01x02 - Tod oder Gladiolen

[bunniefuu]

Yeah, I'm proud of that of course,

because I've changed the system
and that is very difficult.

And very difficult to do that
as a stranger in a club with a structure,

with top players in the board.

That's not so simple.

In that season,

we have won the championship, the cup,
[Champions League] finalists.

It's unbelievable.

But it is also unbelievable
that the same coach was sacked the next season.

So, that's football.

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2
“DEATH OR GLADIOLI”

It was also a period,

if you recall the 2009/10 season,

in which the whole country
joined in the excitement with Bayern.

It wasn't yet the case that they had
the league title booked every year.

They had to earn their wins
and their successes

and also their European successes.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL

You saw the Louis van Gaal system there.

Then all of a sudden there were triangles
and, I don't know, parallelograms,

pitches were divided into thirds,
and I think to myself:

"Okay, I know
that I know nothing."

Before you could've accused FC Bayern:

"What tactics do FC Bayern
actually stand for?"

With van Gaal came a new tactical system
which was attack-orientated,

where you press high, where you try
to dominate the game.

And van Gaal could really

predict moves.

For example, he'd told me before the first leg
that he said to his players:

"You have to watch out.
When Manchester United have the kick-off,

the first ball always goes
long to the right wing."

And exactly that happened on the night.

Badstuber was standing a bit diagonally.

Free kick.

Van Gaal's already snapped.

And the opening goal resulted
from that free kick.

It's dangerous! And it's in!
Wayne Rooney makes it 1-0 after one minute.

We didn't play particularly well
but tactically we did well,

in terms of subduing the opportunities
for Bayern Munich.

We never looked like losing the game

until the free kick.

Yes, a bit lucky.

But what can I say?

Ribéry... Ribéry! Goal!

It wasn't the best free kick,

but sometimes you need
a bit of luck.

We certainly noticed that Manchester
United are obviously at the top level.

But we also noticed

that if we kept plugging away,
that might be the difference.

It was clear from the outset

that it's a Herculean task,
it remains a Herculean task.

But with this spirit and this commitment,
maybe there's more in it.

Who was the scorer of the second goal?

A friend once said to me:

''I didn't see you because the television
always shows you where the ball is."

Perhaps I was two, three
metres to the left or right

and then I came from nowhere.

They were all surprised

because I still found the strength
in the 92nd minute

to somewhere push through.

And this is the opportunity for Bayern.

And Gómez is fouled there,
then here's Olić. Olić!

Sometimes you have to take the medicine.

Goal! Goal for Bayern!

2-1! In the last second of the match!

When I watch it back now,
it's all over 10 years ago,

then I think that was someone else,
that wasn't me.

lvica Olić, who again is fighting till he drops,
giving everything until the last second.

When I saw the pictures on the TV
for the first time, the whole stadium,

it really was like an expl*si*n.

For me that was honestly

one of the nicest moments
of my career.

It was a really good game.

Also how the players attacked,
I thought was very, very good.

We won 2-1 at home and
then went to Manchester.

That wasn't easy.

2-1 isn't much.

We were good, but Man United
were also still very good at that time.

We flew to England.

Manchester. And then it was said

that Wayne Rooney was injured.

And for Rooney it could be
really tight for next week.

He's taken off his boot. He's limping.

He's in pain.

I don't know whether he can play
or not.

I didn't see the ankle
after the match.

And I also don't know
how long something like that takes.

I also asked him later

if he was genuinely injured.

He said he's certainly got something.

But he just wanted to make out
like he wouldn't play.

We never let anybody
near the training ground.

The press were allowed for 15 minutes
on Friday morning,

Rooney was not there.

You should never give your opponents
opportunities and let them know.

And we did that all the time.

Then he came into the stadium on crutches
to make it look like he wasn't going to play.

And 75 minutes before kick-off,
Rooney was there.

We just laughed and thought:

"What's that about?
What kind of madness is this?"

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL - 2ND LEG

And we just shrugged our shoulders.
Well then,

he's playing-

I remember that Patrice Evra
was playing for United at the time.

Together with Franck, I bumped into him
just before the game.

And he said to us: "You'll see,
it's going to be hell tomorrow."

It's going to be unbelievable!

We're playing at home
and we're going to destroy you."

In the first 30 minutes we were

swept up in a hurricane.

75,000 mad fans.

I spoke to Micho,
who was three metres from me.

And I know: when I shout on the pitch,
you hear me.

He was three metres away
and I shouted at him.

He didn't hear it.

We couldn't say anything to the team.
And we lost our heads.

We were a bit naive there.

Myself included.

Old Trafford erupted,
you thought a train was travelling

and Bayern are standing on the platform
and waving behind.

Bayern were the better team
in the final in '99.

We were the far better team
that night.

Far better team.

It was incredible.
And I just turned to van Bommel and said:

"Pfft, will we turn this around?"
And he said:

"Yes, we'll turn it around."

Van Bommel, he was fantastic.

When they lost the third goal,
he was going round

all the players, shaking his fists at them.

I always remember seeing that.

Bloody hell, he still wants to win,

at 3-0.

From there we got more into the game

and got our chances.

I played a long ball to Thomas Müller,
he flicked it on.

I was almost on the floor
after a body check.

The ball came onto my stronger foot.

I thought:
"Okay, I have to sh**t now."

Since there wasn't much time.

Olić! Yes!

3-1:

I get chills down my spine now
because it came out of absolutely nothing.

And it was Olić of all people.

So, my take on the half-time talk
to the players was

we have to go for the fourth goal.

We have to k*ll them off.

And Lahm, van Bommel and Butt
stood there and shouted:

"We're not going out, we're staying in,
we'll score a goal!"

And that was one of those moments
in which you knew, okay,

we can still turn the game around.

At that point, at half-time,

Bayern were in the driving seat.

And then Rafael,

I think it was the 55th minute,

received a second yellow.

It was a really bad decision.

He was only 19 years of age. A kid.

The game changed because
then you could see

they only needed to score
one goal and then they're through.

The game turned.

But yes, we still
needed one goal.

And then, obviously,

as everyone knows, the corner came.

I associate so many memories
with that goal.

When you watch the goal again,

then it's the kind of goal you can hear —
even if you only see a photo.

I stood in the penalty area
and when the ball was played,

I just thought to myself:
"Why's Franck playing it there?

We're all in the penalty area."

We made eye contact.

And then I see Arjen.

Alone.

Yes, I think, I obviously
made a gesture.

I saw that he saw it.

I gave a signal.

We never practised that corner.

That's the big advantage
with creative players,

they come up with something.

Just stay calm, strike well,

don't want it too much.

The ball went through

a forest of players.

You see and you feel already:

that's probably going in.

And for it to be such a goal

that turned off all the lights.

I mean, that was...

Yes, it doesn't get better.

Robben!

An incredible goal

2-3!

As things stand, FC Bayern Munich

are in the Champions League semi-finals.

This extraordinary piece
of football was...

incredible.

That was a match that showed
the belief,

that great battling spirit
in the team.

It was clear:
we want to win the Champions League.

And we're going to do it.

Then we said to ourselves:
"Okay, now let's go to the final."

So, we progressed twice
only thanks to the away goals rule,

then it was only against Lyon
in the semi-final

where we really played more convincingly,

produced really good performances,
particularly winning clearly at Lyon.

Three for lvi, I believe.

But we lost Franck
in the first leg.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL

Against Lyon,

we actually gave
the Champions League away a bit there.

You see...

You see red cards given for that.

You see them given.

Obviously, if you had a referee
with a bit of instinct to say:

"Okay, that's dark yellow,
next time you're off."

I didn't do that intentionally.

I didn't want to hurt the player

or injure him.
No. It was unfortunate.

Franck was suspended for two matches,

and we still had the second leg at Lyon

and hopefully the final.

And I then flew with him to Geneva,

to the UEFA headquarters.

And we debated

MEETING AT UEFA HEADQUARTERS IN NYON

whether there's a possibility to reduce the
suspension from two matches to "one plus one" —

i.e. one-match ban

plus one match suspended.

That was rejected.

We tried everything
but it didn't work.

I felt it was annoying him.

At the same time, of course,
Franck felt unbelievably

that FC Bayern did everything for him.

The club always fought for me.

Uli, Rummenigge...

Yes, we always fought for Franck

because he also gave everything
for FC Bayern.

4 DAYS TILL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

I understand his disappointment, his sadness.

But I'm sure

it's not the last time

that Bayern Munich can reach
a final.

And next time I'm sure
that he'll be on the pitch,

together with the team,
and then

will achieve his big goal there.

At Säbener Street there are

two staircases on the way
from the dressing room to the canteen.

After the first staircase
there are three pictures.

A picture of the Meisterschale,
a picture of the cup

and a picture of the
Champions League trophy.

And we walked past these pictures
all season.

Again and again.

And I don't know exactly, on 8th May

we were crowned champions.

On 15 May we won the cup.

But the Champions League win

was a long way off.

My pleasure.

We built a very humble team,
in terms of the mentality,

to face a giant like Bayern.

We knew exactly the way
we wanted to play,

which was to play
in relation to our strength.

And to try not to give to Bayern

what they wanted us to give them.

I think he's right.

Bayern Munich was the attacking team.

We take the risk,
and that is why he can say that.

I worked previously

as Mr. van Gaal's assistant.

I knew what

for him is very important.

Certainly in that time, I was more of
an attacking coach against the team of Mourinho.

When I heard him speak about us...

All the teams of Mourinho play like that.

Inter is a different kind of team.

They were the defending team.

José will come with a certain
kind of approach.

Defending is easier than attacking.

I knew exactly what he wanted with that.

FC Bayern were certainly
a bit starved.

It had been a long time
since a Champions League win.

Playing in a final
is a special experience.

You notice that it's different.

Since Hamit [Altintop] played on the right,

I could play Zanetti in midfield

and Chivu on the left.

So, it all worked.

José Mourinho explained the game
to me again

in Manchester from his perspective.

They knew: Franck isn't playing,
Arjen was dealt with by Chivu.

He was repeatedly stopped,

there were lots of little fouls.

Don't let Robben play with space,

because Robben with space was amazing.

We tried always

to play him against two.

I always had two, three opponents.

Yes, we needed our wingers there.

But one of them wasn't there.

Franck was phenomenal at that time.

And that completely

senseless and unwarranted red card

obviously brought about our downfall.

The fact that Ribéry was suspended

also played a factor.

Bayern lost a great player.

Well, you don't know
how it would've turned out with Franck.

But on the whole I'd say
Inter also just had a great team,

an experienced team,
who defended very, very well.

Our game, our tactics

was to play our game,
not the Bayern Munich game.

Maybe they wanted to play faster.

But we wanted to play a controlled game.

When you have to play defensively strong teams,

it's more difficult

to score goals.

Our defence line was on the halfway line.

That is always more difficult.

And you've seen that.

And we didn't find any ways
of making things happen.

Then they managed to do
exactly what we didn't want.

We knew it would be
a difficult final,

that FC Bayern had a lot of experience
of these games and would give everything.

We prepared very well.
We knew every detail,

we knew we couldn't leave
anything to chance.

Micho and I were often one versus one
— with Sneijder and Milito.

And then we face a counter-attack,

where they obviously get forward
very quickly

and get the first goal.

They scored the goals
from the few chances they had.

Then in the second half we had the huge chance
with Thomas to score the equaliser.

A huge chance.

Schweinsteiger.

Olić. That was good.

Altintop. To the right is Müller, Müller,
Müller, Müller, Müller, Müller.

I maybe come to the ball
a tad too slowly,

so that I can allow myself
more time for the finish.

Nevertheless,
even in that situation

you should be able to finish
more accurately and better.

That was certainly a big chance,
I think.

If he puts that away, maybe
it would've been a different game.

Yes.

In hindsight a big thing.

But I can't do anything
about it now.

And then in that game,
for the first time in many months,

we really lacked belief.

We tried,

but the feeling in the stadium:

Inter are going to win this.

And then came that decisive punch.

There are several points here:

you wait.

You try to hold up
the player a bit.

But eventually you're in the penalty box.

So eventually you have to attack.

I knew that I can keep on dribbling
because he can't touch me in the penalty box.

I took the risk
and went into the one-v-one duel.

And it's a mistake by me
to try to stop the player

from sh**ting.

One. Two.
And then no option for the goalkeeper.

They were both one-v-one situations...

Making any sort of accusations

is no good.

We lacked a bit of something
in the final.

We maybe weren't yet ready
to win the Champions League

in an honest way.

When I look back,

I feel that Inter were more prepared.

They were really a tactical machine.

We were creating a certain kind of
mentality, then the players

tactically were ready for everything.

Maybe when you see the match,

you think that Bayern Munich shall win.

But it's not like that.

We obviously got that far
with a bit of luck here and there,

and for it was actually a huge achievement
even to get to the final.

We seized it, I must say. And I

BANQUET AFTER THE FINAL

am very proud. Very proud of
this team, of this coach.

Yes, we were all proud.
And we had actually

planned, regardless of
the outcome of the match,

to do a motorcade from the airport

to the city centre
and then go onto the town hall balcony.

Louis was so whacked on the night
after the match that he said:

"A motorcade after a defeat,
that's not right." And I said:

"Louis, I tell you one thing,
the people will celebrate

you and the team tomorrow
— and you've earned that."

Yeah,

but when you don't win,

you cannot have a celebration.

That's also a principle of mine.

And then eventually we decided:

"We're doing that now!"

I have to adapt to the culture

in Germany and in Munich.

And I have done that.

DAY AFTER THE FINAL - MUNICH CITY CENTRE

Hoppa, hey!

Brilliant. Food,
yes we need that at some point.

It was fantastic that so many people came.

You!

Are!

Unbelievable!

I thought I was dead

this morning,

but you are the gladioli.

Unbelievable. We're alive again.

I don't think it was as painful
that time

because we knew

that we didn't go into it
as favourites,

and then we're in the final
- and then we lost.

Instead, the journey there
and that process was important for us.

We valued that as a success
in itself.

This group is achieving a lot,

and I assume

that we'll keep on working

until we bring the Champions League trophy here.
Okay?

I always had that feeling.

That now a team is growing
who in the coming years

can always compete for the Champions League.

And I think you also sensed that
in the club,

the fans sensed it,

that top players such as Franck Ribéry,
top global stars,

have identified with the club
and the team.

Our friend Franck

signed a new contract yesterday
until 2015.

Yes, I said:
"I've extended by five years!"

And then the fans were happy.

I'm doing five more years.

It was a really phenomenal season

with Bayern, and then
even better with the national team.

The World Cup went superbly,
for our players too.

What happened then?

I think Arjen was then
injured for another six months.

Ah, he's calling now.

Arjen, yes, servus, you...

No, no, it's not him.

Of course, that was also a very big
and special story.

We then had the World Cup

and serious injuries.

They came back.

Three weeks' holiday.

And then we got the impression

that a lot of them were still
physically tired —just physically.

You come up as a 20-year-old,
play 50 plus games,

win titles, reach the Champions League final,
lose it, go to the World Cup,

also get knocked out near the end
there in the semi-finals.

In the following season we had,

let's say, suffer from it.

We again had problems from the start,
we had difficulties.

I don't know what was up today
because we just didn't get into our game.

Now we must first

process this crap here.

On Matchday 7 we're now
13 points behind.

In my view, that's a major disaster
for Bayern Munich.

Of course the players are disappointed too.

But we now have the opportunity
that the players,

who have been waiting so long
to play,

can now play.

In the previous season,

Louis asked me after
a few weeks:

"This Gómez, look at his goals
at Stuttgart."

It was over 30 or something.

So I watched all these goals.

"And?" asked Louis.

I said: "15 goals inside
the six-yard box."

Five goals are really nice goals.
Well taken.

With five goals he had a bit of luck.

And five goals were just offside.

Then he says: ''I can't be doing with that."

Well, it was clear that I already

had an offer from Bayern Munich
the year before.

And VfB Stuttgart didn't let me go.

And then in 2009 I moved

and signed, without knowing
who would be coach.

And then Louis van Gaal
became coach,

which really for me in my life

was a kind of milestone, I think.

Before that a lot of things
were taken for granted.

With him nothing's taken for granted.

You're not used to that.

When you're a young rising star
and everyone's slapping you on the back,

and then suddenly someone comes
and gives you a dose of reality every day.

I'll never forget the first day,
when I came into the dressing room

and everyone said "hello",
and he takes my hand and I say "hello".

Then he carries on walking, turns around,
comes back and asks:

"Who are you?"

And then I looked at him.
He shook my hand and said:

"I'm Louis van Gaal.

In Holland we introduce ourselves
on first meeting."

Then I didn't know
if he was having me on or if he was serious.

I didn't know him.

And yes, he was being serious.

It is normal.

I have to introduce myself.

To then hear a bit later
that he didn't actually want me,

that I'm fourth-choice striker.

At the start there were four strikers
for two positions.

And then when the decision was made
that it was better to play with

one striker and two wingers,
there was really one too many.

Mario worked incredibly hard,
improved a lot,

but wasn't yet at the level
where he could start.

But to be honest, van Gaal
opened my eyes.

He told me he expects
more things from a striker

than just scoring goals.

I'm always very clear.
I say the things

that I see on the pitch.

And I say it to the players
at the right moment, I hope.

And then he has to change.

Subtitle Extracted by: Aren Zohrabi

Louis always said:
"The better substitutes

wear the orange vests,

the worse players the blue ones."

And Mario always had blue
in his first year,

always blue.

I obviously expressed my aggression
and my displeasure.

And that was actually
a provocation by Louis,

because he decided the colours
before training

and the players knew that too.

The story with van Gaal then continues,
we have the new season

and he says to me:
"Okay, it's better if you go."

Because I wasn't going to play
anymore with him.

And Uli Hoeneß then called me in.

I went to him
and had a coffee with him.

And then he put his hand
on his belly and said:

"My gut feeling tells me that you're still
going to be very, very important for the club."

I just had to promise him
that I'd give everything every day.

Well, Mario...

I thought a lot more of Mario,
but Louis was obviously a...

yes-or-no type-

I then obviously stayed
because I had to stay.

I had a very nice offer
at the time from Liverpool,

with whom I'd actually already agreed

and which I also really wanted to do.

And then it just didn't happen.

I was on the bench for seven games,
hardly played at all.

And we actually, luckily —

well, luckily for me —
started the season really poorly.

And on Matchday 8, I believe,

he didn't know what to do
up front anymore,

and he brought me over
before the game and said

that I'm playing at the weekend.

Now's my chance.

It was against Hannover.

And then we won the game 3-0.

And I scored all three goals.

I then sat in the dressing room

and I was struggling with myself,
with my emotions.

So I sat there, completely withdrawn.

Then someone taps me on the shoulder,
laughs and says: ''I told you so."

And it was Uli Hoeneß, who was standing
in front of me and laughed and said:

"But now keep it up,
don't stop."

And Louis van Gaal, being as he is,

immediately brought me back
down to earth.

He said: "Won, three goals, but still a long way
from what I imagine from a striker.

But a good start, for sure."

From then on I played, though.

There was then a fantastic moment, which still
gives me goosebumps when I think about it today.

It's probably the greatest success
of my career.

At some point midway through
the aforementioned second season, van Gaal

brought me into his office again
before the match.

I came in, and he just always showed

his emotions unfiltered
and was then like

sat in front of me
with tears in his eyes.

They were tears of emotion.

He then told me,

that he's very, very happy
that I've been on this journey

because up to that point in time,

so in the season before,
he didn't want to play me.

But I'd fought my way from fourth
to first in the pecking order.

He had a lot of question marks
with me.

But those question marks are now
gone for him,

because I'm now delivering exactly the game
that he expects from a striker.

And that for him it's no longer a question
of who plays up front,

but that it's clear for him
that I play up front.

I haven't done that.

No.

Mario Gómez himself has done that.

I have created the circumstances
[so] that he could do that.

And he has done it.

And that is remarkable
because not many players

can do that.

I am very proud of him
that he has done that.

In hindsight, really,

for what I am today and
how I see things today, that was probably

the hardest but also the
most important school of my life.

I was even the top goalscorer that season.

I think I scored 28 goals.

Mario did become the number one
striker in the end

and scored a lot of goals
and a lot of important goals.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - ROUND OF 16

And almost every ball near
the goal, he put it away.

That's his quality.

Louis is a coach who looks at

competitive games, friendlies
and training sessions.

And if a young player,
in his opinion,

is doing better than an older player,
then in comes the young player.

Doesn't matter who.

Thomas Kraft then played in goal

and Jörg Butt was dropped to the bench.

It all wasn't easy.

My goalkeeper coach Frans Hoek also saw
that he was a talent.

And like Alaba, Badstuber
or Müller

he could have the possibility

to develop himself.

You have to say:
That wasn't a sporting decision.

That was a decision somewhere between coach,
club or club management.

Yes, yes,
that was also the "Koan Neuer" ["No Neuer"].

Was it that season?
I kept saying:

"Please get the goalkeeper.
He's the best around."

Hoeneß liked to buy Neuer.

We're signing Manuel Neuer.

I said we have Thomas Kraft.

And he said to us:
"Yes, you can do that with him.

But Thomas Kraft is playing for me."

Then you think to yourself,
are you in the wrong film?

Then I said:

"Louis, I'm going to say something to you now
which stays in this room."

Manuel Neuer is coming to FC Bayern.

End of."

Okay, when you think

that Neuer is much better than Kraft,
then you can do that.

But at that time, we didn't know
that he was the best goalkeeper ever in Germany.

And then there was that strange
DFB Cup match against Schalke,

where Manuel Neuer was unbelievable
in goal for Schalke 04 again.

And the stands,
the Südkurve: "Koan Neuer!"

Uli and I, we went mad.

Yes, we also went into the stand

and then into the dressing room.

And then, being completely mad
as I was, I went

into the Schalke dressing room.
Then Horst Heldt came up to me and said:

"What are you doing here?
You're in the wrong dressing room."

And then I said:
"No. May I please speak with Manuel briefly?"

And then Manuel came out of the shower,
he came with a towel.

He came into the corridor
and then I said to him:

"Manuel, I would like to

apologise for what happened there tonight."

And he was quite cool.

And then he said to me:

"May I ask you a question?"

I said: "Sure!"

"Do Mr. Hoeneß and you
want me to come to FC Bayern?"

I replied:
"Of course."

Then he said:
"Then I'll come!"