Quite simply, this is a incredibly clever goal from a player presently on top of his game. He sells both the defender and keeper of the back pass, then without hesitation, a quick leaning back lofted ball into an empty net. Watch the initial that beats 2 defenders and a keeper... the last defender never covers the goal that is vacated and Mueller just clips in behind them all. Best clip I have seen in a while. Eissman is right-clicking and saving as....
While Mandzukic does not have Gomez's scoring panache, I love his energy and work rate. He is a better version of Olic, and really compliments the players in behind him. He is unselfish in his play, take on defenders with ease, likes to play on the flanks and defends very well. My biggest criticism is that he isn't hovering around the penalty area like Gomez does, with the predatory instincts of a Mario1. When Gomez returns, realize there is going to be an adjustment period for both he and the players around him. Hopefully it will be a dream fit. I am hoping for the best from Super Mario's return.
Bayern don't need someone to hover in the box. In fact, having a domineering central figure hovering holds back the goal scoring threats Bayern have at their disposal. Mandzukic opens the team up so others can come into play. Now you get more goal scorers, more frequently.
Yes the team showing with Gomez scores a lot more than without the previous year is a nice try. Perhaps we should look at your fantasies and rely on them instead.
If only someone could invent a time machine and bring back a younger, less injury prone version of Pizarro. He's our most complete striker. Great goal scorer,superior link up play and technical ability to Mandzukic. He would really flourish in today's lone striker formation.
The problem with Pizarro in his younger days wasn't the system, it was that he was a bit lazy and wasted his talent. Coaches like Hitzfeld and Magath always said that he could become a world class striker if he would just work on his attitude. The thing is that Pizarro needed too long to understand this. There is a reason why he didn't fullfil his potential at Bayern AND Chelsea and only with more maturity (being humbled through his failing at Bayern/Chelsea probably didn't hurt) did this change. Injuries were also never really much of a problem for him, he had a pretty normal injury record and his injuries in the last 1-2 years are imo more down to his age. So if someone invents a time machine you should rather send the old Pizarro back and let him talk to his younger self that he could have become a world class player with a different work ethic/attitude in his younger years. Pizarro? Yes, he is even a very good header.
Klose was also "the perfect striker" on paper and we saw how that worked out. Anyways while Pizza could be a solid shout to start next match, I'd still give the edge to Mandzukic.
He could easily slot into Barca's lineup. This and last year are his best ever imo. The best Bayern player in the pre and post Van Gaal years
He literally can make or break a game... Now imagine when him and robben are on fire in one game.. They can kill ANY team..
Ribery is better than pre Van Gaal era because even though he was explosive and incredible offensively, with Heynckes he's improved his defensive game even further than he did with Van Gaal, making a truly complete winger in every sense of the word.
Hard to imagine that two seasons ago a lot of Bayern fans had written Ribery off as a player who was losing his pace, too often injured, and too big of a distraction to make it worth keeping him. He's come back from his (partly self-generated) adversity a much better and more complete player than he was.
I admit, I was one of them. I even had a long argument with Eissman about this. Never been happier to be proven wrong. He was injured, wasn't getting along with Van Gaal, and was under Robben's shadow. He was no longer the star of the team and all that frustration took its toll on his game. Not to mention the sex-scandal. All said and done, he's been the best player on the team for more than a season now.
Pretty much the story of BS. I've heard countless arguments about Robben, Gomez, Kroos, Schweinsteiger, + Badstuber. The only one that was really fair is Schweini since he took so long.