Beating Down The Path From Bremen To Munich

By: chris | January 14th, 2008

For the second summer in a row, Werder Bremen will lose one of their best players to their rivals from Bavaria. After Miroslav Klose famously pulled an Ashley Cole with the Bayern hierarchy late at night in a foggy train station on the outskirts of town, Tim Borowski will be taking the road from Bremen to Munich next summer after his contract with Werder runs out. I’m not sure I really need to say this, but here goes: This is not good for the Bundesliga.

It seems now that the difference between the have)s and have-nots is becoming ever larger, and teams which are just a notch below the big boys financially will find themselves in a state of perpetual displacement. This is even more clear in the Bundesliga, where the financial difference between Bayern and nearly everybody else is downright laughable. Despite the fact that Bayern and all its payroll could only manage to find themselves a UEFA Cup spot this year, some part of their negotiating team was able to convince 3 superstars whose main desire for leaving their respective clubs were, to put it simply, not what Munich was offering.

Luca Toni wanted Champions League football, ASAP. He settled for the UEFA Cup and a massive paycheck. Miroslav Klose wanted a “challenge abroad”. Last time I checked, Munich is still in Germany. But he settled for both the UEFA Cup, Bremen actually made the group stages this year, and a fat paycheck. Franck Ribery was adement about not going to Germany, singing Spanish love sonnets in the press at every turn. End of. He wound up in Germany, compensated handsomely for his travels. Money may not be able to buy love or happiness, but it sure as hell can buy complacency.

It’s difficult to assume motives, so it wouldn’t be prudent to say Borowski is moving to Munich simply for a paycheck. Maybe he just has an intense man crush on new old boy Jurgen Klinsmann. Maybe he’s found himself missing Klose more than he ever could have imagined. But it is fairly telling when Thomas Schaaf says that Tim refused to even negotiate a contract. It’s clear he was heading out Bremen all along.

So while Bayern’s continues pillaging the Bundesliga and weakening its compeitors - we assume, there’s nothing to say Bremen won’t bring in a replacement for Borowski who lights the world on fire many times over - Bayern attempts to get over the the unspeakable tragedy of not having won the title since way back in 05-06 - not sure the kids can go back that far.

Werder Bremen is still tied atop the table with this year’s version of Bayern and I can imagine there would be no greater revenge than watching a club which spent 80m in transfer fees this season (thus far) finish the season as the bridesmaids to a club which has watched two of its best players cross over to the dark side. Unfortunately, while the current campaign is reason for great hope, no team can continually watch its best players go to their top of the table rivals and look to mount title challenges over the long haul. No matter how great your youth turnover is.

Must be great to be a Bayern fan again, but the rest of the Bundesliga is being left in the dust. Especially Bremen, who will have to endure another summer of watching the lot of Europe lust insatiably over Brazilian maestro Diego, and another season of watching one of its best players in their rival’s kit. Let’s just pray Diego doesn’t move to Munich this summer, I’m not sure Bremen’s fans, or the Bundesliga, would survive.