Diego gets one-match ban for fluffing disputed penalty

BERLIN: New Wolfsburg coach Pierre Littbarski has imposed a one-match ban on midfielder Diego after the Brazilian broke orders by taking a penalty, which he then missed, during the 1-0 defeat to Hanover at the weekend.

“I’ve suspended him for one match because of what happened. That will be the end of the matter and afterwards he can show us if he can help us,” said Littbarski, who has taken over from Steve McClaren, his former boss who was fired on Monday.

McClaren had designated Patrick Helmes as official penalty taker but Diego, signed in the close season for 15mil, insisted he took the spot-kick only to see it come back off the crossbar. 

  

Dortmund have nothing to fear now, says Mueller

BERLIN: Bayern Munich forward Thomas Mueller said on Sunday that Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund have nothing to fear from the defending champions after his team’s shock 3-2 defeat at strugglers Cologne.

Despite their goalless draw with Schalke on Friday, Dortmund are 12 points clear at the top of the table, 15 ahead of Bayern.

The defending champions did themselves no favours as they threw away a 2-0 half-time lead to suffer a 3-2 defeat at relegation-threatened Cologne on Saturday, with striker Milivoje Novakovic scoring two second-half goals.

Bayern were left shell-shocked by the defeat, while coach Louis van Gaal sat stunned on the Munich bench long after the final whistle.

“It is hard to express how disappointed we are. Dortmund have absolutely nothing to fear from us at all,” Mueller told German daily Bild.

“They can lose any games they want to and we also just throw points away. It was like we came out for the second half having taken sleeping tablets.

“We have just ruined out entire season. If we keep wasting our chances like that, we might as well talk about the relegation battle as much as the title hunt.”

With Bayern’s rivals Bayer Leverkusen also losing, 1-0 at Nuremberg, and Mainz drawing 1-1 with Werder Bremen after conceding a late equaliser, Dortmund’s domination of the German league shows no sign of abating.

  

Wolfsburg sack former England boss McLaren

BERLIN: Former England manager Steve McClaren was sacked yesterday by Bundesliga side Wolfsburg after just seven months in charge with his side just one point away from the relegation zone.

The 49-year-old became the first English manager to coach in the Bundesliga last August, but McClaren has been dismissed in the wake of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Hanover, when he criticised star player Diego for missing a penalty.

McClaren’s co-trainer Pierre Littbarski will take over as caretaker coach.

“We were no longer sure that we could work with Steve McClaren until the end of the season with some stability,” said director of sport Dieter Hoeness in a statement.

“We have tried to make things work for as long as possible, but we have lost faith that we can bring success.”

Having coached FC Twente to last season’s Dutch title, McClaren took charge of the 2009 Bundesliga champions before the start of the season.

But his team have struggled all season.

Star striker Edin Dzeko was sold to Manchester City in January and the final straw came in Saturday’s defeat.

McClaren slammed Diego for disregarding the English coach’s order to let Germany striker Patrick Helmes take an 80th-minute penalty on Saturday, which the Brazilian then missed.

“The players argued about it like kids in a playground,” said Hoeness. 

  

Bayern’s defeat to Cologne difficult to swallow, says Lahm

BERLIN: Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm admitted Cologne’s shock 3-2 win over the defending champions was a bitter defeat to swallow as the hosts came from 2-0 down to floor the Bavarian giants.

“It hurts,” said Lahm after Saturday’s defeat in Cologne left Bayern fifth in the league and 15 points behind leaders Dortmund.

“We’re making life difficult for ourselves. We’re making too many mistakes in our build-up play, and our tackling wasn’t aggressive enough.

“We made it much too easy for Cologne. Yet again, we’ve failed to perform at the start of the second half, failed to carry on where we’ve left off in the first half.

“Yet again, we’ve fallen asleep for the first 20 minutes of the second half and carelessly thrown away vital points.

“We wanted to set off on a long winning run, but it’s evaded us again.”

Bayern were cruising after striker Mario Gomez and midfielder Hamit Altintop scored first-half goals to leave Munich 2-0 up at the break.

But the champions’ recent run of seven wins in eight games came to a shuddering halt as Cologne fought back.

A capacity 50,000-strong crowd saw midfielder Christian Clemens and striker Milivoje Novakovic haul the home side back into the game with two goals in the first 15 minutes after the restart.

Novakovic then scored the winning goal with a superb effort with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Incredibly, this was Cologne’s fifth consecutive game against Bayern without defeat and Munich coach Louis van Gaal was left fuming as he accused his side of throwing the game away.

“It’s unbelievable,” said the Dutchman. “It’s the fourth or fifth time we’ve thrown a match away.

“We’ve missed a huge chance today, because all our rivals have lost, with the exception of Hanover. It was another commanding first half from us, so it’s unbelievable.”

Hamburg derby is called off due to heavy rain

BERLIN (AP): The Bundesliga derby between Hamburger SV and St. Pauli scheduled for Sunday was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.

An inspection of Imtech Arena on Saturday found the pitch to be unplayable after two days of heavy rain in Hamburg and more forecast.

A date for the postponed game will be set by the German football league next week. "It simply rained too much. There was nothing anyone could do," Hamburger SV spokesman Joern Wolf said.

Work to lay new grass at the stadium was completed on Friday, but the club said only the weather was responsible for the postponement of the 16th Bundesliga derby between the sides.

The game at the 57,000-seat stadium has been sold out for weeks, and public viewing points were set up around the city.

"We never imagined that a game would have to be called off now, when there's no snow," St. Pauli manager Christian Boenig said. "Now I have to ring each player individually to tell them the news."

  

Bayern throw away two-goal lead and lose to lowly Cologne

BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s title aspirations suffered a blow yesteray as relegation-threatened Cologne hit back from 2-0 down to inflict a 3-2 defeat on the defending champions.

Bayern were cruising after first-half goals by Germany striker Mario Gomez, his 16th in 19 league matches, and Turkey midfielder Hamit Altintop.

Gomez became the league’s top-scorer after he latched onto a diagonal pass from Thomas Mueller to beat ex-Bayern goalkeeper Michael Rensing on 22 minutes, with Altintop doubling their lead moments before the half-time break.

But Cologne, deep in the fight to avoid relegation, refused to go down without a fight.

They pulled a goal back through midfielder Christian Clemens on 55 minutes, then equalised when Slovenian striker Milivoje Novakovic headed home seven minutes later.

Novakovic produced a superb solo effort for his second, his seventh goal in 15 league games, when he slotted home on 73 minutes to send the home fans into ecstasy at Cologne’s Rhein Energie Stadium.

A win in Cologne would have put Bayern second as Leverkusen lost 1-0 at ten-man Nuremberg, but the defeat leaves Bayern fifth and 15 points behind league leaders Dortmund.

Cologne remain in the bottom three despite their heroics.

Germany veteran Michael Ballack meanwhile was left fuming after being substituted in the second half of Bayer Leverkusen’s defeat at Nuremberg, 24 hours after being left out of the national squad for next week’s friendly against Italy.

The 34-year-old has not played for Germany since March 2010 and this was only his second start after four months out with a fractured leg as his side lost, but stay second in the table.

Leaders Dortmund stay 12 points clear at the top of the table after being held to a goalless draw by Schalke on Friday.

Hanover are fourth and stayed in the fight for a European place for next season with a 1-0 win at Steve McClaren’s Wolfsburg.

  

Okazaki is the latest Japan export to Bundesliga

TOKYO: New Stuttgart signing Shinji Okazaki has become Japan’s latest footballing export to Germany, with the Bundesliga pocketing much of the East Asian country’s best talent for little or no transfer fee.

The striker is the sixth Japanese to move to Germany after the World Cup in South Africa, underlining not only Japan’s status in the global game but also helping to banish old perceptions Asians cannot make it in European leagues.

Shinji Kagawa moved to Borussia Dortmund in July and has scored eight goals to play a major role in propelling the team to the top of the Bundesliga table.

Atsuto Uchida, Kisho Yano, Tomoaki Makino and Hajime Hosogai have already followed in the 21-year-old Kagawa’s footsteps.

Dortmund acquired the highly talented Kagawa on the cheap – for just 350,000.

“The German clubs have learned that Japan has many talented players they do not need to pay transfer fees for,” the well-established Japanese sports magazine Number said.

Stuttgart waited for Okazaki’s contract with J-League side Shimizu S-Pulse to expire at the end of January before they swooped for free.

“I have nothing to lose and I’m confident of playing well. I feel pleasure much more than pressure,” the striker told reporters before leaving Tokyo’s Narita airport on Friday. 

  

Franck Ribery back for Bayern Munich, Robben out

BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich will welcome Franck Ribery back from injury at FC Cologne on Saturday, while Arjen Robben has been ruled out.

Ribery will make his comeback a week after reports claimed he would miss at least another three weeks due to a knee injury sustained at Wolfsburg on Jan. 15. It is unclear whether he will start against 16th-place Cologne.

Bayern coach Louis van Gaal says "I still have to decide that."

Robben, however, did not travel with the rest of the squad after he was unable to partake in Friday's training due to a cold.

Van Gaal says "I have alternatives for these positions in Thomas Mueller and Hamit Altintop."

  

Bundesliga: Neuer earns Schalke 0-0 draw at Dortmund

BERLIN (AP) — Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer inspired Schalke to a 0-0 draw at Bundesliga leader Borussia Dortmund on Friday.

The Schalke keeper showed why he is Germany's No. 1 with saves from the third minute on in the 137th Ruhr Derby.

It was, according to Germany coach Joachim Loew: "Manuel Neuer against Borussia Dortmund."

Dortmund had 66 per cent of possession inside the first 15 minutes, and Schalke players barely touched the ball in the first half.

In the second, Neuer rushed out of his area to block a goalbound shot from substitute Robert Lewandowski, making it back in time to grab Nuri Sahin's attempted lob from distance.

He did enough to distract Mario Goetze late on. The 18-year-old's shot hit the post and drifted wide.

"Dortmund clearly deserved to win," Neuer said. "If it had been a game to my liking, we would have had those chances."

Dortmund increased its lead in the table to 12 points from Bayer Leverkusen, while Schalke climbs to ninth.

"It was a super intensive game in which we were the better side but we didn't win," said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp. "Of course it's disappointing, but if we keep playing the way we did, we will win games."

Neuer saved from Goetze in the third minute, following a mistake from former Dortmund player Christoph Metzelder, playing for the first time against his former club.

The 24-year-old saved with his feet two minutes later, when Lucas Barrios played a simple pass to Jakub Blaszczykowski, and he had to react quickly to gather an ambitious overhead effort from Sahin moments later.

Anthony Annan, nephew of former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, made his debut for Schalke but — to put it diplomatically — none of the defense could deal with Dortmund's quick passing and off-the-ball running, and the home side should have converted a host of chances.

Neuer saved from Blaszczykowski in the 21st, when he denied the Polish midfielder from point blank.

Kevin Grosskreutz produced a wonderful curling cross minutes later, but Barrios was unable to reach it, and Sahin floated in a free kick which Mats Hummels deflected wide.

Schalke's Raul Gonzalez was incorrectly flagged offside when he raced forward alone in the Dortmund half. Replays showed he was behind the halfway line when the ball was played through.

His strike partner Klass-Jan Huntelaar was shown a yellow card for protesting, and was lucky the referee did not show him another moments later when he handled the ball.

Lukas Schmitz earned the second booking of the game for a cynical foul on Blaszczykowski shortly before halftime, as the visitors showed their frustration.

Barrios blasted the ball over after the break, and he hit the post in the 55th with Neuer beaten, when he should have done better after a cross from Lukasz Piszczek.

Schalke twice went close, first when Raul's cross was just behind Jose Manuel Jurado, and then when Jefferson Farfan deflected a promising cross high and wide.

Neuer denied an effort from Sven Bender, but the home side was restricted to fewer opportunities.

Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller's only save was crucial. His outstretched leg denied Jurado when Raul cleverly set him up with a quick free kick.

"We did a lot right. We simply have to score the goals," Hummels said. "It's not a setback. We're playing the best football in the Bundesliga."

The Dortmund defender added: "Nobody would complain if the score had been 3-0."

  

No nonsense Van Gaal is what Bayern need, says Rummenigge

MUNICH: Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Wednesday backed his club’s under-fire coach Louis van Gaal by insisting the extrovert Dutchman is exactly what the German giants need.

It has been a difficult few weeks for Bayern after captain Mark van Bommel quit to join AC Milan last week, just after Bayern president Uli Hoeness re-ignited his feud with van Gaal when he questioned the Dutchman’s methods.

Hoeness complained last October that van Gaal is difficult to work with.

But with Bayern third in the Bundesliga, Rummenigge has gone into bat for the Dutchman.

“He is exactly what we want,” Rummenigge told German magazine Sport Bild.

“You can’t reproach him, he has our trust.

“He’s not always a fun guy, or fun to deal with.

“His extreme honesty and openness can lead to friction, but he is an excellent football teacher and coach.”

Van Gaal has a contract at Bayern until June 2012, but the Dutchman has enemies within the game.

Former Bayern striker Luca Toni and defender Lucio both left Munich shortly after van Gaal’s arrival in June 2009 to play for Italian sides.

“Van Gaal hurt me more than anyone else in football,” said ex-Bayern captain Lucio who won the Champions League title with Inter Milan last season.

“He erased my positive memories of winning the title with Bayern in an instant.”

Toni was just as scathing.

“The players want to have a dialogue with their coach, they want to be motivated by him,” said former top scorer Toni, who now plays for Juventus.

“That doesn’t happen with van Gaal or (ex-Bayern coach Felix) Magath.” 

  

Schalke out to salvage season at Borussia Dortmund

BERLIN (AP): Schalke coach Felix Magath has more than most at stake in the 137th Ruhr Derby on Friday when his side visits Borussia Dortmund to get a weekend of derbies under way in the Bundesliga.

Trust in the 57-year-old coach's ability to save Schalke's disappointing season is fast eroding following last week's loss to Hoffenheim and a number of questionable transfer deals in the winter period, and it appears patience has run out with his side languishing in 11th place.

Fans have issued an open letter accusing Magath of creating "a climate of fear" at the club and calling for an "end to the madness." "We share these concerns and fears," the board said of the Schalke Fan Club Association.

Schalke has 25 points and Dortmund leads the table with twice as many, but Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp is still wary.

"You can be successful from a desire for victory or from fear of defeat. Schalke has a lot of advantages," Klopp said. "It's easier to surprise when expectations are low than vice versa."

Shinji Kagawa scored twice when Dortmund won 3-1 in Schalke earlier this season, but the Japan midfielder is injured for the rest of the season.

"We'll miss Shinji, no question," Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller told Kicker. "But we cannot change the situation. We have to take it as it is."

Dortmund will look to rising star Mario Goetze to provide the midfield inspiration in his place. Despite limited playing time so far, the 18-year-old German has scored four goals and provided seven assists.

"I feel good in this position," Goetze said. "I know it from my youth. I like playing here as much as I do on the wings."

In Saturday's derby, fifth-place Hannover hosts a Wolfsburg side bolstered by the acquisition of six new players in the winter break, including exciting 19-year-old Yohandry Orozco from Venezuela.

Wolfsburg coach Steve McClaren can also count on Turkey international Tuncay Sanli in midfield, and former Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes has arrived to replace the departed Edin Dzeko.

"Edin was without doubt a good player," the 26-year-old Helmes said. "But every player has qualities. Wolfsburg has always had good strikers and that will stay the same." Wolfsburg is 12th, four points from safety.

In Saturday's late game, 2007 Bundesliga champion Stuttgart travels to Borussia Moenchengladbach for a relegation battle between the two bottom sides.

Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia is hopeful that Germany striker Cacau will make a return from injury.

He has also bolstered his attack with the acquisition of Japan striker Shinji Okazaki from J-League club Shimizu S-Pulse, expected to make his debut against Nuremberg on Feb. 12.

Also on Saturday, relegation struggler Cologne hosts a third-place Bayern Munich side missing Franck Ribery, Nuremberg hosts second-place Bayer Leverkusen, fourth-place Mainz hosts Werder Bremen, and Hoffenheim hosts Kaiserslautern.

There's another local derby on Sunday, when Hamburger SV hosts St. Pauli, with public viewing set up around the city so fans without a ticket can see the sold-out game.

"It is one of the most beautiful games of all," Hamburg coach Armin Veh said. "A derby at home in front of your own fans. If that does not stir your heart, then you have none."

Also Sunday, it's Freiburg vs. Eintracht Frankfurt.

  

Schalke swoop for Karimi and Charisteas

BERLIN: Schalke 04 struck late in the transfer window to sign Iran midfielder Ali Karimi and former Greece striker Angelos Charisteas on short-term deals until the end of the season, the Bundesliga club said on Monday.

The 32-year-old Karimi, who has won 112 international caps and once had a two-year spell at Bayern Munich, joins from Iran’s Steel Azin Teheran FC.

Schalke coach Felix Magath was in charge of Bayern when the 2004 Asian Footballer of the Year played for the Bavarian club. Karimi also played in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Charisteas, 30, without a club since leaving French top-flight strugglers Arles-Avignon in November, will boost an impressive Schalke frontline that already includes Spaniard Raul and Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The Greek, who has also played for Ajax Amsterdam, Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, scored the winner in his country’s surprise Euro 2004 final victory over Portugal. 

  

Flum’s early strike seal victory for Freiburg

BERLIN: Johannes Flum’s first-half goal earned Freiburg a 1-0 win at Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Sunday, ending the home side’s unbeaten start to 2011.

Flum scored in the 24th minute, when he latched onto a through ball from Maximilian Nicu to shoot past Sven Ulreich.

Freiburg climb to sixth in the standings on 33 points, 17 behind leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Stuttgart remain second from bottom on goal difference after last-place Borussia Moenchengladbach won 1-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt to move level on 16 points. In Frankfurt, Igor de Camargo scored late on for Moenchengladbach.

Stuttgart substitute Martin Harnik wasted a great chance in the 89th minute, missing an open goal to hit the post after Freiburg goalkeeper Oliver Baumann had spilled the ball.

“Normally he scores those,” said Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia.

Papiss Demba Cisse made an earlier than expected return from injury for Freiburg, and the league’s joint top-scorer almost doubled the visitors’ advantage before the interval. Serdar Tasci made a crucial block to deny the striker from five metres.

Stuttgart was denied a penalty in the 81st, when Heiko Butscher appeared to handle the ball in the area, but referee Jochen Drees waved play on.

Moenchengladbach’s goal came in the 84th minute, when de Camargo got ahead of Frankfurt’s Marco Russ to deflect Karim Matmour’s cross between the legs of Oka Nikolov. 

  

Freiburg wins 1-0 win at Stuttgart in Bundesliga

BERLIN (AP): Johannes Flum's first-half goal earned Freiburg a 1-0 win at Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Sunday, ending the home side's unbeaten start to 2011.

Flum scored in the 24th minute, when he latched onto a through ball from Maximilian Nicu to shoot with his right foot under Sven Ulreich.

Freiburg climbs to sixth in the standings on 33 points, 17 behind leader Borussia Dortmund.

Stuttgart remains second from bottom on goal difference after last-place Borussia Moenchengladbach won 1-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt to move level on 16 points. In Frankfurt, Igor de Camargo scored late on for Moenchengladbach.

Stuttgart substitute Martin Harnik wasted a great chance in the 89th, missing an open goal to hit the post after Freiburg goalkeeper Oliver Baumann had spilled the ball.

Papiss Demba Cisse made an earlier than expected return from injury for Freiburg, and the league's joint top-scorer almost doubled the visitors' advantage before the interval. Serdar Tasci made a crucial block to deny the striker from five meters (yards).

Stuttgart was denied a penalty in the 81st, when Heiko Butscher appeared to handle the ball in the area, but referee Jochen Drees waved play on.

Moenchengladbach's goal came in the 84th, when de Camargo got ahead of Frankfurt defender Marco Russ to deflect Karim Matmour's cross between the legs of Oka Nikolov.

Caio started in place of Fanis Gekas for Frankfurt, and the Brazilian showed why was the subject of reported interest from Dynamo Moscow.

His first chance came in the ninth minute when his powerful shot rose just over the bar.

The 30-year-old Caio continued causing problems for the Moenchengladbach defense, and he crashed the ball off the right post with a shot in the 33rd.

De Camargo should have done better for the visitors in the 41st, when Mohamadou Idrissou headed on a corner, but the Belgian was unable to control the ball and it bounced harmlessly wide.

Borussia coach Michael Frontzeck brought Matmour on for Mike Hanke at halftime, and the Algerian forced Nikolov into action straight away when the goalkeeper had to react smartly to block his shot.

Martin Fanin thought he had scored for Frankfurt in the 62nd, but the effort was ruled out as he strayed marginally offside.

Idrissou forced a fine save from Nikolov in the 69th, and de Camargo thought he scored a minute later when the goalkeeper saved from behind the line before the ball was scooped away. Despite the visitors' appeals, the linesman ruled it did not fully cross the line.

De Camargo could have added a second a minute after scoring, but placed his shot to the right with only Nikolov to beat.

Nikolov produced a one-handed save to prevent midfielder Marco Reus from making the game safe for Moenchengladbach. Moenchengladbach traveled to Frankfurt without American midfielder Michael Bradley, linked with a switch to English side Aston Villa.

  

Dortmund beat Wolfsburg to restore 11-point lead

BERLIN: Dazzling Borussia Dortmund restored an 11-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday, charging past hosts VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 for their 10th win in 11 away games this season.

Bayer Leverkusen, second on 39 points, had briefly cut the gap to eight on Friday but goals from Lucas Barrios and Nuri Sahin either end of the first half and another from Mats Hummels made sure Dortmund kept up their title run with their 16th win in 20 games.

Bayern Munich came from a goal down to edge past Werder Bremen 3-1 in the north-south derby to move into third place on 36 for the first time this season.

Mainz beat Kaiserslautern 1-0 thanks to a Lewis Holtby volley for their first win after two defeats this year that lifted them to fourth, also on 36.

Schalke suffered a surprise 1-0 home defeat to Hoffenheim, who celebrated their first win under new coach Marco Pezzaiuoli, while Hamburg slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Nuremberg to drop to seventh on 30 points.

Leaders Dortmund did not need long to establish who was boss on the pitch with Paraguay international Barrios tapping in a Mario Goetze cross in the second minute.

With Japanese offensive midfielder Shinji Kagawa out for the rest of the season with a broken foot, Goetze slipped into his role with ease, dictating the visitors’ attack.

Juergen Klopp’s team went 2-0 up just before the break with Wolfsburg clearly lacking ideas and being far too static. Goetze crossed again into the box and Sahin benefited from some confusion to score.

Hummels dashed any Wolfsburg hopes in the 71st minute, tapping in from close range.

In Bremen, the hosts struck two minutes after the restart, taking a deserved lead when Per Mertesacker was left unmarked at the edge of the Bayern box to slot home.

Dutchman Arjen Robben sneaked in to level with his second goal in two games, Mertesacker fired into his own net and substitute Miroslav Klose, a former Bremen striker, sealed Bayern’s win four minutes from time.

“After being 1-0 down we played very aggressively. Maybe that is what we need to get going,” Robben said.