Both press their opponents high up the pitch, can move the ball from defence to attack with bewildering speed and play with a 4-2-3-1 formation featuring wide players on each flank and a lone striker.

Dortmund, however, are more lightweight and lean towards a more counter-attacking style.

One of coach Juergen Klopp’s training exercises involves setting his players a target of eight seconds between winning possession of the ball in their own half and having a shot on goal.

Pressing their opponents is a key to Dortmund’s style, so much so Klopp once described it as “the best playmaker a team can have”.

Yet, even Klopp has realised that you can have too much of a good thing.

He admitted his team tried to do too much in the Champions League last season, when they pressed their opponents relentlessly and dominated matches only to finish bottom of their group behind Olympiakos, Arsenal and Olympique Marseille.

This season, Dortmund have pressed in shorter bursts, yielded possession to their opponents, yet have been ruthless in the counter-attack and finishing.

The addition of the lithe Marco Reus on the left flank has been fundamental to the new approach.

“I have learned a statistic,” Klopp told uefa.com. “Teams that run too much lose, and teams that press reduce their chances of winning the game. Now I know why it happened.

“We ran more than our opponents and we pressed them all over, as high as possible.”

PHYSICAL PRESENCE

Bayern also press their opponents high up the pitch, a ploy which proved especially effective in their 7-0 semi-final aggregate win over Barcelona.

Compared to Dortmund, they are more of a possession team, not unlike Barcelona but employing a style which is much more direct and physical than tiki taka.

Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are their most eye-catching players as they tear into the opponents on the flanks, although both can be infuriating with their histrionics.

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes, however, sees his key player as Bastian Schweinsteiger, who directs the midfield from a position just in front of the defence.

Heynckes rates “Schweini” as one of the world’s top players and his injuries were blamed for Bayern’s failure to win a trophy last season.

After completing a triple of second places in the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup, Bayern quickly decided that they needed a reinforcement in that part of the pitch and splashed a Bundesliga record fee for Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez.

The versatile Spaniard has turned out to be a crucial signing, adding a very physical presence in front of the defence where he dispossesses opponents and charges forward when the openings arise.

Bayern’s other key acquisition has been Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic, a far more versatile presence than the prolific but rather one-dimensional goalscorer Mario Gomez.

In the quarter-final against Juventus, Mandzukic gave a masterclass in how to play as a lone centre-forward as he tussled with defenders, pulled them out of position, created chances and scored himself.

“To be successful, a team needs a squad of top players, not just eleven, and that is maybe what we lacked in the Champions League final last summer,” said Heynckes referring to the shattering penalty-shootout defeat against Chelsea.

“That’s why the transfer policy for this season was so important.”

(Editing by Toby Davis)

Both press their opponents high up the pitch, can move the ball from defence to attack with bewildering speed and play with a 4-2-3-1 formation featuring wide players on each flank and a lone striker.

Dortmund, however, are more lightweight and lean towards a more counter-attacking style.

One of coach Juergen Klopp’s training exercises involves setting his players a target of eight seconds between winning possession of the ball in their own half and having a shot on goal.

Pressing their opponents is a key to Dortmund’s style, so much so Klopp once described it as “the best playmaker a team can have”.

Yet, even Klopp has realised that you can have too much of a good thing.

He admitted his team tried to do too much in the Champions League last season, when they pressed their opponents relentlessly and dominated matches only to finish bottom of their group behind Olympiakos, Arsenal and Olympique Marseille.

This season, Dortmund have pressed in shorter bursts, yielded possession to their opponents, yet have been ruthless in the counter-attack and finishing.

The addition of the lithe Marco Reus on the left flank has been fundamental to the new approach.

“I have learned a statistic,” Klopp told uefa.com. “Teams that run too much lose, and teams that press reduce their chances of winning the game. Now I know why it happened.

“We ran more than our opponents and we pressed them all over, as high as possible.”

PHYSICAL PRESENCE

Bayern also press their opponents high up the pitch, a ploy which proved especially effective in their 7-0 semi-final aggregate win over Barcelona.

Compared to Dortmund, they are more of a possession team, not unlike Barcelona but employing a style which is much more direct and physical than tiki taka.

Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are their most eye-catching players as they tear into the opponents on the flanks, although both can be infuriating with their histrionics.

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes, however, sees his key player as Bastian Schweinsteiger, who directs the midfield from a position just in front of the defence.

Heynckes rates “Schweini” as one of the world’s top players and his injuries were blamed for Bayern’s failure to win a trophy last season.

After completing a triple of second places in the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup, Bayern quickly decided that they needed a reinforcement in that part of the pitch and splashed a Bundesliga record fee for Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez.

The versatile Spaniard has turned out to be a crucial signing, adding a very physical presence in front of the defence where he dispossesses opponents and charges forward when the openings arise.

Bayern’s other key acquisition has been Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic, a far more versatile presence than the prolific but rather one-dimensional goalscorer Mario Gomez.

In the quarter-final against Juventus, Mandzukic gave a masterclass in how to play as a lone centre-forward as he tussled with defenders, pulled them out of position, created chances and scored himself.

“To be successful, a team needs a squad of top players, not just eleven, and that is maybe what we lacked in the Champions League final last summer,” said Heynckes referring to the shattering penalty-shootout defeat against Chelsea.

“That’s why the transfer policy for this season was so important.” (Editing by Toby Davis)

“Switzerland is among the countries least affected by corruption and has effective legislation in this regard,” said a government statement.

“But suspicions of corruption in the awarding of the hosting of major sporting events have revealed the weaknesses which exist in the field of private corruption.”

More than 30 international sporting federations have their headquarters in Switzerland, including soccer’s world governing body FIFA which has been hit by a string of corruption scandals over the last three years.

The International Olympic Committee, tainted by a vote-selling scandal involving the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002, is based in Lausanne and the International Cycling Union, whose sport is plagued by doping scandals, is based in Aigle.

The Swiss government, worried about the effect on the country’s image, has commissioned a report into the problem.

On Wednesday, the cabinet opened a public consultation into its proposal that corruption in private organisations should be considered an offence under the penal code.

Currently, corruption is only considered an offence if it involves government officials or distorts market competition.

PRIVATE CORRUPTION

“In the absence of a classic situation of concurrence, acts of corruption between private parties are not punished,” said the government.

“This situation has been increasingly discussed in view of the constant events of corruption observed in the international sporting federations.”

“Because of this, private corruption should be regulated within the penal code and should no longer depend on a situation of concurrence.

“For example, acts of corruption committed in the awarding of the organisation of big sporting events should be punishable.”

Under the public consultation, Switzerland’s cantons, political parties and all parties affected by the proposed legislation have until Sept 5. to put forward comments and suggestions.

After that, the federal department of justice will analyse the answers and present further proposals, before the government decides whether to send the bill to parliament.

FIFA was hit by a vote-buying scandal in 2011 in the run-up to the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups which led to bans for two members of its executive committee.

Since then, two other executive committee members have been banned, another is provisionally suspended and under investigation while three more have quit, including former power-brokers Jack Warner and Ricardo Teixeira.

FIFA said in a statement that it would have to analyse the proposal before commenting.

It added: “FIFA welcomes initiatives that make a concrete contribution in the fight against corruption as they represent a fundamental support for its own governance process.” (Reporting by Martin De Sa Pinto; Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Blatter also said he would talk to the Italian football federation (FIGC), which he said had not been thorough enough in investigating Sunday’s incident in the match at AC Milan and had made its decision too quickly.

“What is surprising and is not understandable for me, is that the disciplinary committee of the FIGC has taken a decision, not even 24 hours after the event, by just imposing a fine,” he told FIFA.com.

“They have not made any investigation of what happened. And just to give a pecuniary sanction is not valid, that is not acceptable.

“You will always find money. What is 50,000 euros for such an incident? I’m not happy and I will call the Italian Federation. That’s not a way to deal with such matters.”

However, FIGC president Giancarlo Abete said the disciplinary tribunal was abiding by current rules, although his federation would willingly adopt new ones and were waiting for either FIFA or the European governing body UEFA to take a lead.

“I think lessons have not been learned. It is incredible, that we had such incidents especially in the Italian Serie A in the San Siro between AC Milan and Roma, a very important match,” Blatter added.

“The referee had to stop the match for a few minutes in order to bring back calm. This is bad.”

ABUSE FOR BALOTELLI

The referee stopped the match early in the second half of Sunday evening’s match after racist chanting by the visiting fans. Warnings were broadcast over the public address system and play was re-started after a two-minute delay.

The Italian disciplinary committee announced the sanction on Monday, saying three AC Milan players, who it did not identify, had been subject to racist abuse.

After the match AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said striker Mario Balotelli frequently suffered racist abuse.

Milan’s team also included Kevin-Prince Boateng, who walked off during a friendly match in January after racist abuse from the crowd at a fourth tier club. The Milan team followed him.

FIFA’s annual Congress in Mauritius at the end of the month will vote on several proposals aimed at curbing racism at matches.

These would include observers at matches to report and provide evidence of racism behaviour in the stands, plus a two tier system of sanctions including points deductions and expulsion from competition for severe offences.

“In this resolution, there are foreseen sanctions. And these sanctions must be applied all around the world,” said Blatter.

“That’s why we need the Congress’s decision. That will bind together all the 209 (national) associations.

“I’m looking forward to that and I do hope, that there we will be no other incidents until May 30, when we will deal with this matter in Mauritius.”

Abete told RAI television he would reply to any correspondence from Blatter.

“We are on the frontline of the fight against racism. The rules are changing, but for the moment, these are what we have and we respect the independence of the sporting tribunals,” he said.

“We’ve already realised that a fine is not a sufficient deterrent. In future, (the sanction) could go from a partial closure of the stadium to a total closure, depending on the seriousness of the incidents.

“Any new rules would be included in the sporting code for the 2013/14 season.

“It doesn’t make sense to talk about not taking enough time; the facts were clear and the referee’s report was explicit.

“The FIGC is waiting to be contacted by FIFA but for the moment, there has been no official communication.”

(Editing by John Mehaffey)

Blatter also said he would talk to the Italian football federation (FIGC), which he said had not been thorough enough in investigating Sunday’s incident in the match at AC Milan and had made its decision too quickly.

“What is surprising and is not understandable for me, is that the disciplinary committee of the FIGC has taken a decision, not even 24 hours after the event, by just imposing a fine,” he told FIFA.com.

“They have not made any investigation of what happened. And just to give a pecuniary sanction is not valid, that is not acceptable.

“You will always find money. What is 50,000 euros for such an incident? I’m not happy and I will call the Italian Federation. That’s not a way to deal with such matters.”

However, FIGC president Giancarlo Abete said the disciplinary tribunal was abiding by current rules, although his federation would willingly adopt new ones and were waiting for either FIFA or the European governing body UEFA to take a lead.

“I think lessons have not been learned. It is incredible, that we had such incidents especially in the Italian Serie A in the San Siro between AC Milan and Roma, a very important match,” Blatter added.

“The referee had to stop the match for a few minutes in order to bring back calm. This is bad.”

ABUSE FOR BALOTELLI

The referee stopped the match early in the second half of Sunday evening’s match after racist chanting by the visiting fans. Warnings were broadcast over the public address system and play was re-started after a two-minute delay.

The Italian disciplinary committee announced the sanction on Monday, saying three AC Milan players, who it did not identify, had been subject to racist abuse.

After the match AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said striker Mario Balotelli frequently suffered racist abuse.

Milan’s team also included Kevin-Prince Boateng, who walked off during a friendly match in January after racist abuse from the crowd at a fourth tier club. The Milan team followed him.

FIFA’s annual Congress in Mauritius at the end of the month will vote on several proposals aimed at curbing racism at matches.

These would include observers at matches to report and provide evidence of racism behaviour in the stands, plus a two tier system of sanctions including points deductions and expulsion from competition for severe offences.

“In this resolution, there are foreseen sanctions. And these sanctions must be applied all around the world,” said Blatter.

“That’s why we need the Congress’s decision. That will bind together all the 209 (national) associations.

“I’m looking forward to that and I do hope, that there we will be no other incidents until May 30, when we will deal with this matter in Mauritius.”

Abete told RAI television he would reply to any correspondence from Blatter.

“We are on the frontline of the fight against racism. The rules are changing, but for the moment, these are what we have and we respect the independence of the sporting tribunals,” he said.

“We’ve already realised that a fine is not a sufficient deterrent. In future, (the sanction) could go from a partial closure of the stadium to a total closure, depending on the seriousness of the incidents.

“Any new rules would be included in the sporting code for the 2013/14 season.

“It doesn’t make sense to talk about not taking enough time; the facts were clear and the referee’s report was explicit.

“The FIGC is waiting to be contacted by FIFA but for the moment, there has been no official communication.” (Editing by John Mehaffey)

The new officials “would identify potential acts of discrimination with the aim of easing the pressure on referees,” FIFA in a statement on Monday. They would also help gather evidence for disciplinary committees.

The inaugural meeting of FIFA’s anti-racism task force also proposed that first or minor offences be punished with lighter sanctions such as playing a match behind closed doors, a warning or a fine. Serious incidents and re-offenders would be hit with points deductions, expulsion from a competition or relegation.

The proposals will be put to FIFA’s Congress in Mauritius at the end of the month.

English referee Howard Webb, one of the panel members, said match officials could not always be aware of what was happening off the field.

“We are very much in the front line, we are the first port of call for the players,” Webb told Reuters after the meeting.

“If we become aware of anything from the players or officials which they deem to be racist or discriminatory, then we’ve got an obligation to respond and referees will do that.

“You are not always aware of what’s happening in the stands.

“Bear in mind that what we do as match officials is to shut the crowd out really, because we’re trying to concentrate on the game itself, we are trying to focus on our job and not get distracted.

“Therefore….it’s not easy to know what’s happened.”

THREE-STEP PROCEDURE

Webb said the new role should be performed by someone “who has a good understanding of what constitutes a discriminatory act within the stadium, and can therefore guide the match official.

“It could be someone like a venue co-ordinator, (it) could be someone in the stand, who could take the best position to get a feel for what’s going on.

“It could be they have to move around the stadium to get a feel for what’s happened, but it would take some of the pressure off the match officials.”

European soccer’s governing body UEFA issued guidelines four years ago outlining a three-step procedure to be followed in case of racist incidents during matches, putting the onus heavily on referees.

It said the referee should first stop the match and ask for announcements to be made over the public address system. The second step would be to suspend the match for a given period of time and, finally, abandon it.

Those rules have not yet been invoked in European club competition and in March UEFA said it would “fully support” referees who enforced them.

“Why that procedure has not been invoked, I don’t know,” said Webb, adding he had not been involved in a match where he felt it necessary to stop play.

“Maybe (it’s) because there’s an educational requirement needed for referees to make them aware it does exist.

Webb was involved in an English Premier League match at Swansea City in December during which Norwich City’s Sebastien Bassong complained to him about racist abuse from a man in the crowd. The man was arrested and later charged.

“It worked really well on that occasion,” Webb said. “It might be that racial gestures in the crowd are brought to the attention of the referee by the players, but it’s possible that we wouldn’t identify it when we’re concentrating on the job that we’re there to do.”

The task force also includes AC Milan’s Kevin-Prince Boateng and AZ Alkmaar’s Jozy Altidore, who have both been racially abused at matches this year. However, FIFA said neither took part on Monday due to playing commitments.

Theo Van Seggelen, secretary general of the global players union FIFPro, Marcel Mathier, chairman of FIFA’s disciplinary committee and Claudio Sulser, former chairman of FIFA’s ethics committee, and Piara Powar, the head of European anti-racism body FARE, are also on the panel. (Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Ed Osmond)

(Editing by Ed Osmond)

The new officials “would identify potential acts of discrimination with the aim of easing the pressure on referees,” FIFA in a statement on Monday. They would also help gather evidence for disciplinary committees.

The inaugural meeting of FIFA’s anti-racism task force also proposed that first or minor offences be punished with lighter sanctions such as playing a match behind closed doors, a warning or a fine. Serious incidents and re-offenders would be hit with points deductions, expulsion from a competition or relegation.

The proposals will be put to FIFA’s Congress in Mauritius at the end of the month.

English referee Howard Webb, one of the panel members, said match officials could not always be aware of what was happening off the field.

“We are very much in the front line, we are the first port of call for the players,” Webb told Reuters after the meeting.

“If we become aware of anything from the players or officials which they deem to be racist or discriminatory, then we’ve got an obligation to respond and referees will do that.

“You are not always aware of what’s happening in the stands.

“Bear in mind that what we do as match officials is to shut the crowd out really, because we’re trying to concentrate on the game itself, we are trying to focus on our job and not get distracted.

“Therefore….it’s not easy to know what’s happened.”

THREE-STEP PROCEDURE

Webb said the new role should be performed by someone “who has a good understanding of what constitutes a discriminatory act within the stadium, and can therefore guide the match official.

“It could be someone like a venue co-ordinator, (it) could be someone in the stand, who could take the best position to get a feel for what’s going on.

“It could be they have to move around the stadium to get a feel for what’s happened, but it would take some of the pressure off the match officials.”

European soccer’s governing body UEFA issued guidelines four years ago outlining a three-step procedure to be followed in case of racist incidents during matches, putting the onus heavily on referees.

It said the referee should first stop the match and ask for announcements to be made over the public address system. The second step would be to suspend the match for a given period of time and, finally, abandon it.

Those rules have not yet been invoked in European club competition and in March UEFA said it would “fully support” referees who enforced them.

“Why that procedure has not been invoked, I don’t know,” said Webb, adding he had not been involved in a match where he felt it necessary to stop play.

“Maybe (it’s) because there’s an educational requirement needed for referees to make them aware it does exist.

Webb was involved in an English Premier League match at Swansea City in December during which Norwich City’s Sebastien Bassong complained to him about racist abuse from a man in the crowd. The man was arrested and later charged.

“It worked really well on that occasion,” Webb said. “It might be that racial gestures in the crowd are brought to the attention of the referee by the players, but it’s possible that we wouldn’t identify it when we’re concentrating on the job that we’re there to do.”

The task force also includes AC Milan’s Kevin-Prince Boateng and AZ Alkmaar’s Jozy Altidore, who have both been racially abused at matches this year. However, FIFA said neither took part on Monday due to playing commitments.

Theo Van Seggelen, secretary general of the global players union FIFPro, Marcel Mathier, chairman of FIFA’s disciplinary committee and Claudio Sulser, former chairman of FIFA’s ethics committee, and Piara Powar, the head of European anti-racism body FARE, are also on the panel. (Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Ed Osmond) (Editing by Ed Osmond)

Webb took part in the first meeting of FIFA’s anti-racism task force and said that one suggestion was the use of off-pitch officials to help referees identify serious incidents.

“We are very much in the front line, we are the first port of call for the players,” Webb told Reuters after the meeting which he described as a “brainstorming” session.

“If we become aware of anything from the players or officials which they deem to be racist or discriminatory, then we’ve got an obligation to respond and referees will do that.”

But he said that, ideally, referees needed help to take the pressure off them.

“We talked about the limitations because you are not always aware of what’s happening in the stands,” he said.

“Bear in mind that what we do as match officials is to shut the crowd out really, because we’re trying to concentrate on the game itself, we are trying to focus on our job and not get distracted.

“Therefore, it’s a fair comment to stay it’s not easy to know what’s happened.”

He added: “The point was made this morning and…there was a discussion about maybe someone having a specific role of just identifying those types of behaviour, (someone) who has a good understanding of what constitutes a discriminatory act within the stadium, and can therefore guide the match official.

“It could be something like a venue co-ordinator, (it) could be someone in the stand, who could take the best position to get a feel for what’s going on.

“It could be they have to move around the stadium to get a feel for what’s happened, but it would take some of the pressure off the match officials.”

THREE-STEP PROCEDURE

European soccer’s governing body UEFA issued guidelines four years ago outlining a three-step procedure of what to do in case of racist incidents during matches, putting the onus heavily on referees.

It said that the referee should first stop the match and ask for announcements to be made over the public address system. The second step would be to suspend the match for a given period of time and, finally, abandon it.

So far, those rules have not been invoked in European club competition and in March, UEFA said it would “fully support” referees who enforced them.

“Why that procedure has not been invoked, I don’t know,” said Webb, adding he had not been involved in a match where he felt it necessary to stop play.

“Maybe (it’s) because there’s an educational requirement needed for referees to make them aware it does exist.

“We need key indications to the officials of what they can do and can’t do, and what they need to do should something come to their attention.”

Webb was involved in an English Premier League match at Swansea City in December where Norwich City’s Sebastien Bassong complained to him about racist abuse from a man in the crowd. The man was arrested and later charged.

“It worked really well on that occasion,” said Webb. “It might be that racial gestures in the crowd are brought to the attention of the referee by the players, but it’s possible that we wouldn’t identify it when we’re concentrating on the job that we’re there to do.”

(Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Justin Palmer)

Webb took part in the first meeting of FIFA’s anti-racism task force and said that one suggestion was the use of off-pitch officials to help referees identify serious incidents.

“We are very much in the front line, we are the first port of call for the players,” Webb told Reuters after the meeting which he described as a “brainstorming” session.

“If we become aware of anything from the players or officials which they deem to be racist or discriminatory, then we’ve got an obligation to respond and referees will do that.”

But he said that, ideally, referees needed help to take the pressure off them.

“We talked about the limitations because you are not always aware of what’s happening in the stands,” he said.

“Bear in mind that what we do as match officials is to shut the crowd out really, because we’re trying to concentrate on the game itself, we are trying to focus on our job and not get distracted.

“Therefore, it’s a fair comment to stay it’s not easy to know what’s happened.”

He added: “The point was made this morning and…there was a discussion about maybe someone having a specific role of just identifying those types of behaviour, (someone) who has a good understanding of what constitutes a discriminatory act within the stadium, and can therefore guide the match official.

“It could be something like a venue co-ordinator, (it) could be someone in the stand, who could take the best position to get a feel for what’s going on.

“It could be they have to move around the stadium to get a feel for what’s happened, but it would take some of the pressure off the match officials.”

THREE-STEP PROCEDURE

European soccer’s governing body UEFA issued guidelines four years ago outlining a three-step procedure of what to do in case of racist incidents during matches, putting the onus heavily on referees.

It said that the referee should first stop the match and ask for announcements to be made over the public address system. The second step would be to suspend the match for a given period of time and, finally, abandon it.

So far, those rules have not been invoked in European club competition and in March, UEFA said it would “fully support” referees who enforced them.

“Why that procedure has not been invoked, I don’t know,” said Webb, adding he had not been involved in a match where he felt it necessary to stop play.

“Maybe (it’s) because there’s an educational requirement needed for referees to make them aware it does exist.

“We need key indications to the officials of what they can do and can’t do, and what they need to do should something come to their attention.”

Webb was involved in an English Premier League match at Swansea City in December where Norwich City’s Sebastien Bassong complained to him about racist abuse from a man in the crowd. The man was arrested and later charged.

“It worked really well on that occasion,” said Webb. “It might be that racial gestures in the crowd are brought to the attention of the referee by the players, but it’s possible that we wouldn’t identify it when we’re concentrating on the job that we’re there to do.” (Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Justin Palmer)

The 67-year-old led Real Madrid to the Champions League title in 1998 during a single season at the Bernabeu, although he was promptly sacked afterwards.

He has also coached Tenerife and had two stints at Athletic Bilbao.

Even since the draw was made, he has been keen to promote his experience in the country, agreeing to answer questions in Spanish during media conferences and forego the services of simultaneous translations.

“I know Spanish football,” he told German television after Bayern won 3-0 at the Nou Camp in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg.

“I know the players, I know the philosophy, I always watch Barcelona play Real Madrid because I enjoy it.”

Heynckes, who saw his side finish as runners-up in the Champions League, German Cup and Bundesliga last season, will be replaced by former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola when his contract ends at the end of the season amid speculation that he is reluctant to give way.

Guardiola’s appointment was made public in January without the club having made any announcement on Heynckes’ future.

Since then, treble-chasing Bayern have won 21 out of 22 matches in all competitions, the only slipup coming in a 2-0 home defeat at home to Arsenal in the Champions League.

They have already won the Bundesliga and reached the Cup final.

NICKNAMED ‘OSRAM’

Heynckes, nicknamed ‘Osram’ after the light-bulb manufacturer because of the way his face turns red when he is irritated, has been keen to blow his own trumpet since then.

Against both Barcelona and quarter-final opponents Juventus, Heynckes, who is in his third stint at Bayern, was at pains to point to his meticulous preparations and knowledge of their opponents.

“This team really pulls together,” he said after Wednesday’s match. “We get through outstanding work together, and we’re tremendously hungry for success. Both games have shown we’re capable of football at a very high level.

“We’re playing extremely high-speed football, we’re very well organised, we’re tactically smart, we close down the space, and our transitions are functioning perfectly this season.

“We’re a real team, from the front to the back.”

To complete a perfect evening, Bayern managed to get through the match without yellow cards for any of the three starters who had been in danger of missing the final through suspension.

“I’ve always told me players that we can get through this sort of game without yellow cards,” he said after only Arjen Robben, who was not under threat, was booked.

Midfielder Javi Martinez, used to being on the wrong end of Barcelona defeats at previous club Athletic Bilbao, was possibly the happiest of the Bayern players.

“I played against Barcelona 14 or 15 times when I was in Spain and didn’t win,” he said. “I had to come to Germany to do it.” (Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)