Bayern Munich have proved quite adept over the years at putting on a circus and they imported another big top to sleepy Deeside yesterday when Ottmar Hitzfeld’s team arrived for tonight’s Uefa Cup tie against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
The German giants are suffering something of a goalkeeping fiasco and, not for a first time, that moody veteran, Oliver Kahn, is at the centre of it. Over the years the former German international has caused a series of spats, usually triggered by him slagging off his teammates, and there appears to have been a further dose of it ahead of tonight’s match.
Bizarrely, Kahn flew into Aberdeen airport with his team at lunchtime yesterday, only to spend one hour in Scotland before flying straight back home. A number of Bayern officials, wearing as straight a face as they could muster, claimed that the goalkeeper had gone down with a fever, though the ranks of German media who follow Bayern everywhere looked distinctly disbelieving at the claims. Their belief is that “Olly” might have been opening his big mouth again.
Kahn was known to be displeased with Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen at the weekend, openly condemning his side for their lack of goals. Asked directly about Kahn’s sudden disappearance yesterday, Hitzfeld didn’t quell the general suspicions by replying: “I don’t want to speak about that. He flew home but will be OK to play on Sunday.” Bayern certainly don’t do half measures. Given Kahn’s absence, three other goalkeepers – Michael Rensing, Bernd Dreher and Thomas Kraft – have all flown to Scotland and are vying to play in Kahn’s place. Rensing, the first-choice reserve, will surely get the nod, though he has a back injury from tying his shoelaces, which is why Dreher and Kraft are also in the frame. “A couple of days ago Michael hurt his back while tying his shoes,” Hitzfeld said. “I’m confident he’ll be able to play, though. In an emergency we’ll find someone to tie his laces for him.”Arguably, Bayern won’t even need a goalkeeper tonight.
Meanwhile, Hitzfeld went out of his way to pay his respects to Aberdeen as tough opponents, even though most observers believe the last32 match may be a noncontest on the pitch. “My experience in football has taught me to show every opponent total respect,” Hitzfeld said.
Advertisement
“Aberdeen have a few injuries and have lost some games but that is when a team can come back and really surprise you. Also, look how well Aberdeen did recently when they beat Copenhagen [4-0]. But, of course, we are Bayern Munich. We want to win every game in which we play. So we will try to control and dictate this game. We also know in this situation of the importance of away goals.” While the match is immersed in much local fuss about the heroic Aberdeen side that knocked Bayern out of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983, it is obviously an historic milestone that has by-passed the Germans. Back in Aberdeen with the Bayern party are Paul Breitner and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, both of whom played at Pittodrie in 1983, but they did not share the same enthusiasm there is in Aberdeen for talking about it.
Hitzfeld, with his odd countenance of poker-face that suddenly erupts into a beaming smile, could not offer any further colour about events of 25 years ago. “I’ve read about it,” the Bayern coach said stonily. Later he added: “Of course, I knew of Alex Ferguson’s [Aberdeen] team. They were very good, with a lot of pace, and left a good impression on me.”
Bastian Schweinsteiger proved an even more hopeless witness to events of 25 years ago – he wasn’t born until 1984. But that didn’t prevent the young Bayern midfield player from being put on the spot about Aberdeen’s most famous European night, forcing him to wax nostalgically about a game he hadn’t even seen, let alone could remember. “I don’t know much about those games – I know the scores were 0-0 and 3-2,” Schweinsteiger said. “So maybe we are here for revenge. I hope we get a good result to take back to Munich.”
As well as Kahn, Bayern are missing Willy Sagnol, Franck Rib?ry and Mark van Bommel through injury.