Alright, first and foremost, we have to congratulate Bayern Munich for securing their place in the Final of this season's Champions League, despite the fact that there are some sections of fans and pundits alike who claim that Bayern has been lucky, especially in their semi final tie against Lyon, and that they are sure that had Bayern was up against either Inter or Barcelona, then it might have been a different story altogether. But let's face it, Bayern is in the final, and in any case, they have earned their place in the final.
Alright, I won't be discussing about how Louis van Gaal is just like a mighty phoenix which has just risen from the ashes, which I believe the world has seen enough of that kind of articles whether by professional journalists in top soccer news websites or newspapers etc. or just an average fan blogging in his/her own blogs. Now, the focus is really on what need to be done by Bayern Munich to secure the much coveted “Big Eared” trophy and stamp their authority (as well as German Football's) on the footballing universe.
The first and main priority for Bayern to go all the way in the tournament is of course by carefully keeping Arjen “Glass Man” Robben from broken. Like what I have mentioned previously in the past, Bayern have to do everything to ensure their flying Dutchman is not grounded, they have to keep him in a tip top shape or Bayern will have to contend with the runners-up medal, a medal which is seen as an insult rather than a 2nd place honor among players and managers alike. The fact that Robben has been rather surprisingly fit for a prolonged period of time this season is not merely coincides with the fact that Bayern has been performing way beyond the initial expectations at the start of the season. One could just take a look at the knockout phase of the competition from the last 16, all the way to the semi final tie against Lyon. A glance at those 6 matches so far would reveal a fact that Robben has been on the scoresheet for each and every one of those games, and that his goals have been very very vital to Bayern's chances of progressing beyond each stage of the competition. Thus, the final is no exception. I have mentioned this, and I will mention it again, put a “Fragile” tag on Robben's forehead or play him once every two match-days and put him into a special training regime a la Ledley King of Louis van Gaal must, as Robben's fitness will be -I dare say- the only determinant in Bayern Munich's chances to secure the trophy. Not even Ivica Olic can save Bayern without Robben's presence and vital goals (this point is especially for those who are carried away after Olic's hat-trick against Lyon in France yesterday).
At the beginning of the season, this following second point would have been swapped with the above point, but in any case, this priority is arguably the second one right now, but it is in any case crucial. What Bayern needs to do is simply to seriously attempt to overturn the suspension imposed on Franck Ribery for the showcase in Santiago Bernabeu next month. Alright, I know at this time, many people, and that would include Bayern fans themselves, would rather see “Scarface” on the sidelines rather than on the field and becomes a liability instead of helping the team, as evident in the first leg match against Lyon in Allianz Arena, in which he was sent off and thus the three match suspension received by the Frenchman. In the match, Ribery was clearly a liability, as besides obtaining the straight red card for a potentially career ending and poorly calculated tackle, Ribery was not being himself. This is at least mostly if not mainly due to the scandal which rocked French football in which a teenage call girl by the name of Zahia Dehar revealing that 4 top French footballers including Ribery have used her services. This scandal really didn't help matters. But then why must Bayern go at great lengths to overturn the ban (which they have lodged an appeal at the time of writing)?
The reason is simple. Assuming that the appeal lodged by Bayern is successful, even if the Ribery which turned up at Santiago Bernabeu is just half the man that he is supposed to be, Ribery is the kind of player who has a certain “WOW” factor. What I am implying is that, he is the kind of player which the mere mention in the team sheet would send chills down the opponents' spine. As long as Ribery does not receive yet another red card, especially early in the match, which would be devastating (Just ask a certain Mr. Lehmann at your own peril!), he could function as a decoy. Like what I have mentioned earlier, the Ribery who turns up (any forms of Ribery) does not really have to do the dirty work. Leave that all to Robben and of course people like Olic and even Miroslav Klose off the bench later on in the match, not forgetting Mario Gomez, but the pivot is still Robben (why the first point is crucial). Bayern could just utilize the aforementioned WOW factor possessed by the Frenchman and draw the opposing players towards him when he has the ball, leaving his team-mates free for Ribery to just pass the ball to them to get the job done. This will also increase Ribery's confidence as the match wears on, and it is a win-win situation for Bayern from now on. Even if the opposition decides to just ignore Ribery, and focus on other players, then these players will logically give the ball to the free Ribery, who is then free to roam the pitch and at this point of time, his confidence is likely to shoot up a few notches, enough to wreak havoc and even get on the scoresheet. This shows how important Ribery is no matter which Ribery turns up in the final.
Basically, Bayern Munich must only get the two points mentioned above done regardless of the costs. For, it will certainly be a fair return for the Bavarians if they manage to secure the trophy next month. However, it is certainly deceptively simple. Despite his recent immense improvements in terms of fitness and the massive reduction of “working hours” lost, I, for one, would still consider him as a time bomb waiting to explode at any time, and the last thing Bayern needs is for the Dutchman to be sidelined just before the final against either Inter or Barcelona, both are very formidable teams. All those wonder goals will then turn out to be in vain, wasted, buried in the ocean of disappointment and sadness. As for Ribery, the appeal might not be successful, and even if the appeal is successful, there are chances of Ribery, a time bomb himself at the moment, to suddenly implode and let the team down again. They may have escaped against Lyon, but against either Inter or Barcelona, any mishaps or nonsense from Ribery or any other player for that matter, will be severely punished and there's no way back for Bayern if that happens. In any case, we shall just stay tuned in the footballing universe and I, for one, am looking forward to how Bayern's European campaign turns out to be when the final has been concluded in Santiago Bernabeu next month.
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