I Made A Mistake

Pep Guardiola: 'I made a mistake' - Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola took responsibility for his side's UEFA Champions League semifinal loss to Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos struck braces in Real's 4-0 second-leg thrashing of the Bundesliga champions at the Allianz Arena, completing a 5-0 aggregate victory.

Guardiola: I made a mistake

Guardiola said it was his error that led to Bayern's loss, while he was unhappy with the way his team used the ball after having the majority of possession in both legs.

"We played badly when we had the ball. That's my responsibility. I made a mistake," the Spaniard told a news conference. "It was a bit better in the first leg, but congratulations to Real Madrid."

Guardiola lamented his side's defending from set pieces, with Ramos heading in a corner and free kick in the first half. Ronaldo netted on the counterattack before halftime and completed the scoring with a cheeky free kick that went under a jumping Bayern defensive wall.

"We have to carry on now. If you don't play well and you defend set pieces badly, that's just how it is. You are being punished," Guardiola said. "We are at the highest level in Europe; such mistakes are punished right away."

Guardiola said he had been hopeful Bayern could reproduce the performances it put in against Premier League sides Arsenal and Manchester United earlier in the knockout stages.

"What we did against Arsenal and Manchester (United) did not work today," he said. "Also in the first leg in Madrid we had more control than today and at least a couple of chances. Today, just a few. That's why we have lost the semifinal. You play with the ball and if you don't have it that doesn't work." ( Goal.com )

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Keeping Franck Ribery saved Bayern Munich

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: Keeping Franck Ribery saved Bayern Munich -- When Karl-Heinz Rummenigge speaks, you listen.

And his advice, if you want to be the best club in the world, is: Never, ever sell your best players.

"I believe a very important point in our history came in 2008," Rummenigge, a legend in German football and executive board chairman of the all-conquering Bayern Munich, told CNN.

Franck Ribery has been a key player in Bayern Munich's domestic and European success. The France international winger, who was shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or, attracted the attention of major rivals after his first season in Germany. 

"We received big offers from England and Spain for the transfer of Franck Ribery to big clubs and we decided not to accept," added the 58-year-old, referring to an official bid from Chelsea and an inquiry from Real Madrid for the player who had cost Bayern $40 million in 2007.

"That was very important. I believe because from that point onwards all clubs in Europe understood that Bayern Munich was not a selling club. It's a buying club and that's it."

Rummenigge is all too conscious that it could have been so very different for his beloved Bayern, where he spent the first decade of his senior playing career and won numerous honors.

Back in 2004, the Bavarians finished second in the German Bundesliga behind Werder Bremen and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the last-16 by Real Madrid.

Not since 2001 had Bayern lifted Europe's most coveted trophy, as teams from the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A and Spain's La Liga dominated.

For a club that enjoyed such glorious years in European Cup football between 1974-76, winning the title on three consecutive occasions, the prospect of being left behind by the continent's elite was frightening.

Rummenigge -- who played in the 1976 success and was an unused substitute in the previous year's final -- was all too aware of Bayern's precarious position.

It wasn't just the interest other more avaricious clubs had in Bayern's leading players; the new money flooding into European football also potentially threatened the Germans' status.

"About 10 years ago I thought we had no chance when gentlemen from Russia and from the Arab countries came into the business," said Rummenigge, referring to the various takeovers of major European clubs by Middle East groups and also Roman Abramovich's investment in England's Chelsea.

Bayern Munich: The best in the business 

"Then we found a very good philosophy at the club -- being a bit patient, and buying good players.

Do Bayern Munich need Pep Guardiola? 

Football gloom in Munich 

"The story began in 2007 when we bought Ribery, Luca Toni ... and we continue this story to today."

A buying club indeed -- Bayern has become a European power to rival Barcelona and Real Madrid by attracting some of the world's top players.

That it is able to do so owes much to the commercial model Rummenigge has created along with club president Uli Hoeness.

Helped by the presence of so many of its great players on the board, Bayern is a club which understands not just what happens on the pitch, but off it too.

According to the Deloitte money report, Bayern is the third richest club in the world, with its revenue growing by 17% over the past year to $592 million.

It is the first time in 11 years that Bayern has been in the top three of the Money League and comes following a Champions League triumph from which it gained a 31% increase in broadcast revenue.

Its average home attendances of 71,000 led to matchday revenue of $4.6 million -- more than any other Bundesliga club and less than only four others in Europe.

Commercial revenue, merchandise, sponsorship and advertising have all increased markedly, while deals with partners have also boosted the coffers.

Extensions to deals with Coca-Cola and Lufthansa, on top of the club's longstanding partnerships with Adidas and Allianz, which holds the naming rights to the stadium, have put Bayern miles ahead of its domestic rivals.

That is part of the reason why it has been able to raid the likes of Borussia Dortmund for talents such as Mario Gotze, who joined at the start of this season, and Robert Lewandowski, who will arrive in Munich when it finishes.

"That is not our will," Rummenigge says when asked about poaching from rival clubs.

"Our will is where you find the best players in the German Bundesliga. In England it's not different that the big clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United are interested especially in players from Arsenal, from Liverpool and so on. I believe that is the normality of the business."

Such is the talent at Bayern that Pep Guardiola, who took over from treble-winning coach Jupp Heynckes at the end of last season, was able to name Germany internationals such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller as substitutes for last week's 2-0 win at Arsenal in the Champions League.

Already 19 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, unbeaten in 47 league games, Bayern looks set to win a record 24th championship without much hassle.

Bayern and Arsenal on top 

Football's Rich List 

Bayern eases past Arsenal 

Sunday's 4-0 victory over Hannover -- its 14th successive league win -- means only an absolute disaster can prevent Bayern from coasting to a successful title defense, making Dortmund's two-season reign seem long ago.

Even more impressive is that Bayern's fans can enjoy this success while paying prices which English Premier League counterparts could only dream of.

Bayern's 225,000 members hold an 82% share of the club, and Rumenigge has made football accessible to all supporters with some season tickets available for just over $200.

Indeed, the low-cost deals offered by all Bundesliga teams are the envy of many within the European game.

Bayern, the 2013 Club World Cup champion, is seeking to extend its dominance and will reportedly open the club's first overseas office in New York from April 1 to help break into the North American market.

Guardiola's team will begin a U.S. tour in late July, including a match against the Major League Soccer All-Star lineup.

Under the guidance of the Spaniard, the possibilities appear endless for Bayern -- a heavy favorite to become the first team to retain the European title since the advent of the Champions League in 1992.

It makes Bayern's acquisition of the former Barcelona coach even more frightening for those who are trying to compete within the same sphere.

"From the very first meeting, I had a feeling that he was something special," Rummenigge said of Guardiola.

"He's different. Obsessed by football in a very, very nice and good way. When I talked to our players six months ago they said this guy doesn't stop our success story. This guy brings us ahead."

If they move any further ahead, then the others will only look on with fear. ( CNN )

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Conte lets rip as Juve crash out to Bayern

Conte lets rip as Juve crash out to Bayern - Juventus coach Antonio Conte has called on Italian football to get its house in order or risk becoming a lost giant of European football, following their quarter-final exit from the Champions League to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. 

Juve were outclassed during a 2-0 first leg defeat to the newly-crowned German champions last week in Munich and despite a far better performance in Turin on Wednesday the hosts fell to another 2-0 reverse. 

Conte, a former midfielder with the two-time European champions before leading the club to their 28th Scudetto in his first season in charge last year, said Tuesday there was a huge gap between his side and big-spending Bayern. 

Bayern Munich's Mario Mandzukic (L) and Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus fight during their Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match at the Juventus stadium in Turin April 10, 2013. 

After second-half goals from Mario Mandzukic and Claudio Pizarro sealed the Bundesliga side's place in the semis for the third time in four years, the 43-year-old Conte took aim at Italian football in general. 

He said it is time for Italy's clubs to start generating the finance needed to compete on a level playing field with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester United. 

If not, Juve could go the way of one of European football's strongest sides in the 1970s, Dutch giants Ajax, who have struggled to get back to Europe's top table in the past two decades. 

"Given that two years ago we weren't even in the Europa League I have to congratulate my players for getting this far," said Conte. 

"They've worked really hard to make a mark in this competition over the past two years. 

"They (Bayern) were simply stronger than us and we can only congratulate them. When you're playing against one of the strongest teams in Europe it becomes difficult for everyone. 

"But playing Bayern was a good opportunity to see where exactly we are compared to the big boys in Europe. Where are we, what's missing and how do we remedy it? 

"We have to look elsewhere, to Spain, to England and to Germany to see what lessons we can learn. 

"But if you have the money, you can buy (players) and win. Otherwise, it takes a lot of patience. 

"The way things are right now, I don't see any Italian teams winning the Champions League for the next several years." 

Inter Milan in 2010 were the last Italian team to win the Champions League but since then no Serie A side has made the final four of Europe's premier club competition. 

Although Juventus are considered one of the continent's bigger clubs, their comparative lack of spending power does little to draw the world's top players. 

Juve have repeatedly declared they cannot splash out 30 million euros on one player, but for the club's director general Beppe Marotta, Bayern's massive spending power has proved key. 

"We were dominated last week at Bayern and this week we lost again, but not just on the pitch -- in terms of finance as well," said Marotta, underlining the fact Bayern, champions four times, were beaten finalists in 2010 and 2012. 

"They have played two finals in the space of three years. Don't forget that Bayern have a turnover that is not only twice that of Juve, but also Milan and Inter Milan." 

Conte said he will now concentrate on "defending our league crown", but he called on Italian football -- which has been rocked by match-fixing, drugs and sports betting scandal over the years -- to take a look in the mirror, or fall further behind. 

"Look at Ajax. They were huge before, now they're nowhere in Europe," he added. 

Conte, who earlier this season served a four-month touchline ban for his alleged role in a match-fixing affair while at his former club, Siena, added: "In Italy, people are more interested in following futile stories than looking at how we can go about improving the state of our football. 

"They ask useless questions about the referee or this or that. The answer is, we have to work hard and try to take our football to a new level and to do that we have to increase the budget that's available to us." // AFP News

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Manchester United's achievement has been devalued by their own relentless brilliance

Manchester United's achievement has been devalued by their own relentless brilliance - The ease with which Manchester United are romping to the Premier League title has devalued the achievement in the eyes of many observers.

As the theory goes, how can the champions elect be regarded as outstanding when the competition has been so sub-standard? Especially when they can lose at home to their principal title rivals in Spring and still peer down from a great height to the runners-up spot 12 points below.

From the outside, the path to United’s 13th Premier League coronation, and 20th in total, has been a stress-free stroll.

CITY WIN THE BATTLE...

52' Milner opens the scoring 59' Kompany nets unfortunate OG 78' Aguero scores fantastic winner

...UNITED WINNING THE WAR
		PD	W	D	L	GD	PTS
	Man.Utd	31	25	2	4	38	77
	Man.City	31	19	8	4	30	65

There have been no crises, no wobbles to provide encouragement for others, no need, even, for mind games. Just, the odd isolated defeat and an absence of any doubt about the final outcome.

The equation is thus: United can only be denied the title if Manchester City win their seven remaining league games and Sir Alex Ferguson’s team accrue their worst seven-game points haul for eight years. No bookmaker in the land would give you remotely generous odds on that dual possibility.

Yet, like Barcelona in the Spanish top tier and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, United appear to be suffering from their own relentless brilliance.

The two clubs widely believed to be their closest challengers before a ball was kicked this season have provided inadequate competition. Given their resources, City have mounted a feeble title defence, while it soon became apparent that Chelsea’s campaign of poisonous upheaval would be garlanded by a cup triumph at best.

Of the other heavy and super-middle weights, Tottenham and Everton have punched above their division, Arsenal and Liverpool marginally below theirs, but, then, few had predicted beforehand that this aristocratic quartet would be vying for anything other than the final Champions League place.

United have simply been too good, too often, for everyone. A haul of 77 points from 31 matches has blown away all-comers with the kind of force not seen since the first of Jose Mourinho’s two title-winning Chelsea sides in 2004-05.

Even after conceding three derby-day points, the table shows that Sir Alex’s 2012-13 collective are as much of a juggernaut as Chelsea were back in the day when Mourinho was wearing a grey overcoat. United lack the steel of a statistically outstanding defence but their strength in depth, most notably in the forward areas, is deserving of the manager’s observation that this is the best-equipped squad he has managed.

It is hard to imagine a forward of Javier Hernandez’s match-winning calibre starting fewer than his six league matches this season at any other club in Europe. And that includes Barcelona.

One of Sir Alex’s greatest skills is his squad management over the course of a 38-match campaign. He is the king of the rotators, adapting his team for each opponent and occasion.

This ‘horses for courses’ policy has been a regular feature of United’s league triumphs from the mid-noughties onwards but it has been even more marked this season.

Only six members of the squad have started more than 20 of United’s 31 league fixtures - Robin van Persie (26), Michael Carrick (26), Patrice Evra (28), David de Gea (21), Rafael (23) and Rio Ferdinand (22).

By comparison, nine Chelsea (Gary Cahill, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Eden Hazard, Branislav Ivanovic, David Luiz, Juan Mata, Ramires and Fernando Torres) and seven City players (Gareth Barry, Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta) have started 20-plus top-tier fixtures.

By this yardstick, Liverpool (nine), Tottenham (eight) and Everton (eight) have all been more consistent in team selection. Only Arsenal match United’s total of six regulars, although the Gunners have five other players who have started 18 or 19 league games, a statistic United do not come close to.

Perhaps United’s greatest strength is their all-round fortitude. They are not overly burdened by an injury, or loss of form, to a single player.

Nemanja Vidic remains the club captain but he has started less than half of the league matches and will be far down the list in most observers’ assessments of the key components of the impending title triumph.

Robin van Persie was sensational before Christmas but he has flickered only intermittently since and his impact over the course of the season does not match, say, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007-08.

Furthermore, Wayne Rooney’s latest mediocre display in a marquee match demonstrates that individual brilliance has been a secondary factor in assembling what is surely an impenetrable lead.

This season’s goals record is not too shabby. A Premier League-record haul of 96 or above remains within reach.

Yet it is unlikely that history will judge United’s 2012-13 team as favourably as the Ronaldo-inspired 2007-09 teams, the treble winners of 1999 and their immediate successors, or the early Sir Alex collectives which can still make the Govan godfather go all misty-eyed.

The 13th of his title winners remain on course to overhaul the 90-point finish of Arsenal’s 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’ but they do not possess the artistry of the high water-mark of the Arsene Wenger era.

Most United followers fondly recall the main personnel in of each of the title-winning seasons. The best XI almost always picked itself. The back five was usually rooted in cement. Edwin van der Sar behind Gary Neville, Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra. Or, Peter Schmeichel barking out orders to Paul Parker, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and Denis Irwin.

Not this season. David De Gea featured in his34th match of the season against City. He has played behind 22 different back-four combinations. That is a revealing statistic.

It is difficult to argue that this is a great United team, especially after twin failures in the latter stages of the Champions League and FA Cup.

But this is a cutting-edge squad perfectly equipped for 21st century version of a league campaign. That is where their greatness lies.

All that’s left to nail down the legacy is to hoover up a league title. ( Goal.com )

READ MORE - Manchester United's achievement has been devalued by their own relentless brilliance

Eintracht Frankfurt - Bayern Munich

Eintracht Frankfurt - Bayern Munich - With the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie with Juventus looming large, Bayern is set to shuffle the pack once more. Rafinha, Jerome Boateng and Diego Contento all should get run-outs in defense in the places of Philipp Lahm, Dante and David Alaba, respectively, as Bayern can clinch the Bundesliga title with a draw or win.

In midfield, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk will get a rare start as Bastian Schweinsteiger is given a rest, while Franck Ribery should make way for Xherdan Shaqiri, who will form an attacking midfield trio with Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben in Toni Kroos' absence.

Finally, Mario Gomez is likely to play up front ahead of Mario Mandzukic and Claudio Pizarro. Holger Badstuber remains out for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, for the hosts, goalkeeper Kevin Trapp is unavailable due to a broken hand, giving Oka Nikolov a rare opportunity to impress in the Bundesliga.

Elsewhere, though, they have no fresh injuries or suspensions, though Pirmin Schwegler and Martin Lanig will be competing for a spot in midfield, with the former returning from injury.

Bundesliga Preview: Eintracht Frankfurt - Bayern Munich

PROBABLE LINEUPS

FRANKFURT Nikolov Jun, Zambrano, Anderson, Oczipka Schwegler, Rode Aigner, Meier, Inui Lakic

BAYERN Neuer Rafinha, Van Buyten, Boateng, Contento Tymoshchuk, Martinez Robben, Muller, Shaqiri Gomez

DID YOU KNOW?

• Eintracht Frankfurt has the best home record against Bayern of any team in the Bundesliga, having won 18 games against the historical giants and losing just nine.

• What's more, no team has ever claimed a 1-0 victory over the Bavarians more times in their history than the Hessians.

• Frankfurt coach Armin Veh made all 65 of his Bundesliga appearances playing under Bayern counterpart Jupp Heynckes (pictured, right) at Borussia Monchengladbach.

• Bayern Munich can win the title with six games to spare for the first time in their history, beating its record of matchday 30 from 1973 and 2003.

• Furthermore, no team has ever won the Bundesliga title during the first half of April.

• Claudio Pizarro's four goals against Hamburg last week were his first of the Bundesliga season, coming in his 14th appearance. // Goal.com

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Bayern will challenge Barcelona and Madrid for Champions League glory

Bayern will challenge Barcelona and Madrid for Champions League glory - Arjen Robben is brimming with confidence ahead of the first leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League quarterfinal tie against Juventus, and believes the Bundesliga leader can challenge pre-tournament favorites Barcelona and Real Madrid for the title.

The Bavarians made it to the final of the competition last campaign, and Robben feels they have what it takes to make it to this year's showpiece at Wembley too, even though he realizes Juventus will not be a pushovers in the quarterfinals.

Robben: Bayern will challenge Barcelona and Madrid for Champions League glory

"We showed last season that we can be up there with the best in Europe, so we want to be in the final at Wembley. We will challenge the likes of Barca and Real for the title," the Dutchman was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

"If you look at last year's final against Chelsea, again we should never have lost it. But we’ve improved from last year. We are in the quarterfinals and we are top of our league, so you can’t ask for more.

"The tie against Juventus is going to be a tough challenge for sure. They are a team with so many experienced players — people like Andrea Pirlo — and we know how hard they will make it for us."

The Netherlands international then went on to discuss his future at Bayern, and dismissed rumors that he could be on the move this summer.

"Sometimes it's ridiculous what gets written. I have another two years on my contract and I am looking forward to seeing it through," he continued.

"Of course I didn’t want to be on the bench. When you’ve recovered from a few injuries like me, then you’ll understand. I love being on the pitch. When I’m out there, I just want to play football."

By Stefan Coerts | Goal.com – 7 hours ago

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