The We-Suck-What-To-Do-About-It Thread

Well, as you've said attacking isn't our problem. Defending definetly is. Our 4-1 wins, 3-3 draws and 2-2 draws prove this. Lizarazu has been playing... well let's just say bad. Kovac when he plays hasn't been playing all that well either. But then again, the team hasn't been playing that well altogether either. In the Bundesliga our Midfielder's have to go back and help defend more. I would suggest a 4-1-3-2 formation, like this: (not including injured players at the moment)
..........................Kahn..........................
Sagnol.........Linke......Demichelis.........Lizarazu
........................Jeremies............................
Hargreaves..........Ballack...............Ze Roberto
..........Maakay..............Pizarro/Santa Cruz.....

Yes, I know its a lot like the current team, but with more emphasis on defence. Get Jeremies to defend way more than he is now, and Ballack to sometimes come back and help the defnce.

In Europe its a different story. We're not conceding too many goals, but we're not scoring too many either. Here I would put Ballack and Ze Roberto both in more attacking roles.

 

I forgot about Hasan Salihamidzic. He can come in useful at times also.

 

There are some things going on with Bayern:

1) Playing Ballack in the central creative midfield role. Ballack is not a pure playmaker. He's more of a defensive midfielder that goes forward to score goals at well timed periods of the game. Ballack is better suited as a quasi wing midfielder (sort of like when he played with Bayer) or as a third midfielder in a 3-5-2 alignment. It would be better to go with 3-5-2. This way, another creative midfielder can work alongside of Ballack and Jeremies, thus freeing up Ballack to do what he does best and Jeremies to concentrate on the defesive role.

2) Central defense. The usually reliable Linke has been horrible, and the sometimes inconsistent Kovacs has not been at his best. Koufor has looked good, and the talented Demichelis needs to be on the field.

3) Santa Cruz, while very talented, looks lost and disappears for long strechtes. Pizarro has been great when he is playing.

4) Defense has been horrible over all. So with a 3-5-2, perhaps good defensemen on the midfield wings would be in order.

Here is my proposed line up:

G - Kahn (of course)

Defenders - Demichelis, Koufor, Kovac

Left Mid - Lizurazu
Right Mid - Sagnol
Defensive Mid - Jeremies
Attacking Mid - Salihamidzic
Roaming Mid - Ballack

Forwards - Makaay, Pizarro

I know Brazzo usually plays on the right, but he has been one of Bayern's better offensive players and he is tremendously versatile.

This line up would essentially give Bayern 5 defensmen, with Ballack free to do his thing and Lizu and Sagnol freedom to attack up the wings.

I would also give Rau time at left mid, once he's healthy again. He is the young stud while Lizu is the fading veteren.

I also like the idea of Bayern acquiring Friedrich. If that happens, I'd put Feidrich in for Kovac.

If Scholl is healthy, I'd bring him off the bench for late game punch.

Ze Roberto could come off the bench either on the left or in the attacking mid roles, giving them some late game punch.

Santa Cruz is better suited to come off the bench, also, as I think he stills needs some seasoning.

Deisler is bench material only, until his body and spirit get back in order.

Maybe my proposed line is stupid (I'm just a dumb fan watching from California). But Hitzfeld obviously needs to shake things up a bit. His current line-ups (4-4-2) and tactics are not working.

 

JeffS you are so right about Ballack!

Bayern need to shift the playmaking duties and creativity to other players but who? Ze Roberto? Salihamadzic? No one in Bayern really fits that catergory, and it was stupid of Hoeness and Co after Effenberg left to think Deisler could have filled that role with his constant injury problems.
Bayern's midfield is not able to constantly feed the strikers with promising balls...
So what about Tevez? Would he benefit the squad and turn things around? If he is as good as everyone says then I think he can, because we need that creative spark that can gell the midfield with the strikers.
There is talk of him coming then he isn't; now there is talk about Friedrich but we won't see any of them if any, coming till the summer and I'm afraid by then we would be out of the Champions League and qualifying for the UEFA cup in 4th spot after losing our Liga title to Stuttgart or Leverkusen

 

Tevez would be a very promising addition. I've seen him a number of times (we get the Argentine leauge on FSW, and they constantly show Boca Juniors). Tevez is an amazing little dynamo of a talent. He would, though, require some adjustment period to get used to Bundesliga football, as well as some general maturing. After all, Tevez is only 19.

In the meantime, Salihamidzic is not a natural central playmaking midfielder, but he has lot's of skill, he can be very clever, and he is very active. So I think he could fill that role pretty well (at least until Bayern get a legitimate playmaker). I'm not completely sold on Ze Roberto. He's a tremendous talent, but he seems to be limited to being a left winger and he also seems to be playing for himself a lot of the time.

I've also held the opinion that Bayern should pursue some of the young German playmaking talents such as Paul Freier or Daniel Bierofka. I think either of these guys would blend well with Ballack and Jeremies in Bayern's central midfield and fill their respective roles very well. Oh well, it's all Monday morning quarterbacking (an American football term, referring to fans who think they can run a team ).

 

To me it seems that Ballack is playing exactly the same position as he did in Leverkusen. There he had Ramelow behind him, Schneider on the right of him and Ze Roberto on the left. The difference might be that Jeremies is not as good as Ramelow and Salihamidzic/ Hargreaves are not as got as Schneider. I really thought Demichelis played very well as a DM, but then Hitzfeld brought back Jeremies who I don’t think is up to it any more. Lizarazu is I think done, and should be released at the end of the season. Does anyone know when does his contract run out.

I’ve read that Bayern scouts have been looking at a young Santos defender. Maybe they should be looking at Olof Mellberg as well to strengthen the defence.

 

I doubt Daniel Bierofka will return, he was at the Bayern amateurs quite a few years ago and we released him to 1860.
Paul Freier hasn't really convinced me yet he has the talent to be at Bayern.

Neither of these players are playmakers rather just wingers like Ze Roberto and Salihamadzic. Problem with Germany is we don't produce good playmakers.

Sad to say this but at the moment Germany and Bayern only have Deisler who could remotely fit this role.

Hahaa nothing wrong with fans thinking they can run a team, that's why I play Championship Manager

 

You got Trochowski in you´re B-team. He has everything, except a coach that lets him play for the Pro´s regularly.

 

^sad but true
everyone talks bout Robinho, tevez, etc, but we have trochowski!
He's great talent and he can become a 2nd Mehmet Scholl!
man i miss scholl, hopefully he will come back till February, with him, we have a good chance to beat Real, without him, it will be very very difficult

 

I've been hearing good things about Trochowski. It seems he's a highly technical player (like Scholl) and his idols (according to Bayern's website) are Zidane and Figo. I saw him come in at the end of the Stuttgart game (Bayern's best all around game so far this season, IMHO), but it was too little action to make a judgement. He looked quick and good on the ball, but I saw little else. Can anyone who's seen him play more give a more complete assessment on Trochowski?

With Scholl and Deisler out, it might be a good idea for Hitzfeld to give Trochowski some more playing time. He could come in as that play making type midfielder in a 3-5-2 system.

 

Things are looking much better after the Freiburg game. Not just because of the result, but because Hitzfeld may have found three new and young starters: Demichelis,Rau and Schweinsteiger. I think that Bayern are a much fresher and quicker team with those three in the lineup.