The first leg is over in the Allianz Arena, and Bayern absolutely throttled Barca 4-0. This is one of the best days I've ever had as a fan. Dortmund take on Real Madrid tomorrow in Dortmund.
Yeah I know. The refs let Martinez and Schweinsteiger play real soccer and be physical on the tiny Barca midfielders today. We'll see what happens in the 2nd leg, but an early Bayern goal in Spain will put to rest any negative thoughts.
It was absolutely a foul, but Thomas Muller set a pick in the box that Jimmy B would've been proud of to free up Robben to slot home a beauty from a sharp angle. Barca got away with two hand balls in the penalty area so all was pretty even. Bayern thoroughly deserved to win 4-0, if not by more. (I know I'm biased, but that was pretty much the way most of the commentators felt on Fox Soccer as well.)
It was absolutely a foul, but Thomas Muller set a pick in the box that Jimmy B would've been proud of to free up Robben to slot home a beauty from a sharp angle. Barca got away with two hand balls in the penalty area so all was pretty even. Bayern thoroughly deserved to win 4-0, if not by more. (I know I'm biased, but that was pretty much the way most of the commentators felt on Fox Soccer as well.)
Here's the pick play. I wish it showed the finish, because it was a beauty that Robben tucked into the far corner.
I might feel worse about the pick if Jordi Alba didn't respond 5 minutes later by pulling this stunt.
Barca is all about sportsmanship and fair play when referees are bending over backwards for them in La Liga. When things don't go their way and a team is allowed to physically press them up and down the field, they aren't such a mythical force.
Actually thought that was pretty funny, given the way Robben was being his usual pain in the ass self. I've seen defenders take a rocket off the boot of Balotelli with less drama than that. Just prior, he took a dive and the ball did go out on him, which I thought Alba was arguing about while Robben was in his face asking for the ball. Probably should have been the second yellow on Alba though.
This year has been a bit of a down year for teams not named Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. There are usually 2 or 3 other really competitive teams in the Bundesliga and because the league is so young the teams vary. Schalke is usually just a notch below the top 2, and I believe they made the CL semis last season. Hamburg is usually a tough club to handle. Leverkusen had a few good years when Mario Gomez burst onto the scene and are coming back into form and sit 3rd in the table. My favorite thing about the league, as cusefan88 mentioned, is the top to bottom competitiveness and the style of play. It's a physical league but also one that scores a lot of goals. I'd much rather watch a mid-table BL game than one in basically any other league in the world. Also, the league forces its teams to operate in the black. While Real Madrid and Barca sink deeper and deeper into debt, clubs like Bayern and Dortmund do the opposite. This is why nearly all the stadiums you see around the Bundesliga are fairly new or recently refurbished. If you're into stadiums and stadium architecture, go on YouTube and watch a few of the videos about the Allianz Arena in Munich. And to watch another American, Fabian Johnson plays for Hoffenheim (although they might get relegated this year).
She's probably too old for him.
We played again today but Bayern only sent out 3 or 4 of the 11 players that are likely to see the field for the CL final (Neuer, Boateng, Alaba, and maybe Van Buyten). In fairness, Dortmund's defense was essentially whole but their entire attacking midfield and top strikers rested. The 1-1 draw today really shows nothing of what's to be expected at Wembley later this month. Familiarity is the reason I'm more excited than I was for last season's match against Chelsea, and I think it's going to be time for Bayern to cement themselves as the best club in the world by winning the Champions League. At this point, anything less than a treble will be disappointing. I would've been rooting for Dortmund had Bayern not survived against Barca, but now, I can't be happier that they eliminated a player like Cristiano Ronaldo in a one-match final.
