My Bundesliga for April, 2011

 "Jupp Heynckes will be the new head coach of FC Bayern München next season. The 65-year-old will take charge of the German record champions for the third time, tasked with helping them back to the very top of the European game.

Heynckes, who will remain at Bayer Leverkusen until the end of the current campaign, takes up his duties at Säbener Straße on July 1st and has been given a two-year contract, through to June 30th 2013. He will succeed Andries Jonker, who was put in charge on a caretaker basis when the Munich club parted company with Louis van Gaal earlier than scheduled.
"As coach of FC Bayern, you're obviously condemned to succeed to a certain extent. But for me it's an exciting challenge, which I look forward to taking on together with the team over the coming two seasons", Heynckes said. CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added, "I'm confident that we will enjoy success working in partnership with Jupp Heynckes."

The vastly experienced Heynckes's first term in office at Bayern was from 1987 to October 1991, during which period he led them to two Bundesliga titles in 1989 and 1990 and the German Supercup in 1990. His second tenure was brief but fruitful, as he secured the club a place in the Champions League after taking over from Jürgen Klinsmann towards the end of 2008-09. In between, Heynckes oversaw Real Madrid's 1998 triumph in Europe's elite club competition and the hope is that he can repeat the trick at Bayern, who last won the tournament in 2001.

"Quite aside from my good personal relations with the FC Bayern management, I've always been impressed by how professionally the club is run. I've coached Bayern twice before and on each occasion greatly valued the working atmosphere there", Heynckes commented. Rummenigge confirmed that the new coach was "our number one choice. We're very happy to have come to an agreement with him." Peter Hermann, currently Heynckes's assistant at Leverkusen, will also be making the move to the Bavarian capital with him.

Heynckes had previously made known he would not be extending terms with Bayer 04, and the club have already found his successor in Robin Dutt of SC Freiburg. For their part, FC Bayern had initially decided to part with Louis van Gaal at the end of the season, but that process was brought forward in the wake of the 1-1 draw at 1. FC Nürnberg on Matchday 29.

Bayern's coach-in-waiting meanwhile still has unfinished business with Bayer Leverkusen, namely qualifying for the Champions League. On Matchday 30 this Sunday, their opponents are none other than FC Bayern, at the Allianz Arena. Leverkusen in fact are still in the running for a possible debut league title, as they are now just five points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund (66) - and nine ahead of Bayern (52).

Under the unusual circumstances, Heynckes has been at pains to stress that, "I'll be giving it my all until the end of the season. This is where I work, this what I'm focused on. Everything else is secondary... I'm as fully committed as I ever was and I'll be doing everything in my power to make sure Bayer Leverkusen get straight into the group stages of the Champions League." The sides' first meeting this season ended in a 1-1 draw, Mario Gomez putting Bayern in front in the 34th minute and Arturo Vidal levelling on the stroke of half time.

   

Big result for Dortmund against Hannover

Two goals for the table-toppers: Lucas Barrios After two games without a win, Borussia Dortmund bounced back in style on Matchday 28, thumping high-flying Hannover 96 4-1 at home. Following a goalless first half, Mohammed Abdellaoue gave the visitors a surprise 57th-minute lead with his ninth strike of the season (57'), but BVB delivered a storming response, with goals from Mario Götze (59'), Lucas Barrios (64' and 73') and Kevin Großkreutz (83') sealing the result. "Anyone watching the way we switched up a gear after pulling level will have been left in no doubt that we're at the all-deciding stage of the season. We're trying to focus completely on our own game and the team are doing it in remarkable fashion", Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp said in the wake of the victory. Both teams were able to start with their strongest line-ups and Hannover tried to stamp their authority on the meeting early on. It was Dortmund who carved out the first scoring opportunities however, a sixth-minute shot from distance by Götze being one of them. As the contest unfolded, the 96ers settled back into their familiar swift counter-attacking game and they passed up one chance to go in front in the 17th minute, when Didier Ya Konan was unable to capitalise on a mix-up between BVB defender Neven Subotic and keeper Roman Weidenfeller. Borussia noticeably upped the tempo after the interval, but Hannover continued to threaten on their occasional thrusts forward and Abdellaoue made one count, converting a Sergio Pinto cross at close range. The away fans were not celebrating for long however; within a couple of minutes, Götze had breached the Hannover defence at the other end and not long after that Barrios changed the face of the contest, paving the way for an ultimately comfortable victory.

Mönchengladbach still alive and kicking

Bundesliga debut: Marc-André ter Stegen A new goalkeeper, newfound confidence at home and fresh hope in the battle against the drop: in the wake of their latest success, against local rivals 1. FC Köln, bottom-place Borussia Mönchengladbach have been doing some rough-and-ready arithmetic. "We have five games left. Hopefully, three wins will do - it's certainly possible", said coach Lucien Favre after the 5-1 win that brought his side back within touching distance of the teams above them. Victory in Friday's Matchday 30 opener at Mainz would now even lift the Foals off the bottom of the standings, temporarily at least, for the first time since November 21st. "It's a pity there were only three points going for beating Köln, but now we have a good chance of making the relegation play-off place", said Mike Hanke, who contributed three assists to Borussia's highest-scoring derby win since 1984, against a team they had already beaten 4-0 away this season. The match was also notable for Favre's decision to throw 18-year-old keeper Marc André ter Stegen in at the deep end. "I made that decision before Friday training. It was based on a variety of factors, the most important being simply that he's good", the coach explained. The Germany U-19 international fully justified his selection with a fine performance, saying after his top-flight debut he'd be, "more than happy for things to continue like this." Ter Stegen and co. have quite a challenge on their hands however at Mainz, who are still fifth and on course for a place in Europe despite failing to win any of their last four matches. At the Borussia Park on Matchday 13 they departed with maximum points, after two goals inside the final quarter-hour from Sami Allagui earned them a 3-2 victory.   Robben sees red: unwanted break for FC Bayern's "life insurance" Two-match suspension: Arjen Robben Arjen Robben has been a consistently vital performer in recent weeks for a still-inconsistent Bayern München. The team will have to do without their flying Dutchman for the next two games however after he was red-carded for insulting the referee at the end of the 1-1 draw at 1. FC Nürnberg. As he missed the first half of the season altogether with a wearisome thigh muscle injury, it is a fresh blow for player and club alike. "I love football, I want to play football. I'll be giving more than 100 percent to get back to top form as soon as possible and to be able to start in top gear straight away", the 27-year-old World Cup runner-up vowed ahead of his comeback in January. And he has proved as good as his word, chipping in with nine goals - among them a hattrick in the 6-0 victory over Hamburger SV - and five assists since league action resumed. Against Nürnberg too, he made a promising start, with a strong run and inch-perfect diagonal pass to Thomas Müller for Bayern's fifth-minute opener. Come the final whistle however, the ambitious star paid a high price for venting his frustration at two more dropped points on Knut Kircher. The referee said Robben subsequently apologised "like a sportsman", but the red card was in the match report by that point. Now Bayern face the prospect of games against Bayer Leverkusen and away to Eintracht Frankfurt without their "saviour", whose late goal the week before had earned a 1-0 victory over cellar-dwellers Borussia Mönchengladbach. A provider as much as a scorer, Robben has nevertheless hit the net no fewer than 25 times in his 35 Bundesliga appearances to date since joining Bayern from Real Madrid in August 2009. The team will more than likely feel his absence again as he sits out his two-match suspension.   "Dream record" for Ze Roberto New record: Ze Roberto He had just set a new Bundesliga best-mark, but Ze Roberto's head dropped in disappointment as the final whistle blew on Hamburger SV's 0-0 draw at 1899 Hoffenheim on Matchday 28. It was only in the tunnel afterwards that he was able to acknowledge with no little pride that, "This record is a dream. For me, it's like winning an Oscar." The record in question is that of most Bundesliga appearances by a foreign player. For the 36-year-old midfielder, the game at Hoffenheim was his 331st in the top flight, taking him past the previous best mark of Bosnia's Sergej Barbarez, who himself spent six years at HSV. With the exception of a year on loan at FC Santos, the 84-time Brazil international has enriched the Bundesliga with his intelligent midfield play for the past 13 years, first with Bayer Leverkusen, then Bayern München and now, since 2009, at Hamburg. In that time he has racked up four league titles and four DFB Cup successes. For his country Ze Roberto has had less fortune however: he was not part of the team that won the 2002 World Cup in Japan/South Korea, while four years later Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by France. Germany has become his second home since he made his debut for Leverkusen against Hansa Rostock back in August 1998. Almost his second home, anyway, "because I still haven't managed to get used to the cold", he admits with a smile. Born in the Sao Paulo subprefecture of Ipiranga, Jose Roberto da Silva Junior, to give him his full name, wants to keep playing until he is 40. How long he continues to do so at HSV is currently open to conjecture, as his contract with the Bundesliga "dinosaur" runs out this summer. "Our remaining games are all that count until the end of the season", the gifted technician says. And until then, at the very least, he can go about adding further to his record.   "We can't afford to let up" Scoring again: Srdjan Lakic Srdjan Lakic has made a timely return to scoring form as 1.FC Kaiserslautern go into the relegation end game. The Croatian striker, who moves to VfL Wolfsburg this summer, talks about the Red Devils' battle against the drop and overcoming his own goal drought. Congratulations on the Matchday 29 win at VfB Stuttgart. How relieved were you that Kaiserslautern beat one of their direct rivals for the drop? Srdjan Lakic: The win was a big step in the right direction, but we're not there yet. If we stay on our toes and keep working hard, we'll achieve our target. Your two goals ended a personal 748-minute scoring drought. Was it a relief to finally score again after so long? Lakic: I hadn't been letting it get to me, because I knew what I'm capable of. Training was going well and I could feel that my time would come again. I believed that all along. It brought a difficult period to an end and obviously I'm very happy about that. How does a striker cope with a run like that? You had to occasionally sit it out on the bench as well, after all. Lakic: I didn't worry about it and focused on staying positive and improving my game. I was carrying a knock when I was left out, a foot injury. I know that when I'm fit, I'll get my share of the goals. The victory over Stuttgart took Kaiserslautern six points clear of the relegation play-off place. Are the Red Devils safe already? Lakic: No, we can't afford to let up and need to stay hungry. But I don't see any danger of that not happening, because we're a good unit and we want another win now. Even if FCK aren't there yet, that safety cushion surely gives the team the necessary self-confidence and peace of mind going into the final matches? Lakic: That kind of success obviously gives you strength and confidence. But there was never any panic here because we all know that we can only achieve our goal as a collective and everyone has to be there for the others. Three of Kaiserslautern's remaining five games are at home. How much of an advantage is that when you're fighting relegation? Lakic: Anyone who's been to the Betzenberg will understand that. These fans are just fantastic and they're always pushing you on. We've had a lot of great games at home and it's there above all that we've earned some well-deserved respect. Next up at the Betzenberg are 1. FC Nürnberg. What kind of game do you anticipate there? Lakic: Nürnberg are a different side from the first half of the season. They're deservedly well up the table and now in contention for a Europa League place. They have a lot of self-confidence and are very dangerous. But Marco Kurz will prepare us meticulously again and if we trust in our own strengths and make the most of our chances, we'll get the result we need. Your final three games of the season are against St. Pauli, Wolfsburg and Bremen, three teams all still in the midst of their own relegation battles. Will FCK already be out of the woods by then? Lakic: No-one's thinking about that now. We're all just concentrating on our next opponents, and that's Nürnberg. It's in our own hands. If we win our games, we'll stay up, whatever particular matchday it turns out to be decided on. On Matchday 33 you're away to your future employers, VfL Wolfsburg. Are you concerned that you might fire your new club - and by extension yourself - into the 2. Bundesliga? Lakic: I play for 1. FC Kaiserslautern and all I'm concerned about is that our team stays in the Bundesliga. I'm not going to VfL Wolfsburg until next season and until then, all that counts is Kaiserslautern. And on top of that, I don't occupy myself with hypothetical questions.   Return to pastures old for Rangnick and Magath New challenges: Rangnick (front) and Magath Rangnick in charge at Schalke, Magath back at Wolfsburg Ralf Rangnick is the new head coach at FC Schalke 04. He succeeds Felix Magath, who joined VfL Wolfsburg within days of being dismissed by the Gelsenkirchen club. For Rangnick, 52, who left 1899 Hoffenheim during the winter break and has been given a contract through to 2014, it is his second stint in charge at the Veltins Arena. Magath is no stranger to Wolfsburg either, having taken them to the title in 2008-09. Reflecting on the club's current perilous position he acknowledged, "Taking over a team so late in the season is difficult. There's not much time." On Matchday 29, Magath made a swift but unsuccessful return to Gelsenkirchen with the Wolves, who went down 1-0 to Rangnick's Schalke. Bundesliga comeback for Daum with Frankfurt Christoph Daum is back on the Bundesliga stage. The man who led VfB Stuttgart to the title in 1992 is the successor to the departed Michael Skibbe at relegation-threatened Eintracht Frankfurt, on an initial deal through to the end of the season. "I aim to shake things up in Frankfurt", said Daum, who left his previous club, Fenerbahce, last summer: "Eintracht are a club with a great tradition and huge potential. I'm not a relegation specialist, I'm a coach who works to a concept. So I'm not thinking about the 2. Bundesliga." Hummels extends at Dortmund Good news for Borussia Dortmund, who have agreed an early contract extension through to 2014 with central defender Mats Hummels. "With Mats, we've secured a long-term commitment from another pillar of the team, who has a significant role to play in our forward planning", BVB sporting director Michael Zorc said. Chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke added that, "This is another important step towards keeping our young and highly promising side together." Hummels, 22, joined Dortmund from Bayern München in 2008 and has since become a full Germany international. Rost and Trochowski to leave HSV Number one goalkeeper Frank Rost and midfielder Piotr Trochowski will both be leaving Hamburger SV at the end of the season. 37-year-old Rost's contract is not being renewed and Trochowski, 27, is moving to Spanish Primera Division outfit FC Sevilla. Rost signed up with HSV in January 2007, while Trochowski has been with the Red Shorts since 2005. Bayern tie Kroos until 2015 Bayern München have extended the contract of Toni Kroos ahead of schedule for a further three years, until June 30th 2015. "It's another building block in our longer-term strategy for a successful team", sporting director Christian Nerlinger commented, after the 21-year-old midfielder had joined fellow German internationals Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller and Holger Badstuber in committing himself to the record champions for the seasons to come. "I feel at home here, FC Bayern have excellent prospects and I'm confident we'll again start winning the titles our fans are hoping for", said Kroos. Rensing staying at Köln Michael Rensing will be performing between the posts for 1. FC Köln again next season. The former FC Bayern keeper has agreed a two-year extension to his existing contract, which is only valid for the second half of the current season. The proviso is however that Köln remain in the top flight. "I'm very happy. I feel very much at home at the club and in Cologne, a real football city. The club belongs back in the Bundesliga limelight. I think there's an enormous potential for development, and I'd like to be a part of it", Rensing said.   SCHEDULE April 15.04.11 Bundesliga FSV Mainz 05 - Bor. Mönchengladbach 16.04.11 Bundesliga 1. FC Köln - VfB Stuttgart Bundesliga 1899 Hoffenheim - Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga Hamburger SV - Hannover 96 Bundesliga 1. FC Kaiserslautern - 1. FC Nürnberg Bundesliga VfL Wolfsburg - FC St. Pauli Bundesliga Werder Bremen - Schalke 04 17.04.11 Bundesliga Bayern München - Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund - SC Freiburg 21.04.11 Bundesliga SC Freiburg - Hannover 96 23.04.11 Bundesliga FC St. Pauli - Werder Bremen Bundesliga VfB Stuttgart - Hamburger SV Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt - Bayern München Bundesliga Schalke 04 - 1. FC Kaiserslautern Bundesliga Bayer Leverkusen - 1899 Hoffenheim Bundesliga Bor. Mönchengladbach - Borussia Dortmund 24.04.11 Bundesliga VfL Wolfsburg - 1. FC Köln Bundesliga 1. FC Nürnberg - FSV Mainz 05 29.04.11 Bundesliga Werder Bremen - VfL Wolfsburg Bundesliga 1. FC Kaiserslautern - FC St. Pauli 30.04.11 Bundesliga 1. FC Köln - Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga 1899 Hoffenheim - VfB Stuttgart Bundesliga FSV Mainz 05 - Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga Hannover 96 - Bor. Mönchengladbach Bundesliga Hamburger SV - SC Freiburg Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund - 1. FC Nürnberg Bundesliga Bayern München - Schalke 04 07.05.11 Bundesliga Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga Schalke 04 - FSV Mainz 05 Bundesliga 1. FC Nürnberg - 1899 Hoffenheim Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt - 1. FC Köln Bundesliga Bor. Mönchengladbach - SC Freiburg Bundesliga VfB Stuttgart - Hannover 96 Bundesliga FC St. Pauli - Bayern München Bundesliga VfL Wolfsburg - 1. FC Kaiserslautern Bundesliga Bayer Leverkusen - Hamburger SV   Sunday's meeting of Bayern München and Bayer Leverkusen sees two of the best teams in the Bundesliga, both studded with internationalists, going head-to-head. To my mind most of the pressure is on Bayern, who are not only at home but also need to win to maintain their chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League. By contrast, we've already virtually secured second place and still even have one eye on the title, although that is also dependant on Dortmund's results. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility though, as we experienced painfully at first hand in 2002. With three games to go we were five points in front of BVB but we still managed to let the title slip from our grasp. This time the roles are reversed".   Cheers