FC Bayern Munchen News

The Croatia international is full of ambition for the remainder of the 2012-13 campaign and wants to win each competition that FCB feature in

Mario Mandzukic believes that Bayern Munich have what it takes to win the Champions League this season after seeing off Juventus in the quarter-finals and has set his sights on the DFB Pokal as well as he dreams of winning the treble.

The Bavarians beat Juventus 2-0 in the second leg of their quarter-final tie after previously winning the home-game 2-0, too, and Mandzukic is full of ambition for the remainder of the campaign.

“If you want to win, then you’ve got to play against the best so I don’t mind who we get in the semi-finals. If we play as well as this – and we have such good players – then we know we can do it,” Mandzukic was quoted as saying on the official Uefa website.

“It’s a dream for me to come so far in my first season and we can win everything. It’s good that we’ve already wrapped up the Bundesliga so the coach can rest a few players.

“We’re going for everything, why not? We’ve shown that we have the quality and so we want to win everything.”

Mandzukic has been a key figure for Bayern this term, netting 20 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions.

The 43-year-old has stated that the Old Lady cannot compete with the elite just yet and has urged his team to shift their attention to Serie A again

Antonio Conte has admitted that Juventus still have a long way to go before they can measure themselves with the European elite following their Champions League elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich.

The Bianconeri crashed out of European football this season on Wednesday with a 2-0 home loss after previously being defeated in the first leg 2-0.

Conte feels Bayern are simply too good for Juventus at this stage and, with Pep Guardiola set to take the reins in the summer, he predicted that the next few seasons could see the Bavarians dominate on the continent.

“We have a lot of work to do, we already knew that. In any case, I congratulated my players because what we have done in the last 18 months is amazing,” Conte said at a press conference.

“Nobody likes to lose, but you have to admit it when you face a team that is so stronger than you. They have played two finals in the last three years, so we knew there was a big gap between them and us.

“Bayern are really strong, individually and collectively, they can do wonderful things and they fight for every ball. It’s tough to play against them and we did everything we could. We just have to admit they’re better than us.

“I don’t think we could have done anything more and the way the fans reacted at the end proves it. Bayern will be one of the best teams in Europe for many years to come.”

Conte then went on to urge his men to turn their focus to Serie A again as they are looking to retain the Scudetto.

“We woke up from our dream – now we have to focus on the league again, and fast, because we want to win our second Scudetto in a row which would be a great achievement.”

Juve currently hold a nine-point lead over second-placed Napoli in the Italian top tier.

The experienced coach feels the Roten lacked focus in the opening stages of the game and has set his sights on more silverware this season

Jupp Heynckes feels that Bayern Munich were too sloppy in the opening stages of Wednesday’s Champions League match versus Juventus, but was pleased with the way they responded after the interval as the Bavarians eventually recorded a 2-0 away win (4-0 aggregate).

Bayern initially struggled against the Serie A leaders as they seemed to lack focus but they dominated proceedings in the second half after making a number of tactical changes.

“It’s not easy for players to be fully focused on a game after you’ve won the league just four days before,” he told reporters at the post-match press conference.

“That appeared to be the case in the first 20 minutes when we often lost possession too easily and weren’t fluent in our game going forward, but slowly we took control of the match and improved a lot in the second half.

“We discussed a few tactical matters at half-time. The tactical organisation had to improve and that’s what happened in the second half. In the end we fully deserved the win.”

Bayern have received their fair share of praise so far this season, yet Heynckes has stressed that they are not getting carried away as they are desperate to win more silverware after clinching the Bundesliga title at the weekend.

“We have received a lot of praise in the last few weeks. The positive aspect of this is that we recognised the praise but never let it influence our performances,” he added.

“We are having a very good season with some fantastic displays. We are Bundesliga champions, but we still have other goals. We will see if we are on the same level as Madrid or Barcelona.”

The draw for the semi-finals takes place in Nyon on Friday.

The Bianconeri were outplayed by Bayern Munich in their quarter final but, with the right additions and adjustments, they can catch the Germans, Barcelona and Madrid

COMMENT
By Carlo Garganese

Losing to Bayern Munich is nothing to be ashamed of. The newly-crowned German champions have reached the Champions League final twice in the last three editions, boast numerous world class players – both young and experienced – and have comfortably been Europe’s best team this season.

In the aftermath of Juventus’ emphatic 4-0 aggregate defeat on Wednesday night, coach Antonio Conte even suggested that this may be the “best Bayern team of all-time”. Barring another mental collapse, die Roten will probably win the Champions League in May.

When you consider where Juventus were just two years ago – set to finish seventh in Serie A for a second successive campaign – and where they have come from following their crushing Calciopoli-enforced relegation to Serie B in 2006, it is something of a miracle that the Bianconeri are already mingling with the continent’s elite once again.

Some would argue that, given their relative financial resources, Juventus have no right to be challenging Europe’s three strongest teams, all of whom take their place in Friday’s Champions League semi-final draw in Nyon – Bayern, Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Bavarians alone earned €128 million more than Juve in the last year. Madrid passed the €500m revenue mark in recently topping Deloitte’s Money League for an eighth successive season. Barcelona were in second place with €483m, with Juventus down in tenth with ‘just’ €195.4m.

‘JUVE WILL HAVE €35-40M TO SPEND’

THE BIANCONERI’S SUMMER TRANSFER PLANS

“This summer Juventus are likely to have €35-40m to spend, but this figure can be increased by selling the likes of Felipe Melo, Reto Ziegler and Jorge Martinez. Juventus have two key positions they wish to strengthen: a centre-back who can act as a vice-Giorgio Chiellini and a centre forward. Conte’s preference for the former role is Torino’s Angelo Ogbonna. The current options in attack are Porto’s Jackson Martinez, Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez and Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic. Juve will buy out the remaining half of Kwadwo Asamoah’s contract from Udinese and will explore a financially-viable way of doing the same for Mauricio Isla. In January, Giuseppe Marotta laid the foundations for signing Sampdoria’s Andrea Poli. Sassuolo starlet Gaetano Berardi, 18, is also a possible acquisition. In terms of outgoing players, contrary to reports, Vidal has not been offered to clubs and is not on the market but the presence of Pogba means that this is a situation worth monitoring. With the arrival of Fernando Llorente, one of Fabio Quagliarella or Alessandro Matri should depart. Paolo De Ceglie’s future is also uncertain.” Romeo Agresti | Juve Correspondent, Goal.com Italy

But this doesn’t mean that Juventus can’t maintain their phenomenal progress, especially as their new economic and sporting structure – with their own stadium – is already reaping rewards. Coach Antonio Conte, director general Giuseppe Marotta and president Andrea Agnelli are not miles away from constructing a Champions League-winning outfit. The jigsaw is missing a few pieces, but with a few smart moves it can be completed.

Most importantly, Juventus must not fail in the summer transfer market. Last pre-season, the Bianconeri splashed out €53m on new players – more than Barca and Madrid – but, while their outlay strengthened the squad and secured some promising youngsters such as the potentially world-class Paul Pogba, there was no significant improvement of the first team that had cruised to the 2011-12 Scudetto unbeaten.

This summer, Juventus must throw all of their budget at one or two top class individuals. The Rafa Benitez philosophy of buying five good players instead of two great ones does not work at big clubs. In terms of solidity and organisation, Juventus are the equal of anyone but what is missing is star quality in the final third; quality that Bayern have in spades through Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller.

A world-class attacker who can beat opponents, such as the previously-linked Luis Suarez, is a necessity – even if it means paying slightly over the odds.

But in order to finance Suarez-like operations, Juventus must not sacrifice Arturo Vidal. The sale of the Chilean is not impossible right now, with the thinking in some circles that Pogba is a more-than-able replacement. But selling Vidal would be suicide. The 26-year-old is the world’s best ball-winner – executing the most tackles in the whole of Europe last season, and the most in the Champions League group stages. Andrea Pirlo turns 34 in May and despite his unique playing style is approaching the end of his career.

To win the Champions League, though, you don’t just need top class players but also a top class coach. Antonio Conte has been a revelation since taking charge in May 2011. His leadership and motivational qualities are Jose Mourinho-like, with his iconic video at Vinovo demanding his troops “spit blood” perfectly typifying his coaching style. But there are still question marks over Conte’s tactical ability, an attribute that is so important in Europe. In tight knockout games, outthinking your opponent strategically and making the right substitution is often the difference between success and failure. A key reason for Manchester City’s Champions League shortcomings is Roberto Mancini’s tactical debility. The same goes for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.

In Munich, Conte failed to be proactive or even reactive in dealing with Bayern’s pressing and dominance in wide areas and waited until Bayern were 2-0 up before finally making a substitution. It is too early to write Conte off tactically, but this is an area of football that you can’t really teach – you either have a natural grasp for tactics or you don’t. In this respect, it may benefit Conte to employ a right-hand man who can bring this expertise to the Juventus bench. Current assistant Angelo Alessio may not be that man.

                Talk Tactics | Conte must prove himself tactically if Juve are to go all the way

As well as contemplating whether 3-5-2 is the ideal formation going forwards, Conte must learn to rotate his squad better and rest key players ahead of big Champions League games. Ten of the team who started in Munich took to the field at San Siro against Inter three days earlier. With Juventus nine points clear at the top of Serie A – and the Scudetto practically a certainty – Conte should have been smarter. If the Bianconeri want to win the Champions League then they may need to make some sacrifices in Serie A. Unlike Juve, Bayern are in prime physical condition for the business end of the season because they have spent the last month or so resting key players in domestic matches.

Ultimately, Juventus will also need the gods on their side. Despite being outplayed, Bayern’s two goals in Munich emanated from a freak deflection and an offside. Almost every team that has won the European Cup has ridden their luck at some point of the competition, the most obvious example being Chelsea last year. Franz Beckenbauer’s Bayern deserved to lose all three of their consecutive finals from 1974-1976. Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan class of ’89 – perhaps the greatest club team of all time – were losing 2-1 on aggregate at Red Star Belgrade and down to nine men in their second round second leg when the game was abandoned due to fog with just over half an hour to go. Milan won the replay on penalties.

Juventus fans will naturally be disappointed after their elimination on Wednesday night, especially as they did not show their true colours in the tie, but this outfit is not far away from the summit. With a good transfer market, some tactical tinkering and a bit of luck, the Old Lady can certainly challenge for the 2013-14 European crown.

Follow Carlo Garganese on

Die Roten overcame Juventus with minimal fuss on Wednesday to record a second victory against the Italian champions, giving further evidence of their growing superiority in Europe

COMMENT
By Kris Voakes

There was a palpable feeling of inevitability as Mario Mandzukic slotted home Bayern Munich’s killer first away goal against Juventus on Wednesday night. They had simply been the best team on the night just as they were eight days earlier at the Allianz Arena, proving worthy 2-0 winners in both legs. And if the oft-used phrase ‘the best team won’ is to be uttered at Wembley on May 25, then surely it will be die Roten lifting the Champions League trophy aloft.

Over the last two midweeks, the Bavarian giants have once more shown everybody that they are the best team in Europe right now and must surely be considered as the favourites to win this season’s competition.

Yes, they have fallen at the final hurdle with regularity in recent times – with defeats in 2010 and particularly 2012 hitting them right where it hurts – but, just as they have blown away the opposition in the Bundesliga this term, they are primed to deliver on the continent as well.

Many observers are too quick to automatically install Barcelona as favourites simply because they are still in the competition but, just as was the case 12 months ago, the Blaugranahave shown significant frailties of late that most are willing to overlook simply because Lionel Messi wears blue and red.

Yet those same critics are all-too-willing to rule out Bayern as serious front-runners because of nothing more than the events of years gone by. Very few give credence to the idea that the German champions may simply be more driven and more determined as a result of last season’s final defeat to Chelsea, as well as the participation of many of their players in Germany’s no-show against Italy in the Euro 2012 semi-final which followed soon after.

Hard evidence tells us that Bayern are the continent’s most in-form side. While the more pragmatic Real Madrid are shaping up for a serious run at La Decima, it is die Roten who truly have the team to fear. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and a backline including the likes of Philipp Lahm, Dante and David Alaba will be difficult for even Messi to contemplate breaching, especially given the support and direction ahead of them which dictates that Bayern spend little of their time without the ball in most games.

In possession, they are frightening, showing an ability to play at high speed for long periods. With the industry and artistry of Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger feeding the forever-threatening front four, consisting at various times of top quality players like Mandzukic, Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, Franck Ribery, Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben, they are simply the most formidable all-round unit in the European game as it stands.

The fear is that they will not get the praise they deserve for just how good they are unless they are triumphant in north-west London in six weeks’ time. If they fail again, they will simply be written off as the lovable, laughable nearly-men that some critics are too quick to want to label them as.

But the reality is very different and if a fifth Champions League triumph is what it takes for them to receive the headlines that they have earned with their magnificent football this term let us all hope that is what they achieve. In realistic terms, it is now Bayern’s trophy to lose.

Follow Kris Voakes on