Bundesliga

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has warned his team-mates they will have to improve defensively if they want to beat Liverpool in the upcoming UEFA Champions League tie between the two clubs.

The Bundesliga giants conceded twice in Friday's 3-2 win over Augsburg, and afterwards, Neuer was none too pleased with the defensive effort, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:

"The game was all great but conceding the goals was of course madness.

"You cannot do that. We wanted to defend well and keep a clean sheet but unfortunately we didn't achieve that. We were caught cold twice on the wings.

"We know that Liverpool are an offensive team and they will have more chances to score. 

"We need to stand better, occupy the box better and organise ourselves very well, especially with passes over the side so we can prevent that."

Manager Niko Kovac had a similar message for his players:

Bayern narrowly beat Augsburg in the Bavarian derby, conceding after just 13 seconds and again after another blunder:

Kingsley Coman scored twice before leaving the pitch with an injury, and David Alaba bagged a winner that left the champions two points behind Borussia Dortmund. BVB have a game in hand in the Bundesliga.

Coman's injury initially appeared a bad one, but he has been cleared to face the Reds:

Liverpool have scored 59 goals in the Premier League this season, averaging more than two goals per match. They added nine in six UEFA Champions League matches, as their attack has been in excellent form all season.

The trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino ranks among the deadliest in football, and all three featured in the recent win over Bournemouth and are expected to start on Tuesday.

They'll go up against a Bayern defence that has been a far cry from the dominant outfit of past years:

Niklas Sule and Mats Hummels paired against Augsburg and struggled, while Joshua Kimmich's offensive contributions were offset by defensive mistakes.

But for all of their struggles, Bayern have lost just a single match in all competitions since November, winning their past seven in the Bundesliga. The Bavarians also have excellent pedigree in the Champions League and can fall back on tons of experience within the squad.

Liverpool have won just one of their past three matches and have a Premier League date with Manchester United on the horizon.

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has given a negative assessment of his fitness woes after another injury setback, saying "nothing's working out at the moment" and that his recovery isn't going well.

Robben, 35, has been out of action since November because of a thigh injury, and he told German outlet Bild (h/t the Bundesliga's official website) he's struggling to make it back into manager Niko Kovac's selection after several failed attempts:      

"It's not going well. We’re trying everything, but nothing's working out at the moment.

"Unfortunately, it's one of those where you don’t know the exact problem. It's difficult, and very frustrating.

"I was pretty close to making my comeback twice before, I was back with the team, but then there were more setbacks. It’s not easy mentally.”

Robben only has four months remaining on his contract at the Allianz Arena, his home of the past 10 years and the club with which he's won by far his greatest plaudits.

It's part of the aging process that a player such as Robben might struggle with fatigue more in his twilight years, considering the nonstop pace of his game and the stress it incurs.

Goal recently celebrated one particularly memorable moment of the Dutchman at his best, when Die Roten hammered Arsenal in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League round of 16:

Even at Robben's advanced age, one can see the quality he is able to bring to Bayern, having scored five goals and contributed two assists in 15 appearances across all competitions this season. 

Bayern fans will have fond memories of Robben's double in his last appearance, a 5-1 drubbing of Benfica in the UEFA Champions League group stage, via Omnisport:

Robben's latest setback is the fourth separate injury he's suffered this season, and Bayern's 3-2 comeback win at Augsburg on Friday in the Bundesliga was the 16th match he's missed this campaign, per Transfermarkt. 

Even though Robben hasn't featured in Kovac's team since November, Bayern's Twitter account showed he's still in the thoughts of those at the Allianz:

It would be a disappointing end to his Bayern career if Robben weren't to get a good run of games in before his contract expires in June, with the player deserving of a farewell more fitting of a star of his calibre. 

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has revealed that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp came close to becoming the Bundesliga club's manager back in 2008.

Speaking ahead of Bayern's UEFA Champions League last-16 first-leg clash with the Reds, Hoeness said the club's recent history could have played out much differently.

Per MailOnline's James Dutton, he said: "Personally, I have a high opinion of Jurgen Klopp. Many years ago we agreed on a collaboration together, but we ended up signing Jurgen Klinsmann instead. There I showed I respect him and his work a lot."

Klopp left Mainz 05, where he spent almost his entire playing career, in 2008 after seven years as manager.

After Bayern instead opted for Klinsmann—who was sacked before the end of his first season with the club third in the Bundesliga—Klopp joined Borussia Dortmund. 

With BVB, he won the Bundesliga title in 2011 and 2012—the latter as part of a league-and-cup double—and reached the 2013 Champions League final, which he would lose to Jupp Heynckes' Bayern side.

Hoeness is anticipating a hard-fought encounter when Bayern meet Klopp's Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday: "It's going to be a tough task for both sides. I hope we'll come out on top."

Bayern beat Schalke 3-1 in their last outing, but football journalist Chris Williams believes their vulnerability at the back could make for a thrilling meeting with the Reds:

As for Liverpool, they're embroiled in a Premier League title struggle with Manchester City and are level with the Sky Blues on 65 points. The Reds are second on goal difference but have a game in hand over their rivals.

With the Reds not playing this weekend after their early exit from the FA Cup, they'll have had a long time to prepare for Bayern's visit following their 3-0 over Bournemouth last time out, per football writer Jack Sear:

They've had a better season than the Bavarians, who are second in the Bundesliga in what has been a rocky first campaign for manager Niko Kovac in the dugout, but Bayern have plenty of talent and are accustomed to reaching the business end of the Champions League each year.

It could be a close tie, but Liverpool will hope Klopp's knowledge of Bayern will help them come out on top.  

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has said he was "disgusted" he didn't win the Ballon d'Or in 2013, when he finished third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

At the time, Ribery was one of the standout players in football and had helped the Bundesliga giants win the treble, as they clinched the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League, beating rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in a memorable final at Wembley Stadium.

The France international was at the creative hub of that side, and six years on, he told L'Equipe that he's still unhappy he was narrowly behind the iconic duo (h/t Sport Witness):

The vote for the 2013 prize was one of the tightest ever, as Ronaldo picked up 27.99 per cent of the ballot, with Messi on 24.72 per cent and Ribery taking 23.36 per cent.

That Ribery got so close to the pair is testament to how good he was in 2013; the Bundesliga posted the following clip reflecting on some of his best moments after the nomination was confirmed:

While the veteran remains unhappy about the outcome, it's difficult to argue with Ronaldo's victory that year, as the Portuguese enjoyed a remarkable 2013.

Not only did he score a stunning hat-trick in Portugal's FIFA World Cup play-off win over Sweden, but over the course of the year, he was also on target 66 times in 56 games. It was the second time Ronaldo had won the award, and he's gone on to secure the prize on three more occasions.

Leading up to 2013, Messi had been dominant in the battle for individual accolades, as he had picked up four prizes in a row; he too has five overall, with Luka Modric's triumph in 2018 the first time in a decade someone other than Messi or Ronaldo has won the award.

As we can see, Ribery is not the only player to have missed out on the award despite enjoying an incredible year:

Stationed on the left flank, the speed, dribbling skill and inventiveness of the winger left many opposition defenders flummoxed. The thrust Ribery and Arjen Robben provided from the flanks was central to Bayern's dominance domestically and in Europe.

Ribery remains part of the first-team squad at Munich, and while he's in the twilight of his career, the 35-year-old has shown in flashes he still has something to offer at the highest level.

This season, he has four goals from his 15 top-flight appearances. His contract is due to expire at the end of the campaign.

Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho has revealed his admiration for former Barcelona and Brazil star Ronaldinho. 

The 18-year-old will face Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday in his first club game at Wembley Stadium, though he has played there before as an England international.

Per Goal's David Binder, Sancho spoke ahead of the clash and said: "I've always wanted to be a professional footballer, make people watch me and say 'whoa,' like how I used to watch Ronaldinho and go 'wow, I want to be like him one day.' Hopefully, I could become that level one day and players will look up to me and say 'wow.'"

On his desire to emulate Ronaldinho, he added: "My role model was Ronaldinho. The reason behind that is how he just beat people with ease and did things that no one else was doing at his time. That's why it was him."

Another role model for the youngster has been team-mate Marco Reus, as he discussed with Raphael Honigstein for BT Sport:

Per Binder, he elaborated on his relationship with the Germany star:

"Reus, his case is that he's helped me mature as a player, he can tell when I'm having my game and I'm not.

"You can see, when he talked to me after I scored against Frankfurt, he was saying 'Relax, be yourself, you have nothing to lose, you're playing well so far.'

"Frankfurt was a big game and I was a bit nervous and you could tell I was a bit off it but eventually I got into the game."

Sancho has established himself as a regular fixture in the team this campaign with 17 starts in all competitions.

The winger—who predominantly plays on the right but has also spent time on the left this season—has rewarded the faith of manager Lucien Favre with an impressive return of eight goals and 13 assists.

He got one of each in Dortmund's 3-3 draw with Hoffenheim on Saturday:

As he demonstrated in that match, he's a dazzling player with the ball at his feet.

Blessed with technical skill and blistering pace to go with it, defenders have had a difficult time stopping him this season:

That he is already showing plenty of end product only makes him more exciting, and he'll be eager to show what he can do on home soil on Wednesday in what is arguably the biggest game of his career.

It could be a close tie between Spurs and the Bundesliga leaders, so it could fall to players such as Sancho to make the difference for their side.

Bayern Munich chief executive Hasan Salihamidzic called Didi Hamann "a problem for Sky" amid an ongoing war of words between the former Germany international midfielder and Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski.

Salihamidzic accused Hamann of "creating a campaign" against the club's prolific No. 9 after Die Roten beat Schalke 04 at the Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga on Saturday to move to within five points of leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Lewandowski scored the second in a 3-1 victory and later received backing from Salihamidzic, who told Sky in Germany (h/t ESPN FC's Mark Lovell): "I believe he is creating a campaign against [Lewandowski] because I don't think he can really watch the games."

The Bosnian was also keen to laud Lewandowski for not only his goals but also for his ability to lead the squad: "I have to praise Robert's performance today. He's playing like a genuine leader. He's having the most complete season with us, getting involved in play and is our top scorer. Therefore, I cannot understand why Didi Hamann criticised him like that."

It's hard to find fault with Salihamidzic's assessment of Lewandowski. The 30-year-old has found the net 25 times in all competitions already this season and has also supplied eight assists, further proof of his status as a complete striker.

Lewandowski remains the most important player in the Bayern lineup. He is the focal point who is almost single-handedly keeping Die Roten in the title race during what has been a troubled campaign.

Manager Niko Kovac's tactics have been questioned during his first season in charge. Meanwhile, a slew of injuries to key players, including wing duo Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, has left Bayern trailing rivals Dortmund.

Even so, Lewandowski's performance levels have remained high, with his ability to find the net the one constant for Kovac.

However, Hamann has been far from impressed with the Poland international's efforts. The former Liverpool midfielder, who also played for Bayern, recently chided Lewandowski for his "theatrics" on the pitch.

The response from the player's agent, Maik Barthel, was swift, as he questioned Hamann's "tactical understanding."

Lewandowski then followed his agent's lead on Wednesday by dubbing Hamann's comments "flat-out stupid" after Bayern beat Hertha Berlin 3-2 after extra time in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal.

Bayern's willingness to back their star man is not only understandable—it's also essential given how reliant the team remains on him.

That dependance will be further tested when Die Roten travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the first leg of the last 16 in the UEFA Champions League on Feb. 19.

Fellow forward Thomas Muller is suspended for the trip to Merseyside, while there's no obvious back-up to Lewandowski after Sandro Wagner was sold to Tianjin Teda.

Bayern need an in-form Lewandowski to have a chance of negotiating a tough tie against last season's beaten finalists. So far, it looks as though Hamann's criticism is motivating the striker to prove his detractors wrong.

England prospect Jadon Sancho says Chelsea-bound midfielder Christian Pulisic inspired him to leave the home comforts of Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund.

Pulisic left his Pennsylvania home in the United States to join Dortmund in 2015 and was promoted to their first team at only 17. Sancho was the same age when he joined the Black and Yellows from City for £8 million in August 2017, and he told ESPN FC's Raphael Honigstein of the influence Pulisic had on his decision:

"The club had shown with a player like Christian Pulisic that they were going in the right way, playing youngsters and giving them a chance. He came from the same situation as me, leaving his family behind.

"He was so young, and he was brave enough. America is a lot further away than England and he's taken a bigger step than I have done. How he's handled that, what he does on the pitch, his mentality [towards] football, it's just crazy. The passion he has. I admire him."

Chelsea confirmed in January that they had agreed a deal to sign Pulisic and loan him back to Dortmund until the summer. BVB announced the transfer was worth €64 million (£56 million), representing the highest fee ever commanded by a player from the United States and coming only four years after he arrived in Europe.

Sancho has responded similarly well to his newfound first-team promotion and has scored seven goals to go along with his 12 assists in all competitions this season.

Statman Dave hailed that as an elite figure for any player, never mind one who doesn't turn 19 until March:

Pulisic's departure for west London actually aids Sancho in terms of competition down Dortmund's right side, but the former City starlet—who spent eight years in Watford's academy—continued to gush over the Chelsea signing:

"He's an outstanding player, I really do look up to him. Him going away from home shows that you have to do things to get out of your comfort zone, sometimes.

"I feel it's worked for him and it's working for me now, because we're both staying focussed and keep training hard."

The challenge for Pulisic now before he arrives in England is maintaining the same standards despite a raised awareness of his talent and the expectations that follow. 

He recently put Dortmund ahead with a fine finish in extra time during their 3-3 draw against Werder Bremen in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 (Dortmund lost 7-5 on penalties), via ESPN FC:

If his blueprint is one Sancho could hope to follow, it could light the way for a fairytale return to the Premier League complete with major transfer fee—providing he wants to come back.

Dortmund's approach to developing their youth stars in the senior side continues to pay dividends, meanwhile, as Pulisic is moved on for huge profit only for another star prospect to take his place.

Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez has suggested he could have become a literary legend were it not for a career in football, saying he began writing a book similar to The Hunger Games series.

The first entry in the fantasy trilogy was released in 2008 before its film adaptation came out four years later.

Martinez told Socrates (h/t Goal's Chris Burton): "Writing is a great pleasure for me, even as a teenager I started to write a book. And believe it or not, the plot was pretty much the same as The Hunger Games'."

It wasn't until Martinez watched the first film of the series in the cinema that he recognised the material: "That was strange, I was sitting in the cinema and thought: 'It does not exist, that's my idea, which I had years ago, the creators must have stolen my computer.'"

The midfielder was still at former club Athletic Bilbao in 2008, and it seems improbable author Suzanne Collins would venture to the Basque Country for inspiration on her dystopian novel.

Bayern broke their transfer record to sign Martinez for €40 million—since broken by Corentin Tolisso—and the Spain international likely takes home a handsome pay packet at the Allianz Arena.

Still, that may not compare with the royalties he could have been due had he penned the series that would go on to spawn four films and more than $2.9 billion combined in cinemas worldwide, per BoxOfficeMojo.com.

Instead, he'll have to settle for life at Bayern, where he has won the Bundesliga in each of his six seasons so far, not to mention clinching the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup in 2013.  

Fiete Arp has agreed a deal to join Bayern Munich from Hamburger SV. The Bundesliga giants confirmed the agreement on Thursday in a statement on the club's official website:

"Arp, FC Bayern and HSV have concluded an agreement which includes flexible changeover periods. The 19-year-old striker has the option of moving to Munich as early as summer 2019, or he will become an FC Bayern pro in the 2020/21 season. The decision as to when he leaves Hamburger SV will be taken by Arp alone."

The statement also revealed how 19-year-old forward Arp will be a Bayern player by July 1, 2020 "at the latest."

Striking a deal hasn't been easy, but Bild (h/t Goal) reported Arp's contract will run for four years, while the transfer will cost a mere €2.5 million.

The same source quoted Hamburg sporting director Ralf Becker describing both the negotiations and why Arp has decided to move on: "The negotiations with Bayern Munich were constructive and fair. The relegation has hit Fiete very hard. He wanted to stay here and help us get back up. He puts everything into this goal, and nothing will change in the future."

In the meantime, Arp will stay contracted to Hamburg. It's good news for manager Hannes Wolf, whose squad leads the 2. Bundesliga.

Arp can help with the club's bid for promotion. He has scored a goal and tallied a pair of assists across all competitions this season.

Bayern will eventually be getting a precocious striker who has already offered ample evidence of his talent. Arp won the Fritz Walter gold medal in 2017, an award given to the best U17 player in Germany.

He's also been compared favourably to Tottenham Hotspur attacking talisman Harry Kane, comparisons the Bundesliga's official website dubbed "entirely justified." Arp is viewed as a natural No. 9, whose shooting power, skills and aggression will take him far.

Bayern aren't the only club aware of his potential:

Arp turned down the chance to join Premier League outfit Chelsea back in 2017. He also knocked back Bayern a year later.

However, Die Roten have been rewarded for their patience by securing a youngster who can refresh the squad's options up top. Specifically, he should become a valuable deputy to established centre-forward Robert Lewandowski.

The prolific Poland international is 30, and Bayern lack depth behind him after recently selling Sandro Wagner to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda.

There's a natural place and opportunity for Arp to prove he can make the grade in Munich once he decides to take it. Bayern fans will likely hope Hamburg book a return to the German top flight this season and ensure Arp moves to the Allianz Arena sooner rather than later.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski says the criticism aimed at him by Didi Hamann is "flat-out stupid" after the ex-Germany midfielder suggested Die Roten's star forward was becoming "a problem" for the club. 

Lewandowski failed to score but captained Bayern to a 3-2 extra-time win at Hertha Berlin in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 on Wednesday. The 30-year-old gave his thoughts on the result to ESPN FC's Stephan Uersfeld and targeted Hamann in his response.

He said: "I am always focused on my job. And cup games are always difficult to play. We won that match. And I am not interested in what someone says about me. Even more so if that's just flat-out stupid. I don't think [Hamann] knows much about tactics."

Hamann said earlier this week that the star was becoming a hindrance for Niko Kovac's side, per Liam Prenderville of the Daily Mirror: "I think that Lewandowski is becoming a problem for Bayern. I believe it is clear that he is an individualist."

Lewandowski's methods haven't seemed much of an issue for the club in any of the past four successive Bundesliga title wins with him leading their line. OptaFranz showed his goal tally this season amounts to more than Bayern's next four highest scorers combined:

Die Roten are fighting on three fronts in 2018-19 but don't look likely to retain their Bundesliga crown, as they are third, seven points off leaders Borussia Dortmund. They're also in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals and will face Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. 

Their reliance on Lewandowski only seems likely to intensify, however, after Bayern let back-up striker Sandro Wagner join Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Teda on a free transfer in January, per Sky Sports.

It's only fair Lewandowski defends himself considering he's scored 175 goals in 211 appearances for Bayern, per Transfermarkt.

Hamann may feel the player—who has a contract that doesn't expire until June 2020—is becoming a burden, but Kovac recently suggested to the contrary:

Lewandowski's Bayern tally of 175 goals is fifth in their all-time scorers list and only six behind Thomas Muller, who has been in the club's first team six years longer. Club legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge sits second in that order on 218, and it's not out of the question the Pole could surpass that number.

The Bavarian giants shared a compilation of Lewandowski's best goals at the club earlier this season:

The Bayern hitman may be out to prove a point when they host Schalke on Saturday.