Bayern Munich flex giant muscles with bruising win over Köln

Bayern Munich raced out to a quick 2-0 lead over Cologne inside ten minutes en route to a 4-1 victory on Friday night in the Bundesliga. Bayern's fourth straight win provisionally widened their gap on second-placed Wolfsburg to 11 points.

Josep Guardiola fielded a very attacking-minded lineup against predictably cautious visitors, with Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Thomas Mueller and Mario Goetze all starting behind Robert Lewandowski in a 4-1-4-1 formation. It didn't take long for the Bayern manager's strategy to bear fruit.

Providing the home fans with the perfect present for the club's 115th birthday celebration, Schweinsteiger headed in a Robben corner after just three minutes. Seven minutes later, Ribery cut inside from the left wing and struck a well-placed finish with his right foot past Timo Horn to double their lead.

Bayern didn't relent with their pressure, frustrating Cologne with free-flowing football that amounted to over 70% possession for the game. Indeed, Horn prevented an even bigger deficit with two fine saves on Lewandowski (1', 29') and another on Robben (4') in the first half.

One moment of inattention was all Cologne needed to get back into the game, however. Anthony Ujah provided a lifeline on the final touch of the half, a header that beat Neuer from close range for his eighth goal of the season.

Cologne came out a different, braver side in the second half, making for an up-and-down affair. Ujah almost equalized in the 58th after a great cross from Slawomir Peszko, but slightly mishit his attempt allowing Neuer to make the save. On the other side, Bayern found themselves on a two-on-one counter-attack just a minute later, but Robben picked the wrong option and his weak lay-off to Lewandowski was cleared away.

Robben would make up for his mistake just ten minutes later and restored Bayern's two-goal lead. Ribery, who terrorized Cologne right back Brecko time and again, provided a good service to the far post where the Dutchman placed a header into the opposite corner for his seventh goal in the past five games.

The game was then put out of reach in the 76th as Robben chipped Horn on another counter-attack and into the path of Lewandowski, who just had to stick his chest out to guide the ball over the line.

It was Bayern's 18th goal in their past three Bundesliga games, giving them 63 through 23 matchdays. They remain on pace to break the all-time single season goals record (101), which Bayern set in 1971-72. Relegation-threatened Cologne, meanwhile, are winless in their past five games.

FC Bayern aim for 'top level' against Köln

FC Bayern have a packed schedule on the near horizon with five games in 16 days against Köln, Braunschweig, Hannover, Donetskk and Bremen. “We’re entering a critical phase,” sporting director Matthias Sammer told fcbayern.de prior to the home Bundesliga meeting with promoted FC Köln on Friday (Live in English from 20:30 CET on Twitter and FCB.tv Web Radio): “I expect every player to be aware of this fact. We need to keep marching on and steadfastly follow our chosen path.”

After the disappointing result away to Wolfsburg in the restart fixture following the winter break, the team has been increasingly on form in recent weeks. Reds’ fans were heartened by the 8-0 demolition of Hamburg and a 6-0 victory away to Paderborn, but the personalities at the club are refusing to get carried away. “They were big wins, but our football still wasn’t fast enough,” Pep Guardiola said on Thursday. The team is of course good, “but obviously we can still get better.”

The Spaniard called for another step forward against Köln, although Guardiola said he is approaching the meeting with the side in 13th “with great respect. They’re very well organised defensively,” the coach said. The Rhineland team have conceded only 25 goals, compared for example to Wolfsburg’s 24. And only FC Bayern have taken more points away from home than Peter Stöger’s team. “We have to control their counter-attacks,” said Sammer, “but the most important thing is for us to reach our top level.”

Benatia not yet fit

Mehdi Benatia, who has been unable to train with the squad this week due to a sprain, is definitely ruled out. Long-term absentees Philipp Lahm, Thiago and Javi Martínez are all making good progress but the Köln clash comes too early for any man to make a comeback. Friday evening will be particularly special for Cologne-born Mitchell Weiser, who made his Bundesliga debut for Köln as a 17-year-old three years ago.

The midfielder switched to Bayern – and scored his first top flight goal in Paderborn last weekend. “It was a really outstanding feeling,” Weiser informed FCB.tv on Thursday. The talented youngster is now determined to make a contribution against his former team-mates. A victory would represent another important step on the road to the title for Bayern – and, said Guardiola, it would be “the best present” on the occasion of the club’s 115th birthday.

Preview: FC Bayern vs 1. FC Köln

Bundesliga’s back and on Matchday 23 the Rekordmeister is welcoming the Billy Goats to the Allianz Arena. With five matches in the next 16 days, FC Bayern is entering a critical phase. After tomorrow’s match, the Bavarians are going against Braunschweig, Hannover 96, Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen. Three competitions in such a short period of time could cause problems to the Bavarians. That’s why it’s important for FC Bayern to win the match against 1. FC Köln so that the self-confidence is there when their campaign continues in the DFB Cup on 4th March.

Even though the Rekordmeister has an excellent record of 20 wins in a row against newcomers, the promoted FC Köln has managed to cause problems to the Bavarians in their previous meetings. However, FC Bayern have demonstrated their power in the demolition matches against Hamburg (8-0) and SC Paderborn (6-0) and it seems like they have found back to their old form after a rather bad start of the second round.

Against FC Köln, Matthias Sammer is expecting a focused FC Bayern team “We are entering a very hot season phase now and we must be aware that we have to turn on the machine mode and not the emotion mode. Feelings don’t count now. We need to be relentlessly greedy and have to return to our unforgiving rhythm.” Will FC Bayern succeed in this is yet to see.

The match takes place today, Friday 27 February, 8:30 p.m. CET at the Allianz Arena. (Saturday 28 Feb, 3:30 a.m. Malaysia time). See you !

Ribery ponders taking German citizenship

BERLIN : Bayern Munich's French winger Franck Ribery has revealed he is considering taking German citizenship in an interview with daily newspaper Bild on Thursday.

The ex-France international has played for Bayern since 2007 and when asked whether he wanted to apply for German citizenship, he replied: "Why not? I can imagine staying in Munich after the end of my career.

"I have bought a very nice house, I feel good here and I like the mentality.

"My children are doing well at school, they have German friends.

"My son Saif was born here, he may even one day play for Germany."

Ribery, who turns 32 in April, says his decision whether or not to apply for German citizenship will be because of his family and "the future".

"My eldest daughter Hiziya always makes fun of my German, and I laugh with her," said Ribery, who was voted German player of the year in 2008.

"I did not learn the language in school, but in my daily life, from other people."

Ribery is one of the few foreign players comfortable with being interviewed in German live on air after Bundesliga matches and has a reputation for being the joker in the Bayern squad.

In Germany, a citizen from another European Union country can apply for German citizenship after eight years of residency, by proving you can speak the language and passing a naturalisation test, while retaining their original nationality.

Ribery won the Champions League title with Bayern in 2013 and has won both the German Cup and Bundesliga title four times, with Munich on course to claim a fifth German league title. – AFP

Robert Lewandowski Claims He's Happy

Robert Lewandowski has told the ​club's official website that he's happy with Pep Guardiola's side, in the wake of reported interest from Manchester United.

The Polish striker is believed to have been frustrated under his manager's playing style and unhappy at being played out of position, but went some way to putting the reports to bed by insisting he's happy to stay - though he does hope to start more regularly.

He said: ​"Like every attacking player I want to score lots of goals and play well. That’s always my target. But we have plenty of challenges still to come.

"Obviously I want to play every game from the start, that’s only normal. But it’s fine. When I’m out on the pitch I try to play well and score goals. I’m very happy at FC Bayern. And especially when I’m scoring, which is optimal."

Lewandowski was thrilled with the club's 6-0 win over Paderborn at the weekend, a match in which he scored twice. He put the hefty scoreline down to Bayern's hunger to keep scoring and insisted that despite an eight point advantage at the top of the Bundesliga, nothing is won yet.

He continued: "We’re playing every three days, so your body needs a break every now and then.

"It was a great game and we scored six goals. It was important to get the two before half-time, because it made the second half a bit easier.

"It’s our mentality. We always want lots of goals, regardless of the score at the time. We always want more. And an eight-point lead over Wolfsburg isn’t that much. VfL are playing very well, so we have to be on our guard until the end of the season. Regardless of our lead in the table, we always have to concentrate."

Stefan Effenberg: Robert Lewandowski Is Not a 'Dodgy Purchase'

Bayern Munich legend Stefan Effenberg claims Polish striker Robert Lewandowski is not a "dodgy purchase" amid recent criticism of his performances, according to Sky Germany.

Lewandowski ended a somewhat barren run in front of goal against Paderborn at the weekend - scoring twice - but has been linked with a move away from the club over the last week. The former Dortmund man is believed to be a little unhappy at being played out of position under Pep Guardiola, but Effenberg insists the 26-year-old is very important.

He said: ​“People who say that Lewandowski was a dodgy purchase have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to football. He is extremely important to the team.

“The charisma and quality that he had at Dortmund, he has at Bayern. The difference is that at the Allianz Arena he has three or four other world-class attackers alongside him.”

Arjen Robben Warns Bayern of Shakhtar Threat Ahead of Champions League Clash

Bayern Munich forward Arjen Robben insists Champions League opponents Shakhtar Donetsk pose a tough challenge ahead of the clash between the teams in Lviv.

The German champions approach the game off the back of an 8-0 win over Hamburg in the Bundesliga at the weekend, but Robben is not taking the Ukrainian outfit lightly.

He said: ​"I have a feeling that some people might underestimate Shakhtar. But this is a very, very good team. They are very dangerous, have some very fast Brazilians and are very dangerous on the counter attack.

"We need to show our power in this game."

The game will be played over 770 miles away from Shakhtar's own Donbass Arena because of ongoing troubles in Ukraine. And Robben added that it is impossible to ignore what has been going on.

He continued: "We're football players, but we are only human. Of course it's not great what's happening there. You can't just go there and ignore it all."

Thomas Muller added with regards to the problems: "You know there is this terrible war out there, but you don't really realise it because you don't really know such a situation. 

"It's hard to grasp to be playing against a team that is based in a crisis area. It's a surreal situation."

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 'Relaxed' Over Pep Guardiola Contract Situation

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is "relaxed" despite uncertainty over whether manager Pep Guardiola will sign a new contract with the German champions, report ESPN.

Guardiola has been in charge at Bayern since ending his sabbatical from management in 2013, and he is currently just over half way through a three-year contract he initially agreed to take charge in Munich. Doubt remains over whether he will sign a new contract to stay on, but Rummenigge is happy to wait to talk to the former Barcelona coach at the end of this season.

He said: ​"I had a discussion with him a couple of weeks ago about this matter. The outcome of the final results of these discussions have been that I don't want to ask him within this running season. Afterwards we will have a discussion and we will see.

"I'm relatively relaxed because I believe we can offer him a very good club, a good team. I believe he likes the city, he likes the culture of the club, the style of society life here in Munich. So, I have the general impression he feels well here in Munich, so we will see.

"But I don't know in the end what his final decision is. We're happy with him, and I hope that in the end he's happy with us and will renew the contract."

Rummenigge also addressed the state of the club's playing squad, and hinted that while he is happy with the first team, a number of players over the age of 30 would perhaps need to be monitored in the interests of moulding a new-look Bayern for the future.

He continued: "So we have some players that are beginning with the autumn of their careers, players that are more than 30 years old. But I don't have the impression that all of them are in a critical phase.

"I think players like [30-year-old Bastian] Schweinsteiger, Ribery, especially Robben are still up in good conditions and doing well. When I'm watching Arjen Robben I'm still falling in love with his performance, which has been at a very high level for two years especially.

"Of course we have to care about, to find the right balance at the end. But I'm convinced there is a good chance that we will find the right balance in the end to find a good way to substitute them.

"That is, of course, a very important matter we have to do together with the coach, which is not easy. But I believe we are able to do so."

Hukuman gantung perlawanan Boateng dikurangkan menjadi dua

Berita baik buat semua peminat Bayern! Hukuman penggantungan kepada Jérôme Boateng telah dikurangkan. 

Following his red card in the 1-1 draw with Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga the FCB central defender will now only miss two games. Boateng was originally banned for three games and FC Bayern then lodged an appeal.