French star Franck Ribery has spoken about his future with Bayern Munich and the club’s current status in comparison with the elite clubs across Europe. Ribery had a an impressive first season and a decent second season with the Bavarians yet has only made nine appearances in the league this season due to injury.

The Frenchman is hungry for success and wants to win trophies before he retires. Injuries have plagued his season and limited his contribution to the club’s cause. Ribery appeared on the verge of a move to Spain during the summer when Real Madrid were reportedly interested in his services. He mentioned his good relationship with France’s all-time leading scorer Thierry Henry who wants him to join the Spanish giants Barcelona. Ribery admitted he is undecided on whether he will remain with Bayern but stressed it will be a very difficult decision.

Considering the fact Bayern have surged to second place in the Bundesliga while missing the Frenchman for much of the season, the Bavarians are probably willing to cash in on their prized asset and use most of the funds from his sale to rebuild the squad into a more complete one. Ribery believes Bayern remain a big club in Europe yet he feels they are behind Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid as well as English elite sides such as Manchester United and Chelsea.

It does seem as if Ribery wants to move in order to get further exposure in the Spanish la Liga or English Premiership while challenging for domestic and European honours. For the German powerhouse Bayern Munich, the sale of the Frenchman could bring in a hefty amount of cash which can be used to redesign the club by signing a number of talented players. This would help Bayern offload an injury prone albeit talented player in Franck Ribery who apparently is leaning towards a move away from Germany. This summer will be a busy one for the French star who will be in South Africa for the World Cup and who might be involved in a major transfer move.

The Bavarian club achieved a great result after returning from the trip to Bremen with all three points to climb to the top of the Bundesliga standings. Their tenure at the top could be short lived as Bayer Leverkusen will take over the top position if they can win or just tie in their match against TSG Hoffenheim.

Even if Bayern are displaced from the first sport, the last several rounds have seen a remarkable turn in the fortunes of the prestigious club. Since crushing Juventus 4–1 in Turin in the decisive Champions League match, the Bavarians have scored a remarkable 15 times in just four games. As impressive as the score against Juve was, it was the manner Bayern went about dismantling the Old Lady which spoke volumes about the change in fortunes for the German club. Bayern put in a stunning display highlighted by attacking prowess, sheer grit, unwavering passion and unmatched efficiency.

The triumph against the Bianconeri set the club on the right track but also signalled the club’s intent to qualify in the Champions League and challenge for the German title. After a shaky and inconsistent start to the season during which Louis van Gaal was heavily criticised for his tactics and choices, the Bavarian giants have been dismissing their opponents and scoring at will.

The club’s schedule will be both friendly and relatively easy to negotiate prior to the Champions League encounter with Italian side Fiorentina. Bayern will be expected to win the four official matches assigned before the first leg clash against la Viola. The key will be to remain focused on taking the challenges one match at a time without looking far ahead into the schedule.

The following cautious remark might surprise some but van Gaal must be aware of the threat posed by la Viola with players of the calibre of Adrian Mutu, Alberto Gilardino and Stevan Jovetic all capable of scoring goals. The Gigliati are managed by the charismatic and highly influential Cesare Prandelli. The European tie should be evenly balanced with Bayern slightly edging this one due to current form and the players at the Coach’s disposal.

The questions remain whether Bayern can win the league title and make it to at least the semi-finals in Europe. Can van Gaal make sure the club will emerge once again as a force in Germany and Europe?

With this weeks 4–0 drubbing of England u21s by the German u21s, Die Mannschaft completed a hat-trick of youth level European Championships (winning the u17, u19, and u21 tournaments). Such success indicates that the future of the Bundesliga is bright, and that while the Serie A begins a period of decline, the Premier League is used as a scapegoat for the failures of the English national team, and La Liga devolves into a 2 horse race, the Bundesliga is poised to regain its place amongst the top 3 leagues in Europe.

It is difficult to overlook the fact that in this past Euro Under 21 Championship, held in Sweden,   the German youth outplayed Spain’s young stars, out-‘Italianed’ the Italian team, and obliterated a promising England team. To be sure, the German team did not always appear dominant, as they had to work through difficult periods in the games against Finland, England (during the group stage), and Italy, however these difficult periods provided an excellent opportunity for this next generation of German national team players to gain experience doing what many pundits claim the German team does best: finding a way to win.  In nearly every area of the park the German team showed a level of maturity greater than that of their opponents – a maturity that only comes from playing in first-team matches in a top flight league. A quick look manager Horst Hrubesch’s squad from the Match day 1 squad against Spain shows that every member of the starting XI had racked up ample first team action during the last Bundesliga campaign. Such thorough top-flight first team experience was hard to come by in teams like Italy, Spain, and England– all stemming from the fact that the Bundesliga is a league in which promising youth players are given excellent opportunities to prove themselves.

Of course, this recent domination of youth competitions by Germany would have been impossible without the complete revamp of the German youth structure after the debacles of the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championships. The combination of training centers run by the 36 1.Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga clubs and the DFB organized Stützpunkte, regional training centers, have helped cultivate and develop a sizable amount of young talent within Germany.  While many of the names now breaking through at youth levels for Germany may not have typical German surnames, one cannot doubt their loyalty and desire to wear the famous White-on-black kits, nor their ability to play the German way.

With the core of the current German squad aging, Senior National boss Joachim Loew will undoubtedly be looking to add fresh faces to the senior set up following next summer’s world cup in South Africa. The championship winning squad of this past week is where you’ll find the future of the German squad moving towards Euro 2012 and beyond.

While Rene Adler, Germany’s current number 1 between the posts has both youth and ability, Schalke’s Manuel Neuer is certain to contest for the starting spot. A goalkeeper with Champions League experience, Neuer showed a level of maturity and composure that his counterparts lacked. Nowhere was this disparity in experience and maturity more apparent than in the final against England. While England goalkeeper Scott Loach made several critical errors, and looked uncomfortable all night, Neuer was the model of composure between the posts. Admittedly, Loach was the backup goalkeeper for the England squad, but the mere fact that starting keeper Joe Hart missed the final due to a silly, avoidable booking only adds to the argument of immaturity.

In defense, Germany looked stellar all tournament. The German defense pulled shutouts in 4 of their 5 games in Sweden, allowing only 1 goal off a set piece in the group match against England. The fulcrum of this impregnable defense was young Schalke centerback Benedikt Howedes. Howedes got quite a bit of playing time during this past campaign due to rampant injury problems at the Veltins Arena. One of the few symbols of youth in speed in an aging Schalke defense, Howedes is now a prime candidate to replace the aging and inconsistent Christoph Metzelder as a partner for Per Mertesacker in the central defense of the senior squad.  Along with his partner Jerome Boateng of Hamburg, (though himself used to playing more on the outside at the Nordbank-Arena) proved a team capable innenverteidiger.

On the flanks of the defense Hoffenheim’s Andreas Beck and Werder Bremen’s Sebastian Boenisch (note to the English commentators from Sky sports, his name is pronounced ‘Bo-nish’ not ‘Boz-nitch’) dealt with the threats from the likes of Theo Walcott, James Milner, and Sebastian Giovinco, as well as tormented opposition defenses with their effective forward runs. Nowhere was this trend more on display than with Beck’s wonder goal against Italy in the Semi-final . This pair gained their experience and effectiveness from successful domestic campaigns at their respective clubs. Hoffenheim’s rise to competitiveness at the top of the table undoubtedly gave Beck the confidence to deal with the likes of Theo Walcott. Meanwhile, Sebastian Boenisch certainly found both the confidence and maturity to hold his own in the final from the fact that it was his third cup final in a little over a month, having previously appeared in both the finals of the UEFA Cup and DFB Pokal for club side Werder Bremen.

Although the confident and capable nature of the goalkeeper and defense certainly proved the foundation for German success, the cutting edge was found in the Midfield. For all intents and purposes, Horst Hrubesch was effectively playing with 5 midfielders. Anchoring the midfield was Stuttgart player, and Germany under 21 captain Sami Khedira. Khedira did an excellent job of absorbing the attacks of the opposition as well as initiating attacks from the critical role linking defense and midfield. On the right flank, Gonzalo Castro of Bayer Leverkusen showed the timing and pace to cut through opposition defenses with this slashing runs, netting goals in both games against England. The star of the German midfield in this tournament, however was Mesut Ozil.

Schalke fans should certainly be proud of the performances put in by Manuel Neuer and Benedikt Howedes, they should be absolutely infuriated with their club for letting a talent the likes of Mesut Ozil go to rival Werder Bremen. The young attacking midfielder came into his own this past season, albeit in the shadow of talismanic number 10 Diego.  Many were rightfully critical of Ozil when he seemed to fold under the pressure of playing without Diego during the UEFA Cup final against Shaktar Donestk, however the young number 11 from Werder Bremen has done much to put such criticisms to rest since then, scoring the winning goal in the cup final against Leverkusen (ironically, off an excellent pass from Diego), as well as being the creative spark in the German midfield during this past tournament.  By his own admission, Ozil prefers to set up his teammates rather than score himself, but the somewhat fortuitous goal against England in the final shows that Ozil is developing in this regard, as he seems to be learning the age old truth that “you gotta shoot to score.” Ozil will have a chance to prove himself capable of performing consistently at the highest level this next season for Werder Bremen with the departure of Diego to Juventus. Fans of Die Mannschaft will undoubtedly be eager to see if he continues to progress.

The position of striker is perhaps one place where this German team needs to improve. Ashkan Dejagah of Wolfsburg, was played out of position as a striker by manager Horst Hrubesch. While MSV Duisburg front man Sandro Wagner scored two excellent goals against England in the final, it remains to be seen whether or not he is senior team material. With the likes of Miroslav Klose aging, Lukas Poldolski’s career stagnating, and Mario Gomez still unable to find top form with the national team, the German team is still looking for a cadre of strikers for the next generation. There is certainly hope to be had in Patrick Helmes, who is himself still young. If Helmes can find his feet at the national team level, and Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez can begin firing on all cylinders, the German national team will be well set for strikers for several years to come, and the current drought of youth team strikers can be surmounted.

It remains to be seen if any of the stars of the German Under 21 victory in Sweden 2009 will break into Loew’s team for South Africa 2010, it is certain that Germany will not want for quality players heading into Euro 2012 and World Cup 2014. With the likes of Metzelder, Friedrich, Frings, Ballack, and Klose all entering the final acts of their national team careers, it is a safe bet to say that the talents of Howedes, Beck, Khedira, Ozil, Marin, and Kroos will be there to fill their places. The future is bright for the German National team. A future made all the brighter by the fact that the Bundesliga provides an environment and opportunity for young, talented players to ply their trade in a top flight league that is highly competitive in regards to title-challengers.  As other leagues in Europe face identity crises or a lack of competitive youth, the Bundesliga continues to bring in larger profits by the year both on and off the field.

1. Parity

Okay, let’s not kid ourselves.  Not any team can win the Bundesliga.  But since the inception of the EPL in 1991, four teams have won the title: United, Blackburn, Chelsea and Arsenal, but United has won 11 of those titles.  In that same span, five teams have won the title in Germany: Kaiserslautern, BVB, Bayern, Werder and Stuttgart.   This may not seem huge, but it is if you look more closely.  If you look at contested title races (one’s that have gone to the final weeks), Newcastle’s epic collapse in 1996 and Blackburn’s purchase of the title in 1995 have been the only times that Arsenal, Chelsea or United were not involved in the title race.  Even Liverpool has never come close.   In the Bundesliga, aside from the winners, Schalke has lost the title twice and Bayer Leverkusen thrice (once tied on points with Bayern).  Even Eintracht Frankfurt has been within six points of the title (back in 1992).   And never forget that Kaiserslautern won their one title in this era the year they were promoted from Zweite.   Anyone think Hull has a chance of doing that? 

The big four is truly the big four in England.  They have only been piped for a slot in the group stages of the UCL by Leeds and Newcastle since United’s Treble saw England pass Germany in coefficient and get four slots compared to Germany’s 3.  During that same time, Germany has sent Hertha, 1860, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Schalke, Stuttgart, HSV and BVB to the group stages.  All this was accomplished with one less spot.  And unlike Leeds, none of those teams were ruined by the efforts to get there.

In addition, while Bayern is the most successful and richest club in Germany, Schalke, Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, BVB, Stuttgart, Leverkusen and HSV are quite capable of winning the title this year (some more so than others).  Meanwhile apart from Cottbus, Bielefeld and Bochum, every team can confidently hope for a run into European.   In the EPL, there are only two possible champions.   While other than the big five, only Everton, Tottenham and Villa can hope to squeeze into one of the extra slots.  For the rest, the only hope of Europe is to get to the finals of the FA Cup and lose to a big four club.

2. Support

Maybe you saw Tottenham’s win over Arsenal last year in the Carling Cup and could hear the power of the chant that was repeated over and over, “Que Sera Sera, Whatever Will Be, Will Be.  We’re going to Wem-be-ley”.  It was as breathtaking as the game.  The EPL can have amazing crowds, but it can have rather dull ones too.  Arsenal isn’t called the Library for nothing.  Wigan is a rugby town.  Roy Keane’s comments about the Prawn Sandwich brigade at Old Trafford were a damning statement on gentrification in the game as it becomes the vice of the old and wealthy in England. 

In Germany, where stadiums are significantly bigger and seats cheaper, the young and the avid attend virtually every team’s games.   The same power I remember from that Carling Cup song could be heard at Wolfsburg in a game against Stuttgart last year in a midtable/ midseason clash.   And Wolfsburg’s stadium is small and one of the few stadiums that hosts empty seats.

The crowds are amazing.  They are spectacle unto themselves.  Think about a Bombanero in Buenos Aires without the fear of losing your life.  And this can be had at many of the average teams in Germany.

Last year 1860 Munich averaged 44,000 people for Zweite games.  That would have made them the third highest attended team in Spain and Italy.  They would be the second highest attended team in France and fourth in England.   Meanwhile they were 8^th in Germany.  And Köln and Borussia Möchengladbach both had 40K+ average attendances as well in the Zweite.  Just for the record, Borussia Dortmund virtually equaled both United and Real in attendance with a putrid side last campaign.

They are loud, they are relentless and they never stop waving the flags or singing the songs.   And is there any site more beautiful than the post game acknowledgments between the players and the fans?

3. Fan Power

Thanks for supporting the team, now shut up and give us your money.  Increasingly that has become the feeling of the supporters of clubs in England.   And while some supporters are finding solace in the lower leagues, for example through F.C. United, many English fans are now seeking it in Germany.

Because in Germany, fans still have a say due to ownership rules and tradition.   Fans have forced issues such as standing terraces, which are one of the reasons for the wonderful crowds and atmosphere, reasonable seating prices, use of flags and banners and the continued presence of Sportschau, think Match of the Day, on free television. You can get seats for as little €5, even at the Allianz.  At Old Trafford, that money wouldn’t even get you their infamous prawn sandwiches.

The fans aren’t a profitable inconvenience in Germany; they are part of the makeup of the league.  And their tireless work has led to many of the wonderful aspects of the league that make it the most compelling league in the world.  

But if you think they are sitting on their haunches, you need only look back to an article by Raphael Honigstein last year, which shows how the Ultras still feel the league is too commercialized.  The Ultras of Italy throw bricks.  The Ultras of Spain make monkey noises.  The Ultras of England can’t afford to go and have to meet up in dark alleys for a punch up.  The Ultras of Germany* actually have a political statement. 

*This is not to suggest that there isn’t a minority of these Ultras in Germany who aren’t capable of the same.

4. 50+1

A term used to refer to rules regulating that no individual can own more than 49% of a club.  The remainder has to be owned by the Verein, which is the original sporting club, which derives its purpose and finances through its members, which spawned the football team.  Think of your local YMCA owning the Boston Red Sox. 

With this rule, there are not any worries about oil tyrants and human rights abusers taking over clubs for a quick return on investment.   There are concerns that these rules might be relaxed in the future, but there is doubt that fans, who have a say through their memberships in the Vereins, will allow for this, even at the expense of watching English clubs dominate Champions League.

But that’s not to say that teams can’t be bankrolled.  Bayer Leverkusen has the backing of the Bayer Group pharmaceutical giant, Wolfsburg has Volkswagon and Hoffenheim has Deitmar Hopp of SAP.  There could be an increase in the number of rich owners who have a 49% stake, which would allow Germany to still compete in Europe without giving its league to bandits, as has happened in England.

5. All Teams Solvent

What is the most profitable league in Europe?  Wrong! (I know you said the EPL).   You’re not even close.   While revenue is greater in England (by almost double), the Bundesliga profited €250 million last year, over €100 million more than the EPL.  In the meantime, the Bundesliga is now 2^nd in revenue to England, outclassing both Italy and Spain in revenue and profit.   The major factor in this is player costs.  While all the talk in England revolves around player power and transfer deals, the Bundesliga keeps player costs to 45% of revenue (compared to 66% in England).  Meanwhile, television money continues to increase, shirt sponsorship is greater than England and bigger stadiums all help to keep teams revenue rich.

Pick a team! Any team!  Tomorrow they will still be solvent.   Yes, Borussia Dortmund recently had a financial crisis, but it was a crisis.  It was not administration.   The number of teams that would be denied a license under Germany’s Lizenzierungsordnung, which regulates finances, would be staggering, as it is much stricter than in England.  Each March clubs are required to put a financial plan to the league to show their liquidity. They have to budget based on that submission.  In fact, it was BVB’s missing out of the group stages of the UCL in 2003, which they had budgeted upon that caused much of their financial worries recently.  Hopefully Schalke had contingency plans for their failure this year.  

The last time a team was denied a license in Germany was 1982 to 1860 Munich.  Twelve teams have been near or in administration in England over the past 2 years.   And Chelsea have recorded losses of £140. 

6. Youth Development and Scouting

Want to see who the stars of Euro 2012 or WC 2014 will be.  A good place to start is the Bundesliga.   Italy is housing fewer and fewer young stars, especially ones that aren’t Italian.   Spain is loaded but is mostly the domain of the Spanish and Argentine.   England puts an overvaluation on youth but rarely produces the young stars.  The exception is Arsenal, where Arsene Wenger has made a cottage industry of buying young kids from outside of England and developing them.  England may buy talented teenagers, but these players were almost always developed elsewhere.   In fact, even with English talent, rarely does the EPL develop it, other than Manchester City and West Ham.  The lower leagues develop most English talent. 

While that may change is FIFA is able to implement the proposed 6+5 rule, the fact is that money has allowed England to give up on the academic system.  Bayern Munich is as big as any of the clubs in England.  Their squad includes Lahm, Ottl, Rensing and Schweinsteiger, who they developed from their youth system.  Compare that with Manchester United, who haven’t developed a player of note on their own squad since the golden generation.  Any kid with a modicum of talent in their youth system is bound for Belgium or Sunderland.   It begs the question as to why they even incur the expense.

It’s the Bundesliga that houses most of the young international talent in the world.  The fact is that Spain has limits on foreigners and England has work permit regulations.   Meanwhile Germany has few restrictions other than a player must learn German.

This is why every team at Euro 2008, except for Spain, had a representative in the Bundesliga.  And this was done without a detriment to the German national team, which is exactly the opposite effect that a slew of internationals are having in England.  And the league also had the most players at this year’s tournament.   Meanwhile, they were the hardest hit by the Olympics, where 16 of the league’s players, most starters for their club, were in Beijing while the German team wasn’t.   

The stars of the future play in the Bundesliga: Kroos, Adler, Marin, Renato Augusto, Fenin, Breno, Thiago Neves, Alex Silva, Arturo Vidal, Said Huseinovic, Neven Subotic, Sosa, Demba Ba, Kuba, Nuri Sahin, Rakatic, etc.

7. Tactics

How many true #10’s are there in England?   Joe Cole who will never be allowed to play the role and Elano at Manchester City.

Werder has Diego, Bayern has Ribery, BVB has Hajnal, Hannover has Bruggink and the league lost two in Wolfsburg’s Marcelinho and Hamburg’s van der Vaart recently.   It is a very common position that is the pinnacle of technical football; yet, it doesn’t exist in England, because it slows the game down.

Nonetheless, the Bundesliga is no slower than the EPL.   In fact if you compare distance covered, the Bundesliga and the EPL are slightly behind France as players cover 10km per game.  While much more time is spent sprinting in the EPL (210m vs 169m), when it comes to high intensity runs the EPL is barely above the Bundesliga with each player running 241m at high intensity compared with 224m. But for the slight advantage they have in sprinting, English teams don’t even complete 60% of their passes, while the Bundesliga compares with La Liga at 63.5% completion rate.

Another telling problem for England is that there are 50 more challenges per game, which is due to the defensive nature of the league.  Even worse is that the EPL has 10 more air challenges per game, proving that “Rt. 1” football is far from dead.  Meanwhile England has the lowest number of touches per game and Germany the most. 

And all of that leads to the most telling factor: For 19 straight years, the Bundesliga has had the most goals per game of any of the five biggest leagues in Europe (2.81 last year).   England, who claims that Italy is the land of defensive football, has managed to average more goals than Italy just three times this decade.  The last time England even came close to the Bundesliga was 1999–2000 when they scored 2.78 vs 2.80 gpg.  Most years, the most “exciting” league in the world is statistically more like Ligue 1, which is desperately trying to get its clubs to play offense.  It has many less shots on goals, significantly less goals, and many more challenges.   In effect, take an Englishman’s worst stereotype of Italian football and it describes his league perfectly.

Germany on the other hand, seems to be the middle ground between the highly technical Spanish and Italian leagues and the fast-paced, physical English and French leagues.  And that seems to me to be the perfect place to be in a tactical sense.