Flying Dutchmen put wind in Reds' sails

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

29.10.2006

Germany's fast and extensive autobahn network was crowded with vehicles and caravans bearing yellow licence plates this weekend, as the autumn half-term break came to an end in the Netherlands. The Allianz Arena witnessed two Flying Dutchmen of its own on Saturday as Roy Makaay and Mark van Bommel struck the goals which saw Bayern home 2-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Roy was the man most in demand as reporters went in search of quotes afterwards. The striker took his total for the season onto five with the opener against Frankfurt, and provided a superb assist for van Bommel into the bargain.

Vision and instinct

Coach Felix Magath rated the assist, in which Makaay outfoxed an opponent at the byline before cutting inside and teeing up his fellow countryman, "as even better than his goal, when he just used his instinct." Sensing Eintracht keeper Oka Nikolov's uncertainty against Roque Santa Cruz' swerving 24th minute drive, Makaay used his goalscorer's nose to race forward and tap in the rebound.

"I'm delighted at the way Roy's come on," Magath continued. "I'm convinced he's back to the form we saw two seasons ago, when he topped the list both for goalscoring and assists." The player had been "a little short of confidence" for a while, "but he's back to his status as one of Europe's leading strikers."

Paying the penalty

"Obviously I was pleased afterwards," Makaay remarked on Sunday, calm and collected again after a brief outbreak of annoyance when Claudio Pizarro insisted on taking a penalty just before half-time, only for Nikolov to produce a fine save.

"Perhaps Pizarro forgot that Makaay is the undisputed penalty-taker around here," Magath reflected with a grimace. The Dutch hitman has converted 10 out of 10 penalties for Bayern in competitive fixtures, seven in the Bundesliga and three in the Champions League. "It'll only be Roy from now on," the player himself admonished.

Superb track record

The 31-year-old continues to be a rich source of goals for his club. In 104 league fixtures since arriving in Munich three seasons ago, the Netherlands striker has scored 67 goals and provided 26 assists.

Van Bommel is seeking to take on an equally valuable role at Germany's leading club. The 29-year-old, a summer signing from Barcelona, came second only to his fellow countryman with four shots at goal on Saturday, and took his best chance with aplomb, "although when you get a lay-off like that, you just have to knock it home," he observed.

Still settling in

Van Bommel now has three goals since arriving at the club. "But he'll get even better and start influencing the play even more," Magath commented approvingly, warning that the midfielder still needed more time to hit peak form in the Bundesliga.

"I think the coach is probably right," the player agreed, "it's different in the Bundesliga compared to Spain or Holland, they mark and tackle you much more closely." Magath remains convinced van Bommel will end up master of the situation: "He's going to be one of the standard bearers in our team."