Where is the Schweini of Old?

[bayern is god]

Another game. Another dissapointing 90 mins for arguably German's biggest midfield talent since Deisler.

I watch him play, then have a look at his previous matches. Then I wonder. Has FC Hollywood's reputation got the better of another German talent? Deisler fell after he joined Bayern and now Schweini seems to be going down a similar path unless something changes.

People are starting to doubt him. Hitzfield is starting to doubt him, and even worst is that German fans are starting to aswell. But has Schweini really been that bad? Or has just fallen under the shadow of Ribery's blistering form?

I think Ribery's performances have taken the glouse of some of Schweini's. Whenever I have seen him play, I have hardly seen a bad pass or cross from him. Whenever he gets the ball he finds is team-mates. But then the team mates dont seem to do the same for him. He looks for a one two, but ends up running for no cause and then has to go back and try and defend for his fellow team mates.

Then I ask him. Why the ******** did you pass the ball Schweini?! Dribble and get into pace like you used to!

Whenever the Schweini of old would recieve the ball, you knew he was going to get past his marker. He used to hog the ball and do magic. Now you look at him, all he does is get the ball and pass it to a teammate. Then goes back to defend.

Schweini is just as good as Ribery, Ribery might be quicker. But Schweini has better quality in passing. All the lad needs is a resurgence of confidence. Watching clips of him 2 yrs ago seems like your watching someone else.

All I can ask is why has he changed? Was it that Ribery's arrival changed his role in the team? Or is just a reaction after last season's dissapointment?

I plead to Ottmar to play him more, cause a Schweini in form is one of the most dangerous players in the world.

DUNCAN KEEP AWAY:p

[Equilibrium]

I think Klismann will help not Hitzfeld... Just look at Lahm, instead of letting him go and attack a lot (like 1st period of last game), he makes him defend.

I still have faith in Schweinsteiger, he had a good game yesterday and did a few times try to take his marker instead of passing back. In form, he is without a doubt an amazing midfielder... Form is temporary, class is forever. :cool:

[JPB4]

He's in more of a supporting/holding midfield role now with Ribery as an attacking mid. He's had a run of bad form lately but when on top of his game is still very dangerous. 2 PERFECT passes to Toni yesterday for his 2nd and 3rd goals, the first was the best. Overall I thought he played well yesterday and you could argue, based on his 2 assists, he was one of the best for Bayern on the pitch yesterday.

Interestingly, Lowe (sp?) still seems to have supreme confidence for the national team in him despite recent club struggles.

He is still quite young and I think his best football is still ahead of him. Maybe would flourish better in a more attacking role, and I'm sure Klinsmann will free him up to play more like he did in the WC.

Still think Klinsmann is an odd choice unless he plans to move back to Germany.

[SoftTackle]

The Schweini of old is the same Schweini of today, albeit with variations in form. He can still serve in a good cross or test the keeper from afar, but he still attempts too often to dribble out of trouble and gives away possession too easily and can't manage stay in a game mentally and physically for the full 90 minutes. When he emerged four years ago, the positives outweighed the negatives in fans minds because he was a breath of fresh air and there was the expectation that with experience the negatives would be reduced. They haven't, which is why there is so much frustration with him now. I think he's destined to be an off the bench game changer for a top side (like Llungberg was for Arsenal) or will be a inconsistent regular for a second tier club.

[JPB4]

The Schweini of old is the same Schweini of today, albeit with variations in form. He can still serve in a good cross or test the keeper from afar, but he still attempts too often to dribble out of trouble and gives away possession too easily and can't manage stay in a game mentally and physically for the full 90 minutes. When he emerged four years ago, the positives outweighed the negatives in fans minds because he was a breath of fresh air and there was the expectation that with experience the negatives would be reduced. They haven't, which is why there is so much frustration with him now. I think he's destined to be an off the bench game changer for a top side (like Llungberg was for Arsenal) or will be a inconsistent regular for a second tier club.

Disagree completely! His "struggles" right now are compared to his best form. He will be a starter under Klinsmann and will be an important part of the Bayern and national teams. "he still attempts too often to dribble out of trouble and gives away possession too easily". Note that he is passing back more and out of pressure more.

His pass to Toni for Toni's 2nd goal was superb, absolutely perfect.

[Equilibrium]

Still think Klinsmann is an odd choice unless he plans to move back to Germany.

He's moving to Germany, it's already been stated.

[eissman]

Question: Where is the Schweini of Old?

Answer: Still looking for the Schweini of New.

:)

[ForeverRed]

Wow...I can't believe someone compared Schweinsteiger to Ribery. Schweiny was NEVER as good as Ribery and at this rate will neve even get close.

And was Schweinsteiger ever really THAT good? Sure he was MUCH better than he has been the last two seasons but let's not get ahead of ourselves. He always benefited from playing in a great system (German NT) and having quality players around him (Bayern). I'm not taking anything away from Schweiny, he has talent and potential but after such a drought in young German talent the nation and the press were very eager to jump on the bandwagon of this new generation of German footballers that included Schweinsteger and overhyped them from the start.

That said, I think Schweinsteiger can regain his form of "old" if he just stops believing the hype, which I think he does to a certain degree. Furthermore, he has to work hard because more times than not he seems lazy and unmotivated on the pitch. In other words, I think the pitfalls of being a young coveted highly paid footballer has gotten to Bastian (and he's not alone) and it has affected his game. To put it mildly, he has to get his head out of his arse and start from the beginning and play like he has something to prove.

He has been very lucky Ottmar likes him or else he'd be warming the freaking bench or relegated to the reserves.

[eissman]

Let's just put it this way....

For those of us who have been watching Schweini play since he signed a professional contract with Bayern, he is equally consistant at being inconsistant as he was then as he is now. I dare say that back in his earlier years, even with a LOAD of talented midfielders on the team, he was at least giving us poor performance followed by good performance followed by poor then good. Now it seems too distant between good performances. Under Magath I felt it may be due to some complacency issues, and under Hitzfeld's 2nd term, more over-hype from post DM06 expectations.

Now, this season, there are no excuses or covers left... he is healthy, there is plenty of good competition in midfield, and he is now needed as a player to step up. So, I feel personally this is a make or break year for Schweinsteiger.

The true test will be if Klinsmann comes in and completely changes him as a player. If this is possible and he shows us the Piggy many of us expected years ago would eventually emerge, then all the power to Jürgen. I have been a fan to long on these boards to think very optimistically about this happening, but I will admit to wanting to see it happen.
I hope Klinsmann is the right ingredient.

[eissman]

Wow...I can't believe someone compared Schweinsteiger to Ribery. Schweiny was NEVER as good as Ribery and at this rate will neve even get close.


Then you are going to REALLY love this.... 'Bester Mann auf dem Platz' (http://www.fcbayern.t-home.de/de/aktuell/news/2008/15164.php?fcb_sid=826dc2e4607887c71139bd29a5b70d37)

No only a Ribery in the same sentence, but MOTM???? Wow. Just wow.

[Bayern.eZe]

Don't think that he was MOTM (Toni), or can be compared to Ribery. But I think he was the second best man of the match. I can totally understand topics like these, but I didn't expect it after this match.

[ZimbabweBob]

he shed that skin in one of the various munich nightclubs

[Duncan Idaho]

DUNCAN KEEP AWAY:p

No! :p

[Duncan Idaho]

Then you are going to REALLY love this.... 'Bester Mann auf dem Platz' (http://www.fcbayern.t-home.de/de/aktuell/news/2008/15164.php?fcb_sid=826dc2e4607887c71139bd29a5b70d37)

No only a Ribery in the same sentence, but MOTM???? Wow. Just wow.


Overstatement nothing else, Luca Toni certainly was the true MOTM as he scored the winning goals. It's just that they declare Schweinsteiger out of pity to the MOTM because he had to suffer so much trouble :rolleyes:

[ForeverRed]

Then you are going to REALLY love this.... 'Bester Mann auf dem Platz' (http://www.fcbayern.t-home.de/de/aktuell/news/2008/15164.php?fcb_sid=826dc2e4607887c71139bd29a5b70d37)

No only a Ribery in the same sentence, but MOTM???? Wow. Just wow.

This must be an inside plot to get Schweiny going or something. I have never seen such a thing after a good 45 minutes from a player. They are treating this as if he is a 16 year old who played his first Bundesliga game and performed well. What is this world coming to!?!?

If Schweinsteiger can play like he did in the second half for the remainder of the season I'll be glad to get off his back but I don't think anyone should throw ANY kind of praise around after he did what has been expected of him for the last two years.

I nearly spewed the Red Bull out of my mouth after I read that article saying Schweiny is a different type of Ribery.....no shit he's got a different interpretation of the left midfield role than Franck, he couldn't dream of doing what Ribery does in that role.

[Equilibrium]

So next year:

--Ribery--------Quaresma
------Kroos---Pig--------

In defensive suicide and orgasmic attack? :p

[TheBoss84]

Quaresma? I dont wanna se that arrogant prick anywhere near the team. He already said Germany was too cold. Well lets see him when Bayern wins the CL and he is on another crappy club.

No seriously hes a great player, but i dont think hell come to us.

[squidward123]

For germany, schweinsteiger often (2/3 games germany play) does produce consistent quality throughout the 90 mins.

If he improves to a higher level, this quality during a match will be higher (say like schneider's quality), AND it will be 3/3 games instead of 2/3.

The fact that he's at the level he's at means that for bayern where you play every week, the quality performances actually drop from 2/3 to even less than 1/3.

In other words, there's not much difference between the old and current schninsteiger. The old one used to dribble a bit better.

[eissman]

In other words, there's not much difference between the old and current schninsteiger. The old one used to dribble a bit better.

And there you have it... in bold... and that is the problem!! How many years has that been?

The difference for me when I first saw Schweini, I was excited about the prospect of what improvements lay ahead for the potentially dangerous midfielder. Now? I just hope we can get a full 90 of consistant play in back to back games. I have NO expectations for him anymore. I can't say that is a recipe for success, personally.

You can't compare club vs. country performances either, as we all know there are players who perform well for either but not for the other. Very few perform well for both. (top of my head I think of Henry when he was at Arsenal)

[squidward123]

when I think of players who used to play well for club and country, I think of gerdi muller.