Gotze leaves jilted bride Klopp in tears

After leaving Borussia Dortmund for Bundesliga title rivals Bayern Munich in the summer, it was almost inevitable that the Germany international would eventually come back to haunt his old club.

And, just over four months after moving the the Allianz Arena, Gotze made a telling contribution on his return to Signal-Iduna Park.

The 21-year-old came off the bench to a chorus of boos and broke the deadlock shortly after, firing past Roman Weidenfeller.

Bayern completed a 3-0 win thanks to Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben, but it was Gotze who Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp believed to have changed the game.

"I do not care how badly we lost," he said. "The second and the third goal do not represent this match.

"Bayern played differently. They played many long balls and they were very patient. We had the bigger chances until the 1-0 and we had a huge chance for the 1-1.

"But you have to convert these chances. After the second goal you could see the team had a crack. I don't care about the third goal."

Sunday, November 24, 2013 12:30

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Ribery stacks up the silverware in bid for Ballon d'Or

 

Can anyone stop Lionel Messi from steamrolling his way to a fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or title? Well a certain French winger thinks he can...

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery made his announcement in no uncertain terms on Saturday, insisting that it is he who should be crowned the best player in the world.

"I think I've done everything to be the world's best player," he told the Bundesliga's official website.

"I've played a very, very good season. It's either now or never for winning this prize. I can't play any better than this."

So with the titles stacked up, including a Champions League and Bundesliga title, as well as a DFB-Pokal triumph, is the Ballon d'Or within Ribery's grasp?

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Jupp Heynckes hands Pep Guardiola the key to the Bayern Munich steamroller!

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Heynckes and Klopp play Guess Who

 

Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich faced off in a Bundesliga dead rubber on Saturday afternoon in a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final later this month.

But both BVB boss Jurgen Klopp and die Roten manager Jupp Heynckes played around with their team selections, carefully avoiding giving too much away ahead of their European encounter.

Star players such as Mats Hummels, Lukasz Piszczek, Marco Reus and Sven Bender were rested for the home side, while Bayern made eight changes from the team that beat Barcelona in midweek.

And so with both managers keeping their cards extremely close to their chest, who knows how the teams will line up at Wembley... 

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Heynckes encourages Bayern booze-up

 

Bayern Munich can clinch the Bundesliga title on Saturday if they beat Frankfurt, and boss Jupp Heynckes has allowed his players to let their hair down.

Die Roten have run away at the top of the table this season, leading second-placed Borussia Dortmund by 20 points ahead of their trip to Commerzbank-Arena.

And despite facing a trip to Juventus for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, the 67-year-old has told his charges they can celebrate with a beer or two.
 

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Bundesliga stock rises as Bayern claim a prize football asset

 

Pep Guardiola brought a premature end to the likely summer saga regarding his next destination after he was announced as Bayern Munich's next manager.

The 41-year-old, who guided Barcelona to 13 trophies during his four-year stint at Camp Nou, will take over from Jupp Heynckes when he retires at the Bundesliga club at the end of the season.

The appointment will come as a blow for both Manchester City and Chelsea, who were heavily interested in hiring Guardiola this summer, while the Premier League has lost another intriguing addition for the time being.

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Humble pie

 

With Borussia Dortmund on the brink of claiming their second successive Bundesliga title, Jurgen Klopp has been vocal in stating that Bayern Munich should recognise the achievements of their rivals.

The Bavarian giants, and especially president Uli Hoeness, have been critical of the Signal Iduna Park side in the past and the relationship between the two clubs is now more strained than ever.

However, with BVB on the verge of defending their title, the Bayern Munich president may have to follow Klopp's advice and finally "take off his hat to BVB's performances"...

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Bastian Schweinsteiger

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Plain sailing in Madrid and Turin ...

 

As the season enters its crucial period, individuals can become heroes in key moments.

That was the story in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night when Cristiano Ronaldo netted yet another hat-trick to guide Real Madrid past city rivals Atletico, and in Turin where Alessandro Del Piero came off the bench to seal a vital win for Juventus over Lazio to send his side to the top of the Serie A table.

However, in Germany it was a different state of affairs when Arjen Robben sunk his Bayern Munich side in the defeat at Borussia Dortmund. 

First the Dutchman played Robert Lewandowski onside for the only goal of the game, before he twice cost his team a point when he failed to convert a penalty and then missed from close range. It's sink-or-swim time for Bayern in the title race, but it looks like Arjen is doing both.

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Pick on someone your own size!

 

Goalkeeper Joe Hart might be England's last man standing by the time Wednesday night's international friendly against Netherlands at Wembley kicks off, given the rate of withdrawals from the Three Lions' squad.  

Glen Johnson became the fifth player to pull out, joining Darren Bent, Wayne Rooney, Tom Cleverley and Kyle Walker on the injured list..... 

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SmackDown 2012 - starring Badstuber & Muller

 

Jupp Heynckes was hoping for a 'Backlash' from his Bayern Munich players in Basel on Wednesday night following his side's tame 0-0 draw with Freiburg the previous weekend. The veteran coach was unhappy with their 'Attitude' and wanted to see a little more fight from his 'superstars'.

Unfortunately, Holger Badstuber and Thomas Muller took that instruction a little too literally and ended up having to be pulled apart by their boss after clashing over who was to blame for Basel's winner at St. Jakob Park. The hope now is that there will be no 'Bad Blood' between the pair after the WWE-style 'Bust-up in Basel'. 

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Bayern Munich's transfer 'bomb' backfires

 

On Thursday, Bayern Munich revealed that they were set to announce the signing of a "bomb" striker, leaving the football world on the edge of its collective seat. A variety of names were touted as potential arrivals, only for the Bavarians' official website to announce that it was the public - Bayern's 12th man, and they were simply seeking publicity.

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Bastian Schweinsteiger

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Oh! Dortmund

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Neuer zu Bayern München

Bundesliga 4 places

Serie A lost the forth spot in the Champions League to the Bundesliga

Football or basketball?

Big results in the European competitions

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