Reuters Soccer Blog
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Van Gaal era starts with a whimper
Louis van Gaal came to Bayern Munich because the Bavarians were looking for a “soccer teacher“, someone who would rid the club of former coach Juergen Klinsmann’s experiments — the innovative training methods, the meditation sessions and the Buddha statues – and bring the club back to basics.
So far so good. By the time Van Gaal arrived in July, Bayern had already signed strikers Ivica Olic, Mario Gomez and defensive midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.
Whether or not he would have agreed to all these transfers is unknown. But fact is Tymoschchuk, worth 14 million euros, would not be starting any time soon if captain Mark van Bommel had not been injured.
“My captain will always play,” said Van Gaal, pointing to the bench as the temporary place for the Ukrainian.
