Und Keine Ausnahmen

German Efficiency Puts an End to Tiki-Taka & the Special One

Perhaps last seasons Champions League semi-finals were more captivating than these ones were, based solely on the fact that in both games they were close and intriguing. Bayern and Madrid appeared inseparable and Chelsea Barca  was two polar opposites in terms of style. They were intriguing and close. It is hard to say the same about these two ties this season. Both were over after the first leg and although Madrid looked to have pulled off a miraculous comeback, both Spanish teams ended their European season in embarrassment. The reason being; Germany’s top two sides were simply too much for them.

Last season I wrote an article proclaiming that if Barca and Madrid were to meet in the final it would be a ‘fitting finale’ pitting Mourinho and Guardiola together for one last contest on the biggest stage. Of course it was not to be and although the possibility was there again this time, it was glaringly obvious that this would not be the final this time, and importantly would not be a ‘fitting finale’. In fact the fitting finale was between Bayern and Dortmund. And this is what the fans will get to see.

For those who read The Whitehouse Address you will know that these four sides who competed in the semi-final’s are my favourite European teams. Elitist? Perhaps. Yet I have been captivated by the best teams in world football all my life and cannot resist writing about these sides. Each side offers something different and special to discuss and for the past year that it is what I have attempted to share with you. These semi-finals, the manner of the results and the implications they will bring fit together wonderfully after this all the previous articles written.

Mourinho's vendetta ultimately cost Madrid

It was no surprise to anyone that Mourinho was brought to Madrid in order to win the Champions League and give Madrid that 10^th European crown. The Special One had three attempts at it and reached the semi’s each time, yet has been thwarted by Barca, Bayern and Dortmund each year. The verdict being that although Madrid are a very good side, when they have encountered one of their genuine rivals, they have come up short.

In reality Mourinho has plagued his time at Madrid with his own warped battle between Barcelona and himself. It was never about Madrid vs Barca but Mourinho vs Guardiola and Begiristain who decided to choose Pep over Jose in 2008. That anger has been seen while at Inter and especially on a daily basis in Spain. 

It has been a spectacle for sure, yet Mourinho has muddied the waters and whiteness of Madrid in his personal campaign to destroy the club and team. In many ways he succeeded and Barcelona’s ‘decline’ can be attributed to Mourinho, as to that of Guardiola’s resignation.

Yet while Mourinho was plotting what he could against Barca he lost focus on his own team. He lost the players because of his single-minded pursuit of overcoming Barca and cost himself the chance of going down in history as one of the greatest managers. By not winning the Champions League in Madrid Mourinho will be regarded as a failure. 

Yes he missed out on the finals in small margins yet he asks us to consider him a winner and the special one and thus he must be judged on those lofty ambitions. Mourinho will leave Madrid this summer and perhaps many will rejoice, yet three semi-finals in a row is better than anything seen at Madridfor several years. 

Mourinho brought stability and focus back to the Bernabeau and perhaps if he hadn’t had such a vendetta against Barcelona, he could well have left Madrid a successful man. Instead he leaves defeated and will always regret the decisions he made here.

Barcelona confirm the end of their golden era

Let’s look at Barcelona. Mourinho brought out the best of the team at the start, the 5-0 demolition is the still the greatest performance I have seen in my lifetime. It was a perfect orchestra of passing, movement, pressing and finishing.  And that season they would play a perfect final against Man Utd and cement theirselves as the world’s best, possibly best ever.

And yet, it is so difficult to keep that perfect balance and the following season the wheels started coming off. I have no doubt the focus was on back to back Champions League’s, a statement which has not been done since Milan under Saachi (for good reason). It is very difficult to win one, yet alone two in a row. This would be Guardiola’s final test, and he failed.

A move to Cruyff’s dream 3-4-3 was used often by Guardiola yet the fact he was trying to emulate his great teacher highlighted the fact that the coach was becoming to distracted by ideals than the game itself. The 4-3-3 had worked to perfection the year before yet he could not resist tinkering with it. Perhaps this is the faults of a genius, the need to evolve and change even a winning formula in the pursuit of something even more beautiful.

The arrivals of Sanchez and Fabregas for a combined £65m were not necessary. Yes Barcelona’s squad was small compared to many yet the three of Villa, Messi and Pedro were perfect. Both Fabregas and Sanchez, in the same way as Zlatan affected Barca’s balance and flow. A lack of tactical nous from both players prevented players like Iniesta being as influential and Villa’s role started to become more limited with rumours of him leaving to England. However a leg break in the World Club Cup ended his season and any chance of a move.

That World Club Cup win over Santos in 2011 can be seen as the final game of near perfection for Barca. Fittingly it made Barca world champions yet it also signified the end of the year and a new start dawned 2012. Without Villa Barca became more dependent on Messi to provide the goals and the imbalance was starting to show. Yes they reached the Champions League semi-final again and perhaps their profligate ways in the first leg cost them.

However the second leg showed worrying signs for the future; the team pressed less which resulted in Ramires’ killer blow and more and more appeared to go through Messi. They lacked width and ideas as Chelsea simply defended in great numbers around their box. Perhaps Chelsea rode their luck but Barca’s dreams of back to back European Cups was over, Guardiola predictably resigned, and the end of a glorious era was confirmed.

Barcelona attempted to prolong the ‘era’ by keeping Vilanovaon as coach and it seemed a great decision when Barca started the La Liga in record breaking fashion. However when Messi broke the goal scoring record with 92 goals in a calendar year it was not a celebration but a confirmation of Barca’s demise. 

Too much on one player meant Barca were now reliant on the Argentinian and he started to take more leadership and ownership of the team. A team full of world class players were now at the mercy and whim of one man. This ‘imbalance’ has been clear and in the games against Bayern it was evident that this once great ‘team’ were now a near shambles.

The summer should have seen the arrival of a world class centre back like Thiago Silva or Mats Hummels, instead Alex Song arrived. Now if they wanted a defensive midfielder who could be a centre half also then they should have done all that was necessary and bought Javi Martinez. There was much talk that Barca wanted him before the summer and perhaps £40m was too much. However his performances for Bayern and especially against Barcelona have proven that Barca really missed out on him. When we consider the ‘decline’ of the great Xavi it is not hard to see how perfect Martinez would have been in that role. 

The tie against Bayern made Barca’s ‘end’ official. A 7-0 aggregate loss showed their failings in terms of being unable to deal with physicality from crosses, being out-muscled in midfield and having no variation in the final third. 180 minutes and no goals scored for one of the most attacking sides seen highlights the truth that this style of football, this ‘tiki-taka’ is over. 

Barca should now consider the need for a stronger midfield to deal better with what Bayern threw at them. Defensively is where Barca have lost their dominance these past 18 months and they need to bring in fresh players with a hunger to work hard and press which is something which has been missing for too long now.

And they should look to revert back to the 4-3-3 which proved so beneficial, with the use of three forwards and not midfielders playing as forwards. If they agree ‘tiki-taka’ is over perhaps they can return next season stronger.

In terms of their transfer policy it is here where they are at fault. In fact it has actually been something of a joke in terms of spending and decision making. Yes there some gems like Ronaldinho, Eto’o and Villa. Yet there have been some very expensive ‘flops’ which have cost the team financially and on the pitch. This coming summer is huge for Barca in terms of building a new team and adding key players in key positions. 

It is certainly the end of an era now; Valdes is set to leave and it is conceivable that Alves and Villa will go also. With the decline of Xavi and Puyol a time for transition and evolution is needed.

The most complete team ever seen

A wounded animal is the most dangerous and this season all who have encountered Bayern have found this out. Their loss last season in their home stadium to Chelsea was devastating to the fans and players. In fact it was slightly embarrassing. Their focus on Europe meant Dortmund pipped them to the title also and a 5-2 loss in the German Cup to Dortmund meant a treble turned into failure. Yet that has seemingly only made them stronger and Barcelona have been the ones to find that out.

This performance over two legs confirmed what seemed a possibility last season yet which they threw away and choked in the final. The world’s best team (which until they win the Champions League must be regarded as ‘unofficial’). 

There is no doubting that the manner of their league campaign success and each (undefeated) Champions League game this season has confirmed Bayern as the best team right now. I believe they are arguably the ‘most complete team ever’. Where is their weakness? 

Defensively excellent and Heynckes and Sammer should take great pride and credit for their work in this area. Bayern defend so well that you must commend the work done on the training ground, it is almost perfection from every player. And their success is warranted from this. Defence wins championships and Bayern’s strength has been built on this.

Yet it was their attack which was honed first. Under Van Gaal in 2009-2010 Bayern were ‘educated’ in the Dutch philosophies of attacking football and you can see in how they counter attack the speed, passing precision and third man movements which characterise the Dutch style (Barca lost this directness which has cost them). Heynckes arrived and made them stronger defensively which gave them an all round game both in and out of possession which has proven to be formidable. 

The arrival of Martinez has made the midfield stronger and brought out the best of Schweinsteiger and the signing of Neuer has put a force between the sticks. It simply is hard to discount any player in the team and consider any a ‘weakness’. Even David Alaba has grown into a great left back and credit should go to players like Ribery, Robben and Muller who are willing to track back and support their defence time and time again. The fact Robben does this is testament to the man-management skills of Heynckes and Sammer who either by persuasion or intimidation have made this team work harder for each other than I have seen a team do, even more than perhaps Barcelona.

The difference seen between Barca and Bayern is like comparing Arsenal a decade ago to the one seen now. Small technical players are great to watch yet when a big strong physical player who can also match these players for technical skill comes up against them it is hard for the little man to win. 

When this becomes almost an 11v11 contest with the same types then the physical matchup trumps the slight technicians. And this is how it is has being proved. 

Bayern, like Chelsea this past decade are an intimidating force possessing all the necessary traits for success. They can kick it long, counter attack, cross and finish or be creative in the final third. They simply can do it all in possession and can find and punish the oppositions weakness because of this.

I have referred to many of Bayern’s games this season as a ‘masterclass’ because they have been perfect examples for coaches of how to prepare a team tactically. The execution and application of all players has been sublime. Added with this consistency and this is why they have overcome the Spanish and Italian champions with relative ease.

With the arrival of Guardiola and Gotze it is hard not to see these men taking the team further. Perhaps Bayern may fall short once again, the third time in four years, or perhaps Guardiola will inherit the Champions of Europe and he will be given the chance to win back to back European titles again. Either way Van Gaal, Heynckes and now Guardiola highlight a club who want to keep evolving, keep adding and improving, never stopping. Because they know that when they stop they get overtaken, a lesson they learnt from English sides these past few years.

Dortmund's rise out of the flames

It is hard to compare Bayern and Dortmund solely because while Dortmund were going through financial trouble Bayern were handling their finances expertly. One is the Prince and the other the pauper in this tale. Yet both are going to the Champions League final.

There is no other side in football right now who I like more than Dortmund. Perhaps my visit there in early 2011 helped to build a love for the club, meeting Klopp and seeing why he is so inspirational, going to the Westfalenhallen and seeing and hearing the 80,000 capacity crowd. Or maybe it is because this team represented all that was wrong with football in terms of overspending and frivolous behaviour and changed their ways to become the best model ofsustainability across Europe.

When Jurgen Klopp arrived in 2008 he found out the club was broke and that he if he wanted to push the club back up the league he would have be creative and trust in his youth players. It took a few years to build his team, yet because of Dortmund’s financial troubles expectations on him were minimal, Dortmund were just happy to be alive. 

Slowly but surely Klopp started improving the team, 6^th then 5^th and then the league title in 2010-11. Amazing. Yet German football had seen sides like Bremen, Stuggart and Wolfsburg win the Bundesliga and fall away. Yet not Klopp’s side; they would win the league and cup double the following season and prove to Europe that this team was a growing power.

Klopp decided that in 2012-13 he wanted to do better in Europe. He admitted that the previous campaign had been disappointing and he vowed to make amends. Yet Dortmund were drawn in the ‘group of Champions’ and the odds on their progression were slim for many. Even I questioned if they had learnt their lessons from the year before where they were naïve and exposed defensively too easily. 

Well they proved they have not only learnt but excelledin European competition and ended the group stages as winners, overcoming Madrid, City and Ajax with ease at times. This was credit to the work of Klopp who was still financially limited; Reus arrived only because of the money generated from Kagawa. Yet Reus enhanced the team and gave them another edge and with the improved fitness of Gotze and ever improving Lewandowski, Dortmund’s forward line was (although sometimes wasteful in front of goal) creating many chances.

However the first leg performance against Madrid proved that Dortmund were still not ‘respected’ enough by some. I got the impression Madrid thought this would be easy and their at times casual approach was punished by the speed and clinical finishing of Lewandowski. 4-1 and game over. 

The second leg was a game of missed chances for both teams and the late goals added drama yet the best team won. The paupers overcome the ‘elite’ of football, those clubs who spend vast money on transfers and wages, proving that great coachingand a team culture and environment which blends great youth development with expert scouting can overcome the richest of foes.

The final – Die Clasico

It is a final which has been in the making for several years. Germany’s slow yet methodical rise this past decade after investing in youth development has meant they come out of the race of the hare and turtle winning and overcoming nations like England and Spain whose inclination to spend, spend, spend has seemingly left them exhausted and behind the growing forces in Germany.

Of course for Dortmund it may not last long, Gotze their star youth product is off painfully to their final opponents in the summer. Yes a profit of £32m has been made yet to lose such a star so young to your fierce rivals must hurt. With Lewandowski reportedly off also Dortmund may be at the end of their own ‘golden generation’ and Klopp will therefore need to build again. 

Yet you can’t write them or him off; it was he who has developed Gotze and Lewandowski among others to the levels they are at today. If he can do it with them why can’t he do it again. It is Klopp who is the most important man for Dortmund, not the players. His charisma and charm does not always hide his intensity and drive to win. It is why he has been so successful.

The final proves to be a great encounter between two teams who have faced each other numerous times these past few years. Bayern have proven their ability to overcome Dortmund this year, beating them in the SuperCup and in the German Cup as well as taking the title from them. Yet before that Klopp had a dominance on Bayern which not many coaches have had. 

Yet this is the big one. The Champions League final. It is very hard to choose between the two, unlike Barcelona Dortmund provide much stronger threats to Bayern in terms of speed on the counter and physicality. They resemble each other almost perfectly and a close encounter is most likely. 

In their respective 4-2-3-1’s formation both will defend in a similar fashion (not surprising as Bayern have copied Dortmund’s gegenpressing this season). What is will provide is high tempo attacking football as both coaches and teams seek to play attractive attacking football while not neglecting their defensive shape and solidity.

The Barcelona era was inspirational and wonderful to behold and the battle between Mourinho and Barcelona was dramatic. Yet we are now witnessing a new era in football; the rise of the German style, a style which encompasses German efficiency and stringent rules and a new style of attacking flair and speed. It has become the perfect blend of defence and attack, it is well, very German.

When reading an article on German efficiency it was interesting that the German mentality is that everything has to be done exactly as prescribed – und keine Ausnahmen (no exceptions)! Germany invested in their long term future and the results are being seen now.

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A culmination of a season of articles and discussion is close to an end and I must say I have enjoyed it all. Football can teach us so much yet is the discussion and opinion which follows which is often the most enjoyable. To all those who read The Whitehouse Address Danke schön.  I really appreciate you taking the time to read my thoughts on the game. Find me on Twitter @The_W_Address