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Olic threatens to walk out on Bayern 27 October 2011
Croatian forward Ivica Olic has expressed his dissatisfaction with his current situation at Bayern Munich, revealing his desire to seek a transfer if things do not change.
The injury-plagued 32-year-old featured in his team's 6-0 rout of Ingolstadt in Wednesday's DFB Pokal match, but was 'disappointed' with his selection as a 62nd-minute substitute nonetheless.
"With each workout I feel a little bit better," he told Goal.com after the game.
"But I was disappointed that I could not play from the beginning today. In the end I was happy to come on for a half hour."
Although he managed his longest appearance of the season in Wednesday's match, Olic is still far from content, and will seek employment elsewhere if he is not given more playing time.
"I always hope that I will play. I was injured a long time, maybe I need to have more patience. Nevertheless, I feel well and I've always said that I would not be happy if I did not play. And I will say it again now," he said.
"When I see that I am no longer being given playing time, then I have to think about a change."
"I've always said that I will not be happy if I'm sitting on the bench during the winter of my career. If I cannot play here, then I will try to elsewhere."
Olic was a key figure for Bayern in 2009-10, scoring 19 goals in all competitions as Die Roten won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, and marched to the Champions League final.
However, after missing nearly the entire 2010-11 season with a knee injury, he has found himself behind Mario Gomez, Nils Petersen and Thomas Muller in the pecking order of strikers in Jupp Heynckes' squad.
This season he has managed just five appearances, totaling a combined 72 minutes.
Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes did not regret his decision to rest several stars in his team's 6-0 DFB Pokal win at home over Ingolstadt.
Players such as Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Mario Gomez were left out at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, but their replacements impressed Heynckes with their performances.
Japanese youngster Takashi Usami was one to justify his selection with Bayern's sixth goal, while starting roles were handed to the likes of Danijel Pranjic, Diego Contento and Nils Petersen.
"I fielded a number of players who’ve not had a lot of playing time recently.
After the 90 minutes we’ve just seen, I can say it was well worth it," said Heynckes, whose Bundesliga-leading side immediately bounced back after Sunday's shock loss to Hannover.
"The first half was a little bumpy. Our build-up play was pedestrian, and we gave our opponents time to park the defensive bus.
Once we made it 3-0 shortly after the break, it was over as a contest. After that, we produced some flowing moves, and our passing was much more assured."
"I really enjoyed watching my lads tonight, but all credit to the crowd too, they gave us terrific support."
Bayern Munich resume league action on Saturday, with a Bavarian derby match at home against Nuremburg.
Magath: We will only speak German Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath has banned the use of foreign languages at the multi-national club, insisting that it is for 'the sake of performance'.
One can imagine the confusing cacophony of languages that Magath has to face at training with players from 13 different countries, in the first-team set-up.
Magath is concerned by the usage of English as a common language at Wolfsburg, with players like Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Alex Hleb being based in England with Liverpool and Arsenal before.
The issue is not helped by having players from Switzerland (Diego Benaglio, Marwin Hitz), Sweden (Rasmus Jonsson) and Denmark (Thomas Kahlenberg), where English is taught as a second language.
The former Bayern Munich coach has since enforced a rule where only German will be used at the club.
Magath told Bild: "I do not think it appropriate if each of us now will have to learn English."
He also hopes that the team will be able to work together better with a better understanding of each other, saying: "For the sake of performance, it is always better if you understand your team-mates,"
This is Magath's second stint at Wolfsburg. He left the club for Schalke in 2009 after bringing Wolfsburg their first Bundesliga title, but returned in 2011.
Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm wants Borussia Moenchengladbach's Marco Reus to join the Bundesliga leaders.
Reus, 22, has scored four goals in 12 appearances in all competitions this season and was handed his international debut for Germany on October 7, with his performances reportedly marking him as a transfer target for Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes.
With club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge a fan of his talents, Reus would be a good fit for the Munich outfit as the country's best players should be playing for Bayern - according to Lahm, at least.
"The best German players have to play with the best German club, and that's FC Bayern," Lahm told Bild.
When asked whether this extends to Reus, Lahm did not need long to answer:
"Otherwise he would not be a national team player.
"Reus has a contract with Moenchengladbach until the summer of 2015, but reportedly has a buy-out clause of 18 million euros.
Bundesliga preview: Dortmund take momentum to Stuttgart 28 October 2011
Borussia Dortmund will look to close in on leaders Bayern Munich when they face Stuttgart in the pick of this weekend's Bundesliga matches.
Champions Dortmund have won their last four league outings and sit three points adrift of Bayern, but their trip to the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday shapes as a vital encounter.
Fifth-placed Stuttgart have been in solid form and will need to contain in-form Pole striker Robert Lewandowski, who has netted four times in his last three appearances, if they are to get anything out of the meeting with Juergen Klopp's men.
Dortmund will need Bayern Munich to drop points if they are to close the gap, with Jupp Heynckes' team beginning to stutter after a dominant start to the season.
Bayern recorded a convincing 6-0 win over 2. Bundesliga outfit Ingolstadt in the DFB Pokal on Wednesday, but that came after a draw against Napoli and a loss at Hannover.
Striker Mario Gomez has already found the net 10 times this season, but he has failed to score in his last three outings.
Elsewhere, in-form outfits Schalke and Hoffenheim will do battle at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
Led by Dutchman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Schalke, who sit third, have won three-straight games in all competitions, while Hoffenheim have recorded victories in their last two.
Hannover travel to Borussia Moenchengladbach, while Werder Bremen will be keen to bring a two-game winless run to an end with victory at Mainz.
Hertha Berlin meet Wolfsburg in a mid-table clash, while Bayer Leverkusen will be confident of overcoming struggling Freiburg.
In Sunday's matches, Augsburg will be searching for just their second win of the season when they visit Cologne, while Hamburg can get out of the relegation zone with a victory at home to Kaiserslautern.
Bundesliga: Freiburg 0 Bayer Leverkusen 1 29 October 2011
An early goal from Michael Ballack was enough for Bayer Leverkusen to secure a 1-0 Bundesliga victory over struggling Freiburg on Friday.
Robin Dutt's men did not have to wait long to take the lead.
Omer Toprak got his head to Michal Kadlec’s corner and Manuel Friedrich flicked the ball to Michael Ballack, who tapped the ball past Oliver Baumann to put the visitors ahead after just two minutes.
Sloppy passing in the Freiburg defence almost gifted Leverkusen another goal minutes later, but Marcus Sorg’s side slowly came back into the match.
Papiss Cisse struck the woodwork as the first half wore on, coming to the near post to meet Anton Putsila’s cross, and he would also send a header narrowly wide on the stroke of half time.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, were largely unable to capitalise on their early dominance, with a Sidney Sam shot that went narrowly wide the closest the visitors came to doubling their advantage.
Cisse missed another decent chance minutes into the second period, as he latched onto Garra Dembele’s cross, but his effort once again sailed wide.
The 26-year-old came close once again 20 minutes from time, as he sent a spectacular volley inches over Bernd Leno's bar, as the steady stream of Freiburg chances continued.Leno, who looked shaky all night, spilled a fierce shot from Stefan Reisinger, but was able to get back to the ball before any Freiburg striker.
The goalkeeper was forced into making two late saves, first to deny Reisinger, who blasted a shot goalward after a turn in the box, and then stopping a tame header from Oliver Barth from the resulting corner.In the end, Freiburg’s poor finishing betrayed them and Bayer left with all three points.
This result leaves the hosts rooted to the bottom of the table, while the visitors leapfrog Hoffenheim and move into eighth place.
Schalke forward Raul could sacrifice two million euros a year to stay with his current employers, a report has claimed.
The 34-year-old still receives 2m euros from Real Madrid on top of the 5m euros he commands from the Gelsenkirchen club, but both of these agreements are set to expire in the summer.
Schalke are unwilling to pay the former Spain international any more than he currently earns from them, but it is believed the Real legend is looking to stay at the club, according to German publication Bild.
Raul won plaudits for his performances last season as his side advanced to the Champions League semi-finals and Schalke CEO Clemens Tonnies was full of praise for the Spaniard.
"I am very proud of every minute that Raul plays with us. Perhaps he will indeed turn out for us for another year,"
Tonnies stated.Meanwhile, sporting director Horst Heldt has said that he will speak to Raul in the coming months to negotiate a contract extension.
"We have agreed with Raul that we will get together in December or January."
Bundesliga wrap: Bayern brilliant, Dortmund held 30 October 2011
Bayern Munich dished out a 4-0 defeat to local rivals Nuremberg in the Bundesliga with Mario Gomez bagging another brace.
Gomez got the league leaders off to the perfect start, nodding in Bastian Schweinsteiger's cross within the first two minutes against a distinctly lacklustre Nuremberg side.
Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery added further goals before half time, and then Gomez's 10th league goal of the season in the 68th minute settled the three points for Bayern.
Bayern remain top of the league on 25 points, four clear of Schalke who were impressive 3-1 winners over Hoffenheim. Veteran Raul put the hosts ahead in the 28th minute before Vedad Ibisevic equalised for Hoffenheim in the 63rd minute.
Schalke replied through a Klaas-Jan Huntelaar penalty 17 minutes from time before he added another, three minutes later, to make sure of the points.
Hertha Berlin left it late in a thrilling 3-2 win at Wolfsburg. Pierre-Michel Lasogga was the hero for the visitors with his 85th-minute goal cancelling out Marcel Schafer's equaliser for the 2009 Bundesliga champions.
Michael Ballack's early goal was enough for Bayer Leverkusen to snatch the three points at Freiburg 1-0, despite the home side dominating. Ballack's second-minute strike was harsh on the hosts with striker Papisse Cisse missing a string of chances for Freiburg throughout the match.
Borussia Moenchengladbach were 2-1 winners at home to Hannover while Stuttgart had to settle for a point at home to reigning champions Borussia Dortmund in a 1-1 draw.
In the late kick-off, Werder Bremen came from behind to beat Mainz 3-1 away at the Coface Arena.
Bundesliga wrap: Podolski double sinks Augsburg 31 October 2011
Cologne cruised to their fifth win of the Bundesliga campaign with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over lowly Augsburg.
Germany international Lukas Podolski fired home the opener on 19 minutes before grabbing his second from the penalty spot to delight the Rhein Energie Stadion faithful.
Poland international Slawomir Peszko scored Cologne's third 11 minutes after the interval to wrap up the three points and send the club to 11th on the table.
The defeat was Augsburg's fifth of the season and sees them sit second-bottom on eight points.
Also on Sunday, Hamburg battled for over 70 minutes with 10 men before forcing a 1-1 draw with Kaiserslautern at the Imtech Arena.
The home side were put under severe pressure in the 22nd minute when Serbia international Slobodan Rajkovic was given a straight red card.
Visiting Kaiserslautern made the most of their numerical advantage when they scored through Pierre De Wit on 38 minutes.
Hamburg fought back bravely as Peru international Paolo Guerrero found the back of the net in the 65th minute.
Despite the shared points, Hamburg remain in the relegation zone in 16th place, while Kaiserslautern sit in 14th spot.
Gomez: We could have scored more
Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez begged for forgiveness after Saturday's 4-0 win over Nuremberg which saw them open up a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
Weidenfeller: We can catch Bayern
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller believes his side can still catch leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race.
Raul defends handball goal
Schalke striker Raul defended his opening goal in his side's 3-1 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday, even though the ball went in off his hand.
Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olic has refused to rule out a transfer to Villarreal in the January transfer window.
La Liga outfit Villarreal are understood to be in the market for a new forward after learning that Giuseppe Rossi will have to spend six months on the sidelines because of a knee ligament injury.
Olic, 32, has been at Bayern since 2009, when he joined the club from Hamburg on a free transfer.
On Thursday, Olic admitted he could leave the Allianz Arena in January after growing unhappy at his lack of first-team opportunities at the Bundesliga leaders.
Quizzed on the reports about a potential move to Villarreal, Olic said: "It is too early to say anything. The season has just begun. We shall see in the winter (transfer window).""
This is my agent's job. I take care of my fitness."The Croatian ace came on for Thomas Mueller after 77 minutes in Bayern's 4-0 victory against Nuremberg on Saturday, in what was his seventh official appearance of the season.
"I appreciate every minute I play," Olic said."After a long-term injury, match practice is important. I cannot speak about anything else, I must be careful with what I say."
All square in Bundesliga´s ´Battle of the Shinjis´ 30 October 2011
After their 'Battle of the Shinjis' ended 1-1, Borussia Dortmund's Shinji Kagawa and Stuttgart's Shinji Okazaki had much to reflect on.
Kagawa, who laid off the assist to Lukasz Piszczek's goal at the stroke of half-time in the Bundesliga clash at Stuttgart's Mercedes-Benz Arena, shed light on the crucial moment.
"It was sort of a shot," the striker revealed."But I figured someone would push it in at the end."Kagawa also spoke highly of his pairing with striker Mario Goetze, which played a part in the goal:
"Mario was great at drawing out the defenders, which freed me up to get into a lot of open spaces." For Stuttgart, Okazaki was left to ponder what could have been as his team's early lead evaporated and he was substituted in the 70th minute after a fruitless effort.
"It would have been a completely different game if we'd scored a second goal," the former Shimizu S-Pulse attacker said.
"But the goal during additional time changed everything ... I was disappointed at being substituted, but since I didn't create any big chances it can't be helped."
When asked about Japan team-mate Kagawa, Okazaki was full of praise."(Kagawa) was incredibly threatening.
He (and Goetze) played really close to the goal. They played like I want to play," he said."That said, neither of us scored, so we'll see what happens next time we play each other."
Borussia Monchengladbach starlet Marco Reus has dismissed rumours of a potential move to Bayern Munich.
The 22-year-old has scored five goals this season and been a stand-out star for Lucien Favre's side, and Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently revealed his side's interest in him.
However, Reus is not interested in discussing his future and has instead committed himself to Gladbach."I've had enough. On the topic of Bayern and speculation, I have already made my position clear.
Much has been written about it, now it should be over," he told Kicker."The fact is that I have a contract until 2015. I feel totally comfortable.
Currently, I am not at all concerned with a transfer, no matter where it is to."Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl also weighed in on the matter, noting that Munich might not be the ideal destination.
"Marco is young, talented, and a national team player, but must every such player move to Bayern? There are in (Jan) Schlaudraff, (Marcell) Jansen and (Lukas) Podolski plenty of players who have failed there," the Gladbach sporting director told Bild.
Reus penned a contract extension with Gladbach in November that will run until 2015. However, the deal is reported to include an 18-million-euro buyout clause that will take effect in the summer of 2012.
Pizzaro receives injury boost
Claudio Pizarro's foot injury is not as bad as the player feared, according to Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf.
Rummenigge warns of complacency
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insists it is way too early to say whether the current side is one of the best in the club's history.
Gomez: We are lazy, but we score
Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez admits that they are one of the laziest teams in the Bundesliga but insists that it hasn't stopped them from scoring.
Olic looking for move from Germany
Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olic has revealed he is looking for a move away from the Bundesliga club if does not get more match action.
Michael Ballack will be available for Bayer Leverkusen's Champions League clash with Valencia despite suffering a broken nose.
The influential midfielder will wear a mask to protect his face from the injury he sustained in Leverkusen's 1-0 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Friday.
Ballack said he was comfortable with the mask and believed the risk would be too high to go into the match without it.
"It's a bit constricting, obviously the feeling without a mask is different. But it's perfectly made.
That's why I felt fine yesterday during training," Ballack said."The risk is too high and my doctor won't allow (me to play without it).
"Leverkusen sit second in Group E, a point behind leaders Chelsea and four points ahead of third-placed Valencia.
Hamburg will be without the services of Slobodan Rajkovic for their next three league matches after a hearing with the DFB sports court on Tuesday.
The Serbian defender was sent off in the 22nd minute of his team's 1-1 draw with Kaiserslautern on Sunday after he used his elbow to shield Christian Tiffert away from the ball.
The opposing midfielder sustained a nasty gash and referee Markus Schmidt took immediate action to issue Rajkovic his marching orders.
Hamburg were not pleased with the verdict and decided to appeal but the DFB court ruled his suspension should stand.
"This was not an assault, (Rajkovic) did not do it on purpose; he did not swing at (Tiffert)," the club's sporting director Frank Arnesen told Kicker.
In addition to Rajkovic's suspension, Augsburg's Torsten Oehrl was also slapped with a three-match ban following his sending off for a foul against Cologne.
Lukas Podolski has cast doubt over his future at Cologne by hinting that money could lure him away from his first professional club.
Despite a three-year stint with Bayern Munich, the 26-year-old striker has a reputation for being loyal to Cologne, the club where he began his career.
Podolski said he was not sure what the future held, with the Poland-born attacker all too aware that footballers have a short shelf life.
"I can jump to no conclusions about my future," he told Express."I have always stressed that my future is open and said that I will have to wait and see about the state of the club's sporting situation."
"I am pleased that things are going so well for me, but I also know that football is a daily business.
"Podolski has been a key figure for Cologne this season, scoring or assisting 11 of his team's 18 goals and he has been repeatedly praised by coach Stale Solbakken.
"Lukas is perhaps the Bundesliga's best player," Solbakken told Bild. "Barcelona are not Barcelona without Messi. Cologne are not Cologne without Poldi.
"Cologne have earned 16 points from their first 11 games, and despite their position of 11th in the Bundesliga table they are only two points away from a Europa League spot.
Goetze hits out at Bundesliga officials 1 November 2011
Borussia Dortmund star Mario Goetze says he feels victimised by Bundesliga referees.
The 19-year-old said he was perplexed by referee Manuel Graefe's decision not to award him a penalty in his side's 1-1 draw with Stuttgart on Saturday.
The Germany international went down under a challenge from Cristian Molinaro, but the referee turned away the youngster's pleas.
When quizzed on whether he thought he was being personally discriminated against by the men making the decisions, Goetze made his thoughts clear.
"Yes," Goetze told Kicker. "For me it is incomprehensible. The defender has hit me pretty hard. It was a clear penalty. Otherwise I would have gone further."
Goetze's coach Juergen Klopp backed his attacking midfielder's opinion, and said there is no doubt that the official made the wrong decision.
"In my view, it was a very clear penalty, no ifs or buts," Klopp said.
The draw leaves the defending champions third in the Bundesliga, five points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
