great timing too, considering the circumstances :(
 
If Ancelotti really will be the next Bayern manager, i could imagine Martinez playing more in midfield again. Don't really know about Carlo's preferences for a DM though. Either way, i expect Bayern to look for a new CB in summer especially since Benatia's muscles are unbelievable unreliable.
 
strongwalker said:
I note the absence of Alaba :confused:
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Yeah, that's the one I'm worried about. It'll probably be the same story as last time. He wants to play in midfield and needs more convincing. Maybe he wants to talk with the new manager first to learn in what role he'll play.
 
Balu said:
Yeah, that's the one I'm worried about. It'll probably be the same story as last time. He wants to play in midfield and needs more convincing. Maybe he wants to talk with the new manager first to learn in what role he'll play.
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That is the good thing about an upcoming change of managers. With the current one, everyone *knows* how he is valued - like at the moment, Kurt, Gaudino, Scholl or Rode know they have not much hope for a spot in the 11. With the new guy, there is new hope :)

I hear Alaba wants more €€€ than the management want to spend. I really hope they are not as cheap as that and don't pull a Kroos on him.
Worldclass fullbacks and versatile players like David (at his age too) are just about the sparsest resource in wolrd football at the moment. If it was David *or* Lewa, i'd know which one to pick. Same about David *or* Neuer. And i'd be really hard pressed to decide if i preferred to keep David or Müller.
 
Balu said:
Yeah, that's the one I'm worried about. It'll probably be the same story as last time. He wants to play in midfield and needs more convincing. Maybe he wants to talk with the new manager first to learn in what role he'll play.
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I'll let Ed know
 
strongwalker said:
I hear Alaba wants more €€€ than the management want to spend. I really hope they are not as cheap as that and don't pull a Kroos on him.
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I'm not worried about that. Everyone at the club loves Alaba and no one really liked Kroos, kinda. He's still a few years too young to be one of the top earners, if that's what he wants. It'll be similar to how Müller had to earn his way up to this contract now. But I'm sure we'll find a solution if it's just a question of money.
 
Piratesoup said:
Very happy about it. I don't understand why we'd extend Alonso until 2017, to be honest, but apart from that: Great news!
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I really understand that and I hoped that they do this extension early in the season. Xabi still plays great - and Kimmich is very promising but I do not want to rely only on him right now. Let both rotate in that position with Kimmich getting more and more match time and Alonso taking the rest of the time. That is a great solution for the club and both of them.

And you see that Kimmich has a very good relationship from him and he tells that Alonso helps him a lot.

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Alaba's father in combination with Schweinsteiger's agent was already tricky the last time and probably will be a tough cockie now, too.
 
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Alaba is under contract until 2018. Plenty of time to sort things out.
 
With Alaba, I'm not concerned about money either. I fully expect our board to be sane enough to know that Alaba is the kind of player worth going to the limit for, and I'm sure they fully grasp his value, which is enormous.
I'm more concerned about his personal ambitions and whether they are completely satisfied by staying at Bayern, considering that

a) he seems to be not 100% happy with the role he's played, at least perspectively, since one keeps reading he'd like to either play in midfield or at least have a more reliably defined position. Not sure how seriously to take all this though.

and b) literally every top club would be hellbent on signing him given the opportunity; and I'm not worried so much about England as about Real, who are after him hard, and Barca, who'd likely jump on any opportunity too. Real and Barca are undeniably serious competition for every player, I'll ignore his supposed childhood affection for Arsenal

The thing that puzzles me though, and also kind of relaxes me, is that I don't really see him starting in midfield for those clubs. They would likely sign him as a left back too, just as I'd expect him to play as left back under any new coach for us.
So ironically, the crazy, variable, rather unprecedented, and slightly chaotic hybrid left-back/midfielder/box-to-box-centre-back/attacking midfielder roles Pep liked to use him in seemed to me a pretty good way to incorporate all his qualities and get him highly involved beyond the left back position.
 
Thetop clubs would want him as LB, surely. As versatile as he is, I can't see him play first fiddle in midfield for one of the 5 top clubs. If his extension hinges solely on us guaranteeing him to play in midfield, we should probably part ways as much as it hurts.

But that's a problem for future Bayern. Lets just rejoice for now.
 
Only recently Carlo said Bundesliga not competitive but at least he is likely to improve on only 3 league titles in the past 2 decades
 
FCBarca said:
Only recently Carlo said Bundesliga not competitive but at least he is likely to improve on only 3 league titles in the past 2 decades
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Given his league record, he'll make it competitive.
 
fcbforever said:
It's really no problem mate. Woody got a new E-Mail account and will just send bigger numbers to Rummenigge. He isn't allowed to approach him nearer than 60 meters anymore, but nobody said anything about electronic contact!
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Don't worry. The next offers being prepared for 100 trillion dollars to buy all of Bavaria.
 
Piratesoup said:
Thetop clubs would want him as LB, surely. As versatile as he is, I can't see him play first fiddle in midfield for one of the 5 top clubs. If his extension hinges solely on us guaranteeing him to play in midfield, we should probably part ways as much as it hurts.

But that's a problem for future Bayern. Lets just rejoice for now.
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Completely disagree. He's a brilliant player who looks very comfortable everywhere, to me. Guardiola has him central often enough at either LCB or just tucked inside when at fullback for decent parts of the game.

He's a better Blind, basically. Here he is at CM playing quietly solid football then banging one in late:

I think he'd start for any team outside of the big 3 as a midfielder (except maybe PSG with that impressive trio), though perhaps an Austrian who sees him at CM more could back me up or tell me to feck off.

Our best shot at getting a top player already on a big team is probably someone who falls out with their manager (see Di Maria, Angel), has playing time issues (Shaqiri not a top player but has the talent and might get there), gets replaced by a bigger buy (Pedro) or someone who desperately wants to play a role they can't at club level (can't think of one from the past but Bale wanting to be a 10 or Alaba demanding to play CM would suit us fine).
 
NoPace said:
I think he'd start for any team outside of the big 3 as a midfielder (except maybe PSG with that impressive trio)
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Yes maybe but that's corresponding to what we are saying. If he'd like to play in midfield AND is tempted to join Real or Barca, he wouldn't be granted his wish there either.
Or to put it differently, I don't think he would leave to go somewhere worse only because it means playing in midfield.
 
Alaba's right foot is far too weak for a central midfielder. He doesn't use it at all, it's only there so that he doesn't fall over. Pretty similar to Podolski in that matter, luckily that's the only thing they share.
 
NoPace said:
... or Alaba demanding to play CM would suit us fine).
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Van Gaal in 2010: "Alaba is a left fullback even if he does not think that right now..."

He was a midfielder before and when he came back from Hoffenheim it was where Heynckes played him first - until Heynckes first tried him as left fullback...
 
Blackwidow said:
Van Gaal in 2010: "Alaba is a left fullback even if he does not think that right now..."

He was a midfielder before and when he came back from Hoffenheim it was where Heynckes played him first - until Heynckes first tried him as left fullback...
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Van Gaal gave Alaba his first appearance as left back, no?, since he had changed Lahm to the right and left back was the questionable position with Braafheid, Pranjic and then Baddstuber all having stints. Then Alaba made one disastrous horizontal pass in his second game or so and he was more or less never seen again under van Gaal IIRC.

Funny enough, Heynckes first had changed Lahm to LB again since we had bought Rafinha to play there, and I can remember vividly the joyful moment when I thought Jupp had finally figured it out, when he scrapped Rafinha, pt Lahm to the right again and installed Alaba as left back, something like 2 games into 2011/2012.
 
NoPace said:
I think he'd start for any team outside of the big 3 as a midfielder (except maybe PSG with that impressive trio), though perhaps an Austrian who sees him at CM more could back me up or tell me to feck off.
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I'm an austrian that sees him play in CM, so feck right off. :D
He shines in the austrian team and he is a very good midfielder, no question. He's pretty much very good anywhere on the pitch and would probably carry Austria as a striker. However, I don't think he's amongst the top 10 midfielders in the world, while he's quite clearly the best LB. The sooner he realizes this, the better. I can't see any team splashing 60 or 70mil on Alaba as long as he wants a guarantee to play in midfield. At least not yet. In 4 years maybe.
 
Piratesoup said:
I'm an austrian that sees him play in CM, so feck right off. :D
He shines in the austrian team and he is a very good midfielder, no question. He's pretty much very good anywhere on the pitch and would probably carry Austria as a striker. However, I don't think he's amongst the top 10 midfielders in the world, while he's quite clearly the best LB. The sooner he realizes this, the better. I can't see any team splashing 60 or 70mil on Alaba as long as he wants a guarantee to play in midfield. At least not yet. In 4 years maybe.
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He just needs an extended run as a box to box midfielder and he'll shine. Obviously he can't peak in that position without playing it regularly. The problem is that there are so few quality fullbacks around and the gap between him and any other leftback we could possibly buy is so big that it doesn't make much sense to use him somewhere else.
 
Very happy with today's extension news, now i am only hoping to hear the same for Alaba and Götze soon.

I specifically wonder why Alaba hasn't extended yet. After Müller's extension i feel like Alaba's would be the most important one.
 
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