Bayern camp delighted with match-winner Ottl

FCBayernNews · News fetcher Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 1240 votes: 2

26.10.2006

Bayern youth product Andreas Ottl rates as the surprise package of the season so far, earning a regular berth in defensive midfield with a string of courageous and convincing displays, and now turning match-winner in the Cup tie against Kaiserslautern.

Curiously enough, the youngster scored his first senior goal for the club against the same opponents, when Bayern sealed last season's Bundesliga crown with a 1-1 draw away to FCK some six months ago. The 21-year-old rocked the men from the Palatinate region again on Wednesday, providing one of the few highlights as Bayern made the last sixteen of the Cup.

Icing on the cake

"Andreas Ottl is in great form," coach Felix Magath enthused afterwards, delighted to have found such a quality stand-in for long-term injury victim Owen Hargreaves. "He's agile, always present both up front and at the back, he's full of invention, tackles hard and likes to get the ball forward quickly," the coach continued. "And if he can score goals, it's the icing on the cake."

Nevertheless, the boss issued a note of caution. "We only judge players on their overall performances. Obviously we like to see goals, but that's not the deciding factor." Still, Ottl looks set for a good run in the team, as chief rival Martin Demichelis will be covering for the injured Lucio at centre-half over the next few weeks.

Pleased with goal

"It's going well for me personally right now, but we have to make sure we don't lose touch in the league," the player declared, insisting the team came first. "We're not exactly on top form at the moment, so that made it even more important to win and get through to the next round."

Ottl's goal against Kaiserslautern was the product of inspired planning, the Munich-born utility man revealed. "The coach told me to take up station at the back post for set plays. Obviously I'm delighted it worked out so well."

On the up

"I just stuck my head in there and got lucky," one of Bayern's youngest and least experienced senior professionals modestly continued, "you have to be prepared to accept responsibility at all times, and not just when things aren't going well for the team. That has nothing to do with being young or old."

Those words will be music to the management's ears. "He's on the up. Andi is a very young man who's consistently made great strides, and I hope that continues," Magath remarked, adding a few words of advice to the praise: "He needs to work on his tackling, and he's going to need even more aggression in one on-one situations. But otherwise, he's already doing plenty of things right."