Advocaat envious of big-spending Bayern
BERLIN, Germany (AP) — Dick Advocaat coaches Russia’s richest club in Zenit St. Petersburg — and yet the Dutchman still has reason to be envious of Bayern Munich.
While Zenit is owned by the massively wealthy Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, Advocaat says Bayern’s financial strength gives it a clear advantage heading into Thursday’s first leg of the UEFA Cup semifinals.
This season, Bayern shelled out $110 million for new players — more than Zenit’s total annual budget.
Ottmar Hitzfeld wanted Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and Franck Ribery and got them, Advocaat said of Bayern’s coach.
Ottmar wants, Bayern pays. When Bayern has a second game in a week, Hitzfeld sends seven new players onto the field.
The match-up could be described as new money versus old money.
Gazprom was formed in the 1990s, while Germany’s richest club has been a European power since the ’70s.
The Russian champions, however, may not have to face two of Bayern’s new stars Thursday as they vies for a spot in the final.
Toni, the leading scorer in both the UEFA Cup and Germany’s Bundesliga, is suspended with a fifth yellow card and his strike partner Klose is listed as doubtful with an inflamed foot.
The loss of Toni may hurt Bayern the most. The Italian has 10 goals in the competition and has been in devastating form, scoring twice late to salvage a 3-3 draw against Getafe that lifted Bayern into the semifinals on away goals.
Toni also added both goals in Saturday’s 2-1 German Cup final win against Borussia Dortmund, taking his total to 35 in 41 games in all competitions this season.
It’s too bad that Luca isn’t there — he’s in great form at the moment, Bayern’s Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel said. But up to now, we’ve compensated for every missing player.
Van Bommel will pad his reputation as Bayern’s tough guy by playing despite a broken nose and skipping the protective face guard.
You have to grit your teeth a little sometimes, he said. But let’s not exaggerate, a broken nose isn’t all that bad.
Advocaat believes Gazprom could invest more in new players after spending $235 million on a new stadium.
Having just 15 good players is a strain with two competitions, and a reason why the club is only 10th in league this year, he said.
Several of his stars are coveted by western clubs, including forward Pavel Pogrebnya, with eight UEFA Cup goals, Ukrainian midfielder Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Russian player of the year Andrei Arshavin.
Zenit hope the Bayern game at the Allianz Arena resembles last round’s match-up against another German club, when the Russians used their speed on breakaways to beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-1.
We will have it easier than in the Russian league, where every team plays defensively against us, Advocaat said. Bayern will give us room to play.
Hitzfeld and veteran goalkeeper Oliver Kahn are looking to end their Bayern career with a triple.
Hitzfeld will coach Switzerland next season while Kahn will retire, and they want another European title to add to the German Cup and the Bundesliga crown they can clinch next week.
If Ottmar Hitzfeld can perfect the treble in the UEFA Cup, then that is the ideal farewell gift, Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer said.
found here.
