Chapter 504: Strong reinforcements join the team
Bayern has a tradition of conducting winter training in Dubai in previous years, which is mainly due to the team's strong financial resources.
But this year is obviously different from previous years because this year some sponsors have taken the initiative to come to us to discuss cooperation.
Because of Su Dong!
This was also the first time that Bayern's business department discovered how blessed it was to have such a superstar in the team.
In the past, they had to try every possible means to find sponsors, but now sponsors come to them eagerly, and they hardly bargain for the sponsorship fee. This is simply too great!
Just like this time, Bayern originally booked a relatively cheap hotel, but the sponsor waved its hand and directly supported Bayern to stay in Dubai's most luxurious twin tower hotel and participate in an event of the sponsor in the UAE. Bayern won a sponsorship contract, which made Hoeness almost smile.
He never thought that owning a superstar was equivalent to a money printing machine.
…
Su Dong officially participated in Bayern's training camp, but he, Marcelo, Modric and other new players are still adapting to the team.
With Heynckes replacing Magath, an obvious change occurred in training: the amount of training was reduced.
As we all know, Magath is a well-known training maniac. His training has aroused dissatisfaction among many Bayern players. Even two days ago, when he was just fired, Magath still insisted that he trained the players crazily for the purpose of improving them.
After Heynckes took over as coach, the first training session made people feel the difference between him and Magath. That is, the training intensity was reduced, but the entire training program was still arranged very compactly. From ball training to tactical drills, Heynckes attached great importance to them.
The German coach's move won the recognition of Bayern, but if you think Heynckes is accommodating the players, you are wrong, because the players soon felt Heynckes' strictness.
Before the training, Heynckes made it clear that all first-team players present must communicate in German. For those who have not yet learned German, such as Sudong, Modric and Marcelo, Heynckes specially provided translators to allow them to communicate through translators, but required them to master German as soon as possible.
The amount of training is less, but the requirements for details are more stringent.
He meticulously arranged every training session, emphasizing all kinds of details. Whenever the players made a mistake, he would scold them loudly. While being strict, he would also patiently point out the areas where the players needed improvement. He would explain his tactical ideas tirelessly, trying to break down his tactical system and instill it into the players' minds.
This is reflected in the arrangement of training programs and the requirements of the coaching staff.
It is this kind of relaxed and intense training that creates a sense of pressure and urgency in the Bayern training camp.
In addition, in regular tactical meetings, Heynckes will also combine game videos to analyze the various problems that the team encountered in the first half and give some of his own improvement plans.
Privately, Heynckes took the time at the beginning of the training camp to communicate with each player privately, not only telling the players his own ideas and thoughts, but also listening to the players' opinions.
According to Heynckes, when he was at Schalke 04, he suffered a loss because he did not communicate with the players. This time he learned from the experience.
In addition to the coaching staff, Bayern's trip to the Middle East was also accompanied by the medical team of the legendary doctor Wolfart to provide the players with comprehensive medical care.
Su Dong still has his own personal coaching team. Nuno Kroos and Wolfafat are both famous figures in European football. The two have had many exchanges and communications in private. Wolfafat also has a clear understanding of Su Dong's situation. They will negotiate on their own how to divide the work.
…
A week after Bayern arrived in Dubai for training, they had their first warm-up match, the Dubai Cup semi-final, against Benfica of the Portuguese Super League.
The two sides tied 0-0, and finally Benfica eliminated Bayern in the penalty shootout.
Sudong, Modric and Marcelo did not play in the entire game.
This is also what the outside world is paying attention to, that is, when will Su Dong's debut be? From the training, Bayern players generally have a lot of problems, but the most important one is the mental level.
Players such as Salihamidzic and Pizarro have decided to leave the team after half a year, and Hargreaves is also seeking to leave the team. In addition, the team's performance in the first half of the season was sluggish, ranking only fourth in the Bundesliga, which made the players generally lack passion and fighting spirit.
Heynckes realized that this was a big problem and immediately announced the cancellation of group training. Instead, he conducted training in different groups and made targeted deployments for each player. The purpose was to allow the players to gradually regain their passion and fighting spirit.
This is not an easy thing to do.
In the subsequent Dubai Cup third and fourth place final, Bayern Munich lost two goals in a row against Marseille. Van Bommel quickly scored a goal, but still failed to turn the situation around.
Until the second half of the game, Makaay scored two goals in a row, helping Bayern to reverse Marseille 3-2.
In the end, Bayern took third place.
Su Dong still did not play in this game, but Ribery from Marseille started and performed well.
After the game, Hoeness, who led the team to Dubai, had a conversation with Ribery in the player tunnel. It could be vaguely seen that Ribery looked in the direction of Su Dong from time to time.
Word in the locker room is that Hoeness has officially reached an agreement with Marseille while in Dubai.
However, in a subsequent interview with German media, Hoeness said that this was a rumor and that Bayern had not contacted Ribery. As for when they could start working on Ribery, Hoeness said it would become clearer in March or April.
But this statement can only deceive outsiders. For Bayern, the meeting between Hoeness and Ribery must have been agreed by Marseille, otherwise, they will definitely be sued.
It is not difficult to see from this that Ribery joining Bayern is not far away.
…
When the team's training in Dubai was coming to an end, Hargreaves suddenly left the team early and flew back to Europe from Dubai.
When everyone in Bayern heard the news, they had already guessed what was going on.
Sure enough, two days later, Bayern's official website announced that Manchester United bought Hargreaves from Bayern for a high price of 30 million euros, and the transfer was quickly confirmed by Manchester United.
Hargreaves flew directly from Dubai to Manchester, underwent a medical examination by Manchester United and successfully completed the transfer procedures.
The sudden departure of the English midfielder dealt a blow to Bayern's lineup.
The second half of the league is about to start, but Bayern currently only has two midfielders, Van Bommel and Schweinsteiger, which is far from enough. Modric is a newcomer and needs some time to integrate.
Under such circumstances, Bayern management began to look for a suitable defensive midfielder in the transfer market.
The night before Bayern returned to Germany, Hoeness met his agent Joorabchian, who had traveled all the way from the UK, in the hotel.
The Iranian-British player became notorious last summer when he packaged Tevez and Mascherano to West Ham United.
Although the agent has a bad reputation, the abilities of Tevez and Mascherano are obvious to all.
After joining the Premier League West Ham United, Mascherano has not played for West Ham United for even a minute for three or four months, which made the Argentine midfielder want to leave.
However, since he had previously played for Corinthians in Brazil and in the UEFA Cup for West Ham United, his current situation is very embarrassing. It is difficult for top teams to take a fancy to him. Even Juventus of Serie B announced they would give up after learning about the situation.
Therefore, after learning that Bayern was forced to send Hargreaves away, Holabchin immediately flew from the UK to Dubai, met with Hoeness, and recommended Mascherano to Bayern, hoping that the Bundesliga giants could sign him.
"He has only played one UEFA Cup knockout match for West Ham United, but the Hammers have already been eliminated. In addition, he has only played six times for West Ham United in the past six months, starting twice. I think it is entirely possible to apply to FIFA for special permission for him to participate in Bayern's second half of the game."
Hoeness was convinced by Holabchian's suggestion, and the Bayern giant immediately communicated with Heynckes and also sought Su Dong's opinion over the phone.
Su Dong knew about Mascherano, who was quite capable. Messi had praised the ability of this national team teammate. Su Dong also watched the World Cup in Germany, where Mascherano performed well. If he could really join Bayern, he would definitely be a strong reinforcement.
Afterwards, Hoeness communicated with Beckenbauer and Rummenigge.
Beckenbauer was a man with connections in both FIFA and UEFA. He immediately said that if Bayern was determined to bring in Mascherano, they could apply for special approval and he would be responsible for lobbying, which would not be a big problem.
So, Hoeness immediately started negotiations with Joorabchian and immediately applied for special approval from FIFA to avoid delaying the winter transfer.
Mascherano eventually successfully transferred to Bayern Munich for a transfer fee of 15 million euros.
But if this deal is to be completed, it must have special approval from FIFA.
Therefore, Mascherano cannot be considered a Bayern Munich player for the time being.
…
In just over a month, Bayern Munich's entire team has been completely transformed, from the signing of Su Dong to the change of coach and the recruitment of new players.
Modric, Marcelo and Mascherano, whose transfer has not yet been completed, cost Bayern a total of 32 million euros in transfer fees. This is the largest winter transfer in Bayern's history.
Rummenigge fulfilled his previous promise and demonstrated Bayern Munich's ambition.
Of course, some media have also done the math, that is, by selling Hargreaves, Bayern recovered 30 million euros and invested 32 million euros, so the actual net investment was 2 million euros.
The most powerful one is Su Dong, who came to Bayern directly on a free transfer.
So much so that after Bayern returned to Germany, Bild was full of expectations for the second half of the season for Bayern, believing that the Bundesliga champions would catch up in the second half and counterattack opponents such as Werder Bremen.
More fans are speculating whether Su Dong will appear in Bayern's first game after the winter break, against Dortmund away?
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
