Life Without Ballack Begins
HISTORY. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title for the sixth title in the last eight years and 20th time overall. It also won the German Cup to capture its third double in the last four seasons.
CHAMPIONSHIP RUN. A fast start %97 six straight wins to open the season and 14 wins, two ties and only one loss at the halfway mark %97 put Bayern in the driver's seat.
Dutchman Roy Makaay and Peruvian Claudio Pizarro combined for 28 goals. In his last season at Bayern before joining Chelsea, Michael Ballack scored 14 goals.
Bayern's season wasn't all positive. Goalie Oliver Kahn made a series of errors that would result in Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann picking Arsenal's Jens Lehmann over Kahn to start at the World Cup. Young midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was wrongly accused by a German publication of being part of an illegal betting operation.
NEXT SEASON. Ballack left for Chelsea on a free transfer, but Bayern coach Felix Magath feels Ballack's departure could actually make Bayern less reliant on providing crosses to the middle.
Bayern quickly moved to tie its other players up to long-term contracts. Kahn will remain at Bayern through 2008, Brazilian star Lucio, Paraguayan Roque Santa Cruz and Argentine Martin Demichelis re-signed through 2009, Frenchman Willie Sagnol got an extension through 2010.
Bayern's major pre-World Cup transfer was that of Lukas Podolski. The 21-year-old striker left FC Cologne to be reunited with Schweinsteiger, his best friend on the Germany national team.
CHAMPIONSHIP RUN. A fast start %97 six straight wins to open the season and 14 wins, two ties and only one loss at the halfway mark %97 put Bayern in the driver's seat.
Dutchman Roy Makaay and Peruvian Claudio Pizarro combined for 28 goals. In his last season at Bayern before joining Chelsea, Michael Ballack scored 14 goals.
Bayern's season wasn't all positive. Goalie Oliver Kahn made a series of errors that would result in Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann picking Arsenal's Jens Lehmann over Kahn to start at the World Cup. Young midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was wrongly accused by a German publication of being part of an illegal betting operation.
NEXT SEASON. Ballack left for Chelsea on a free transfer, but Bayern coach Felix Magath feels Ballack's departure could actually make Bayern less reliant on providing crosses to the middle.
Bayern quickly moved to tie its other players up to long-term contracts. Kahn will remain at Bayern through 2008, Brazilian star Lucio, Paraguayan Roque Santa Cruz and Argentine Martin Demichelis re-signed through 2009, Frenchman Willie Sagnol got an extension through 2010.
Bayern's major pre-World Cup transfer was that of Lukas Podolski. The 21-year-old striker left FC Cologne to be reunited with Schweinsteiger, his best friend on the Germany national team.
posted by AKEmarmota at 11:07 PM
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