Bastian Schweinsteiger Back in Full Training

The joy on Bastian Schweinsteiger’s face was clear for all to see. When he stepped onto the pitch, when he worked with his team-mates and at the end of the session. The Bayern midfielder had an unmistakable smile when he returned to full training on Wednesday afternoon.

The last time the FCB vice-captain worked out with the first team squad was at the training camp in Qatar four weeks ago. He was then sidelined again with a knee injury. But now Bastian is back and he was in the thick of it on the training ground to the evident pleasure of the 400 fans looking on at the Säbener Strasse facility.

Schweinsteiger completed the whole session including the initial tactical drills, carried out behind closed doors, then the football fitness course ending with a shot at goal and the final three-against-three tournament. He not only scored the winner twice but he also celebrated with his team-mates as he won the tournament.

Bayern Aim to Keep Calm and Carry On

The atmosphere was electric before kick-off as the players came on to the hallowed turf at the Allianz Arena for the first time in 2014, accompanied by the South Stand commemorating former president Kurt Landauer with a gigantic choreographed display. After the referee got the game against Eintracht Frankfurt underway at 5.30 pm CET, the Bayern eleven set about doing justice to the stunning setting, successfully keeping the fans on the edge of their seats for the following 90 minutes. Each goal was better than the previous one and there were some delightful moves. The visitors from Hessen were almost spectators in Bayern’s impressive 5-0 win.

“We wanted to sit back and close down the spaces. But that’s easier said than done,” admitted Armin Veh at the post-match media conference. The Frankfurt coach was bowled over by the FCB performance: “I’ve never seen such a strong Bayern side before. A great display and high tempo.” The quality of the Bayern performance was evident with summer signing Thiago smashing the Bundesliga record for the number of touches in a game (185) and just missing out on the European record set by Sergio Busquets (190).

“He’s a fantastic player. He was all over the park. That was world-class,” declared Matthias Sammer. Guardiola added: “It’s a big record for him.” Bayern’s playmaker was typically modest in his response. The Spaniard described his performance as “not so important. The important thing was how we played. That was great and we’re happy about it.”

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FCB Rise to Third in Annual Money League

Winning the treble in 2012/13 not only brought Bayern three glittering trophies but also sent them third in the annual Football Money League. In the 17th edition of the ranking compiled by accountancy giants Deloitte, measuring the world’s biggest football clubs by turnover, Bayern’s record figure of €431.2 million (turnover minus transfer dealings) saw the Reds leapfrog Manchester United (€423.8 million) and take third place. As in the past nine seasons the list is headed by Real Madrid (€518.9 million) and Barcelona (€482.6 million). “Given the unequal distribution of revenues due to decentralised TV rights marketing in Spain this represents an enormous success for FC Bayern,“ commented Karsten Hollasch, partner and director of the Sport Business Group at Deloitte. Bayern are the only German club in the top ten. Dortmund ranked 11th (€256.2 million), Schalke 14th (€198.2 million) and Hamburg 17th (€135.4 million).

Warm Receptions for Pep and Players

The New Year began at Bayern with visits to far-flung Qatar and Kuwait, but on Sunday the stars and personalities took the opportunity to see something of the region closer to home. The reason was the traditional and annual round of fan club visits, normally a pre-Christmas affair but postponed until the New Year on this occasion due to the FIFA Club World Cup. Many official fan clubs enter the draw for the chance to host a big Bayern name, and this year the players and coaching staff travelled to the usual wide variety of locations including the Allgäu region, Lower Bavaria, Franconia, Swabia and the Upper Palatinate. Manuel Neuer went all the way to Austria, and Tom Starke crossed the border to South Tyrol.

Pep Guardiola travelled a much shorter 30 km to the south of Munich and the town of Glonn, where the FCB contingent among the 5,000 inhabitants greeted the coach to the accompaniment of a marching band. The Spaniard signed the community’s Golden Book, reserved for special guests of honour, and ceremonially entered the hall set aside for the event to the strains of a brass band. Some 450 FC Bayern Stammtisch Glonn '94members and their invited guests warmly welcomed the FCB head coach.

“I’m delighted to be here,” said Guardiola, “it’s the first time I’ve been part of the FC Bayern fan club visits.“ On the day after his 43rd birthday, the Spaniard was visibly impressed by the programme devised in his honour: a birthday song in Spanish, a huge cake, and a traditional Bavarian jacket inscribed with his name. The coach immediately put on the fine sheepskin garment and was still wearing it when he left. Sister Carmen from the local convent bestowed the Order of the Good Shepherd on the Bayern coach, who was naturally made an honorary member of the club as well.

Guardiola 'impressed' by his players

Pep Guardiola was in his element. He gestured, gave directions and doled out advice. The focus on Sunday morning in Doha, where the sun finally decided to come out, was on the back four. Guardiola gave his men detailed instructions as to their movements and how each player should react in certain match situations. Following the tenth squad training session at the Volkswagen Camp Qatar the FCB coach described himself as “happy” and delivered a positive summary at the end of a hard-working week: “I’m really impressed with the way the players have trained.”

It was clear to all observers that the team has laid down firm tactical foundations over the last six months. Guardiola has used the spell in Qatar to build on that solid basis. The training drills were considerably more complex as Guardiola delves into the details. “The quality and intensity are superb and higher than last summer in Trentino,” observed Guardiola, who was so enthusiastic during the week he even lost his voice at one point. “I’m old,” he grinned, sounding only a little hoarse now.

“It’s been very intense and our legs are heavy. but that’s normal at a training camp,” Toni Kroos informed fcbayern.de. Mitchell Weiser said: “We worked a lot on the ball and there weren’t any long runs. But the short exercises take it out of you as well.“ Thomas Müller confirmed that point of view: “We’ve had a lot of mixed sessions: running with the ball, obstacle courses with lots of sprinting - and that’s often more demanding than simple running.“

Based on the effort they have invested all the players deserve to be in the team for the restart fixture away to Gladbach, said Guardiola, announcing his intention to rotate his squad even more in the second half of the season. One reason for that is the greater number of options now available to the boss, as the likes of Martinez, Götze and Thiago were sidelined for long spells before Christmas but have played a full part in Doha. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben “are in much better shape and almost ready to come back,” Guardiola reported.

A fantastic week

A packed programme awaits FCB for the rest of the campaign. “We’ll have a game every three days so we’ll need every player,” commented Guardiola. The Spaniard is delighted at the absence of new injuries during the training camp; there was a scare involving David Alaba on Sunday morning but the Austrian has not sustained serious damage. 

Overall, Guardiola described the week in the Middle East with the training sessions, the 2-0 friendly victory over Al Merrikh, the pitches and the hotel as “fantastic.” And despite two days of rain, Pep felt the weather had been “perfect.” The squad will train again on Sunday evening before the Munich party flies to Kuwait on Monday morning for an evening friendly, with the departure for home set for the next day. “We’ve done a lot of great work and the mood is very good,” summarised Müller, “that’s no guarantee of results, but I think we’re definitely well set. We’re confident.”

Sammer: He deserves it

Winning the FIFA Ballon d’Or “would be a dream,” said the Frenchman, “it’s a big award and I have a big chance. 2013 was my best year with the team, but also as an individual.” However, Franck knows it will be tough: “My rivals are superb.” Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the other names on the shortlist, “and I’m just happy to be put together with these two great players.”

Naturally, everyone at Bayern thinks the only worthy winner would be Franck Ribéry. “I think it’s clear Franck deserves it this year,” declared Philipp Lahm, who had a vote as Germany captain. “And I voted for Franck.“ In Matthias Sammer’s opinion, “Franck was the most complete and best player. He applies his individual quality to the team effort. It would be logical for him to win.”