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On this week’s main report, Hans, our German correspondent spotlights Bayern Munich, a team that has had a fantastic start to the season in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. This report has a transcript below and explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained. There is also a worksheet with answers.
Most people associate the Bundesliga with Bayern Muenchen. There are other big teams, including champions Dortmund, Hamburg and Schalke, but it is the team from the southern state of Bavaria that is best known.
This is probably because Bayern have been the most successful team, winning every possible trophy in their long history, including the European Cup, or Champions League four times and 22 Bundesliga titles.
So naturally every season eyes turn to the south to see how they will perform, and in 2011/2012 the word that describes their current form is a€œunbelievablea€. Bayern have been simply unstoppable in recent weeks. Since their only loss in the first round, they have gone undefeated in 6 games, scoring 21 goals whilst not conceding a single goal, and added to this they have won both their champions league games without conceding.
So here are my three top reasons for this incredible start.
1. Manuel Neuer. Germanya€™s No. 1 keeper came from Schalke in the summer. He has added confidence to their defence, is very good at distributing the ball and his long precise kicking sets up the midfielders for fast attacks.
2. Frank Ribery. He is slowly returning to the Ribery of old, enjoying his football and tormenting defences with his attacking play.
3. Strikers. In a€˜Supera€™ Mario Gomez and Thomas Mueller Bayern have the Bundesliga’s best strikers, both in form and being provided with plenty of chances. They work well together, set each other up and share the glory.
Will this be the year for Bayern? The Champions League Final will be played at the Allianz Arena, their home ground, and in the form they are currently in, it will take a very good team to stop them. Enjoy the Bundesliga and see you again soon. Auf Wiedersehen.
Vocabulary
trophy: cup
eyes turn to: the media is interested in, people take notice of
unstoppable: unbeatable, impossible to defeat
concede: to give a goal away, to allow a goal to be scored against (the team)
distribute: pass, spread
~player of old: previous; unusually used to say a player has returned to their previous best
in form: playing well
set (someone) up: provide (someone) with a chance, give (someone) an opportunity to