Chapter 367 I know how to score against them!
February 19th afternoon, Munich Olympic Stadium.
In the 22nd round of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich will face Dortmund at home.
In preparation for the Champions League round of 16 knockout match against Barcelona in midweek, Bayern coach Magath kept several main players in the bench for this key battle, but even so, Bayern Munich still launched a crazy offensive.
Just five minutes into the game, Bayern got a corner kick. After Dortmund cleared the ball, Sagnol made a cross from the right, and Dutch center forward Makaay volleyed from the back post, but was blocked by Dortmund's defender. The unguarded Salihamidzic poked the ball into the empty goal.
Just one minute later, Saul made a straight pass in the middle, and Makaay made a low shot from the left side of the penalty area, scoring another goal for Bayern Munich.
The game was completely set in the rhythm of Bayern Munich, and Dortmund could only defend passively.
In the 28th minute, Salihamidzic's cross from the right was cleared, Saul passed the ball, Pizarro and Makaay made a two-on-one combination, and the Peruvian striker shot with the outside of his foot near the penalty spot, further expanding the score for Bayern.
Six minutes later, Saul made another beautiful volley pass from behind, which imaginatively broke through Dortmund's defense. Makaay successfully made an offside and scored with a single shot.
Four to zero! This score remained until the end of the first half.
Just ten minutes after the second half, Bayern Munich further expanded their lead. It was still a direct pass from Saul. After Makaay successfully made an offside, he scored again and performed a hat trick.
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Magath was all smiles throughout the game.
From the first minute, Bayern Munich completely controlled the situation and did not give Dortmund any chance.
In the first half, Bayern Munich had twelve shots, Dortmund had two, and the score was four to zero.
The Hornets didn't even have a chance to threaten Bayern Munich's goal.
All of this depends on the team's overall outstanding performance. More importantly, this is when many main players have been benched and midfield core Ballack is absent due to injury. How can Magath not be happy?
The Bayern fans in the stadium did not hesitate to applaud and cheer; they were all satisfied with the team's performance.
More importantly, Bayern Munich's condition has indeed adjusted quite well after the winter break.
Judging from this game, Saul and Makaay were in very good condition. The former's agility and the latter's efficiency were fully demonstrated in this game, and Pizarro also demonstrated his value.
It is worth mentioning that many of Pizarro's goals this season were scored within the first thirty minutes of the first half.
"Seeing them in such good form, I started to worry about who to play in the middle of the week?" Magath said with a wry smile.
Behind him, the assistants in the coaching booth also laughed.
This is indeed a happy trouble.
The forward line is not a big problem, Makaay and Pizarro are relatively stable, but in the midfield, Sauer, Salihamidzic, Ze Roberto, Demichelis, plus Ballack who is not sure if he can catch up, and the genius Deisler...
It’s really a headache to think about it!
"Barcelona's recent form is also quite good, especially after Marcos Senna joined. They only lost one goal against Zaragoza, and their defensive level has been greatly improved." The assistant behind him reminded.
Magath nodded, but didn't care much. "Marcos Senna is indeed good, but unfortunately, he can't play in the Champions League."
Because he played in the UEFA Cup for Villarreal, Senna could no longer play in the Champions League for Barcelona.
This is indeed a pity, but no one will question this deal, because judging from the recent rounds of the league, Senna only cost Barcelona 2 million euros, which can be said to be a great value.
"Tonight was a test. Judging from our performance in the first and second half, we still need to focus on the first half."
As Bayern's head coach, Magath will not shoot without a purpose.
Many people thought that he had hidden several main players, but in fact, he was testing a possibility.
I guess many people haven't noticed that the average age of Bayern Munich's starting lineup tonight is over 30 years old.
This is the first time that Magath has arranged such an old starting lineup since he coached Bayern Munich.
His intention was very clear, which was to test the condition of these veterans and their ability to cope with high-intensity games.
Judging from the performance in this key game, Bayern's performance in the first half was obviously better than in the second half. The rich experience of the veterans was still very useful at the critical moment, especially veterans like Sauer and Ze Roberto, which is unmatched by young players like Schweinsteiger.
But the disadvantages were equally obvious, that is, in the second half, they began to feel overwhelmed.
Magath is very clear about playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses. He must make the most of his advantages when facing Barcelona at home.
Barcelona's defense is a big problem. Although Marcos Senna has greatly improved the team in the league after joining, the Brazilian midfielder cannot play in the Champions League. At that time, Barcelona will still need to rely on a weak defensive lineup to support it.
Bayern Munich is at home, and although not conceding the ball is the top priority, attacking at the start and trying to decide the outcome in the first half is also a very good game strategy.
Especially tonight's game, which makes Magath full of confidence.
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Bayern Munich's morale was boosted as they won 5-0 against Dortmund at home.
Head coach Magath said in the post-match press conference that this big victory brought Bayern great confidence.
"Although Barcelona is not on the same level as Dortmund, I believe that we will beat Barcelona. Whoever watched our game today will not doubt that we have such strength."
Magath also vowed that Bayern Munich would not compromise or be conservative in the face of the offensively powerful Barcelona.
"After watching tonight's game, I believe everyone has seen that we have a strong offensive firepower that is no less than Barcelona, and we are playing at home, so there is no reason to be conservative, right?"
"Yes, we will play our style at home and we will show Barcelona our strength!"
Dutch center forward Makaay, who scored a hat trick, was also ambitious after the game.
When he joined Bayern Munich, many people knew that Bayern also tried to sign Su Dong. Later, as Su Dong became more and more famous in Valencia, Makaay also came under a lot of pressure, especially in the Champions League last season, when Bayern Munich lost to Valencia, which made Makaay subject to much doubt.
Many people even said that Bayern Munich should have signed Su Dong instead of Makaay.
Now, with a hat trick, Ma Kai is full of confidence and he said he is in very good shape.
In the interview, Makaay did not deny that Sudong is one of the strongest center forwards in Europe, but he believes that Bayern Munich is no longer the Bayern of last season. Lucio's joining has greatly improved Bayern Munich's defensive strength.
"Sudon is indeed very strong, but we have Lucio, who is the strongest central defender in Europe at the moment. We all believe that he can freeze Sudon well."
In addition, Makaay also stated that he is not unfamiliar with Barcelona's goal. During his time playing for Deportivo La Coruna, he scored many goals against Barcelona. He said he is very familiar with this.
"I know how to score against them!"
…
The German media were also extremely excited about Bayern Munich's 5-goal victory, believing that this was a warning from the Bundesliga giants to Barcelona. More importantly, it was the state and strength shown by Magath's team in this game.
"It's obvious that they are ready!" Bild said expectantly.
The Munich Daily even stated that every team is eager to have a lineup like Bayern, which can easily defeat strong opponents in the league with a substitute lineup and allow assistant players to get enough rest.
Only a truly powerful club has such strength! The Munich Daily said this, which was more or less implicitly targeting Barcelona, because the whole world knows that Barcelona has the thinnest lineup in La Liga. Rijkaard even had to bring 16- and 17-year-old players from the youth team to the first team to make up the 18-man roster, which shows how embarrassing Barcelona's situation is.
In comparison, Bayern Munich is really too luxurious.
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When Bayern Munich beat Dortmund 5-0 at home, that night, at the Camp Nou, Barcelona played against Real Mallorca at home.
Barcelona was obviously saving its strength for the Champions League match in the middle of the week, but due to its thin lineup, it still played with its main lineup and eventually defeated the visiting Real Mallorca 2-0.
Portuguese midfielder Deco scored twice to give Barcelona the three points.
Su Dong contributed one assist, but missed at least two very good scoring opportunities.
One was seven minutes into the game, when Xavi made an accurate long pass to the right from the backcourt, Giuly knocked the ball back from the bottom, and Su Dong followed up with a volley, but the opponent's goalkeeper Moya saved the ball as if with divine help.
Deco then scored a goal, and Su Dong got another chance in the 26th minute.
Giuly and Belletti cooperated on the right and made a cross. Su Dong made a header from the back post, but it hit the crossbar, just a little bit short.
Although he won all three points in the game, Su Dong failed to score a goal and missed two good scoring opportunities, which was somewhat regrettable.
Especially in another stadium, Makaay was incredibly efficient and performed a hat trick. In comparison, Su Dong's missed opportunity was a bit ugly.
So, after Barcelona played against Real Mallorca, a group of German media, led by the Munich Daily, began to hype up Su Dong's condition, believing that he had experienced a decline after his peak.
This is also a normal situation.
Almost all players who have won the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or will inevitably see their form decline slightly in the second half of the season.
This is known as the decline after the peak, and some people even experience a long-term slump.
Su Dong's performance after the winter break was indeed not as impressive as in the first half.
Rijkaard is full of confidence in Su Dong and believes that there is no problem with Su Dong's condition and strength.
"I believe that when the critical moment comes, he will prove his worth!"
But Rijkaard took a cautious approach to visiting the Olympic Stadium.
Barcelona's defense is indeed a big problem.
(End of this chapter)
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