"Bayern are in a league of their own"

"It would be great if we could just sit back and relax," said Uli Hoeneß last spring as he began his search for a new manager after the dismissal of Jürgen Klinsmann.


Of course the man finally chosen to lead the Bavarian giants was Louis van Gaal and, despite a difficult opening few games in which Bayern suffered their worst start to a season in forty years, both team and manager now appear to have gelled and are recording one victory after another as the second half of the season progresses.

Sweet revenge

Germany's most successful club are now 14 matches unbeaten in the league and since ex-sporting director Hoeneß became president of the club, there have only been wins for the Munich Reds. The 53-year-old has moved into the stands from the dugout, allowing him to take on more of a supporters role at the weekends.

That was certainly the case on Saturday in Wolfsburg as FC Bayern took sweet revenge on the reigning champions with a 3-1 victory to firmly banish last season's 5-1 humiliation to the history books. Indeed, the match was the complete opposite to last year's corresponding fixture, in which the Wolves' Brazilian striker Grafite scored what was dubbed the 'Goal of the Season' with a delightful solo run and backheel finish.

"Oozing confidence"

Back then, (almost) all of Germany were celebrating the 'Wolves' historic success, but barely a year later and the tables have well and truly turned. "We really wanted to get something from the game so we're really disappointed, but Bayern are in superb form at the moment - they're oozing confidence," said Wolfsburg defender Sascha Riether.

"Bayern are in a league of their own," continued team-mate Marcel Schäfer. Wolfsburg's manager, meanwhile, encouraged his charges to learn from Bayern's example: "The energy, teamwork and coolness in frontof goal are all things we need to work into our game," said Lorenz-Günther Köstner. "We made it too easy for Bayern."

Goals from Arjen Robben (2'), Daniel van Buyten (26') and Franck Ribery (57') ensured a comfortable victory at the Volkswagen Arena, though the Wolves did manage a late consolation goal through Grafite.

Van Gaal: "That was arrogant"

With eight victories in a row, a 3-1 win over the champions, just two goals behind Leverkusen at the top of the table, surely Bayern can afford to give themselves a quick pat on the back?

Not a chance: "We didn't play well. You can't take your foot off the pedal at 2-0 up. We gave away far too many chances and they could easily have been goals. I'm a bit annoyed about that," said van Gaal to sober things up at the Allianz Arena. Harsh words from a man who constantly praised his troops when they were going through a decidedly rough patch at the start of the season: "We were arrogant out there today," added the Dutchman.

Those final words were a step too far for matchwinner Arjen Robben, however: "I think arrogance is a tad over the top, but we did give away too many chances, We're only human though. If we can score three goals in every game then we should be alright," said the 26-year-old on Bayern's recent spate of 23 goals in eight games.

"It's good that he's pointing out the team's flaws"

Upstairs, van Gaal's criticism has been far more well received: "It's good that he's pointing out the team's flaws. You can't make those kind of mistakes in the Champions League," said chairman of the board.

Indeed, van Gaal refuses to allow his charges to get carried away with their own success: "It's important for us to keep focussed. You can ruin months of hard work with one bad game," the 58-year-old tactician told bundesliga.de.