Edin Dzeko Transfer to Manchester City May Not Happen if Bayern Munich Become Involved

According to a number of sources, Manchester City seems to be in the driving seat as far as signing Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko is concerned.

The striker is one of the few top class strikers in the world today not residing in what would be regarded as a top club. However, the deal may not be as simple as a mere £25 million bid and buy.

It is no secret that Wolfsburg is having a poor season. Currently, Die Wölfe are languishing in 13th, a massive 24 points off Borussia Dortmund in first place and are facing a real struggle to stay in the league, never mind qualify for Europe or challenge for the title as many expected.

The signing of ex-England boss Steve McLaren from FC Twente was meant to be the catalyst that propelled the Volkswagen backed team towards becoming perennial title challengers, but the move has not worked as hoped.

Under McLaren, Wolfsburg got off to their worst start to a league campaign in recent memory with three defeats in their opening three games.

The situation improved somewhat after that though as Die Wölfe went unbeaten for four games with three straight wins.

However, things then took a slight turn for the worse and as we head into the winter break, Wolfsburg have gone eight games without recording a win and have suffered an embarrassing defeat to Energie Cottbus in the German Cup.

That shock defeat caused the Club President, Dieter Hoeness, to release a statement backing McLaren but also sending a shot across the bows of players with perceived bad attitudes.

Hoeness told the club's official website: "We have got some cleaning up to do.

"We told the team eight weeks ago after the defeat in Nurnberg that their basic attitude must change.

"We did not get a reaction so now we have got to react. The fans do not deserve to see what they are seeing on the pitch, particularly given the exemplary way in which they supported us against Cottbus.

"We expect the coaches to act consequentially and to punish bad behaviour both on and off the field."

Hoeness intimated that McLaren had much work to do and that January would be an important month for getting the Wolfsburg project back on track.

"Above all, we will push on with our rebuilding of a successful team next summer," explained Hoeness.

"It is difficult to do that in the winter, but we will see what we can do.

"It is going to be a painful time for one or two people around here. With this current team in this current situation, enduring success is no longer possible."

Wolfsburg's sliding down the table has had a huge effect on the team, chiefly its talismanic goal scoring machine Edin Dzeko.

The striker has made no secret of his love for Die Wolfe, but he has also made it clear that he will move if he does not receive regular Champions League action.

At the start of December, Dzeko and McLaren had a heated exchange after the Bosnian striker was substituted with two minutes remaining in the 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen.

It was the first public sign that all was not rosy in the Wolfsburg garden and almost immediately, Europe's top clubs came circling.

Manchester City is believed to have placed a bid of around £25 million (€40m) with the club for Dzeko's services, but thus far the club have remained tight lipped.

The main problem Manchester City face in signing Dzeko is that Wolfsburg are probably the only other club in the world where money is not a major factor in sales.

The club grew out of Volkswagen wanting an outlet for their workers in the newly created city of Wolfsburg and the club have become something of a play thing rather than a business enterprise for the world famous car group.

In short, VFL Wolfsburg does not need to sell players to balance the books and are not run for profit.

It is also worth noting that Volkswagen owns Audi and that Audi own a 10 percent stake in Bayern Munich.
Over the last couple of seasons, there have been persistent rumours that Bayern Munich have first preference on Dzeko and it seems very surprising not to hear their name being mentioned as the bidding war for the Bosnian's services begin.

On top of the Bayern Munich links, you also have to look at Manchester City's bench. Brian Marwood was brought into the club with a view to reducing the club's wage bill with "Financial Fair Play" in mind and it was partially his doing that the club have dramatically reduced their reliance on using players’ agents.

Agents being moved to the periphery of importance at Manchester City were one of the direct causes for the recent Carlos Tevez spat. His agent, Kia Joorabchian, was once one of the most powerful individuals at City, through his recommendations and contacts, and it is no secret that he despises not being a shoulder for the club to cry on anymore.

City also has an abundance of strikers at the club at the moment in Tevez, Balotelli, Jo, Santa Cruz and Adebayor. Obviously, the latter trio are not rated by Mancini, but it seems an antagonistic approach to bring in their replacement now when the summer would make more sense.

Wolfsburg's situation must also be looked at.

Their main problem this term is scoring goals and selling their best player and main onion sack assassin would be nothing short of domestic suicide.

At the moment, they are nine points off the bottom of the table; on the other hand, they are only 12 points off the Champions League and if Steve McLaren can bring in one or two influential signings, there is no reason why Die Wolfe cannot climb the table.

Daniel Agger and Bayern Munich's Mark van Bommel are the latest pair to be linked with the club.

There is little doubt that Edin Dzeko will move on from Wolfsburg one day. Moving in the summer looks a far better bet than January though and Manchester City will not be the only team bidding for his undoubted talents.

Alex Ferguson's Rooney Gamble Backfires As Bayern Munich Beat Manchester United in Champions League Quarter Finals

Alex Ferguson gambled on Manchester United's season by picking an unfit Wayne Rooney against Bayern Munich, and like all poor bets, it did not come off as his team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Louis van Gaal's team. Bayern fought back from 3-0 down to 3-2, putting them through on the away goals rule after the tie had finished at 4-4.

Before the match all the talk was of whether Wayne Rooney would even make the bench. As it was the English international was parachuted into the team in place of the lacklustre Dimitar Berbatov, as Ferguson sent the strongest message possible that he had conceded the English Premier League title to Chelsea and that he had completely lost faith in his Bulgarian striker.

By playing an obviously unfit Rooney, Ferguson gambled that the striker would have enough ammunition to see his team through to the Champions League Semi-Finals with Lyon who beat Bourdeaux 3-2 on aggregate.

It also means that the striker is highly unlikely to be fit enough to play against Blackburn in Ewood Park on Sunday, and knowing his star player was going to miss the next league game it means that Ferguson has pretty much conceded the title to Chelsea as he has no one to replace Rooney's goalscoring feats.

Alex Ferguson rarely gets his team as wrong as he has done so in Manchester United's last two games, two losses to Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Fans of the club had hoped that he was going to pull it out of the bag and send out a team that were going to steamroll Bayern and get their floundering season back on track.

His starting XI for tonights match was highly questionable to say the least.

Rafael came in for Gary Neville which was understandable given the veterans abysmal displays in United's last two games. A half fit Rooney was considered better than a fully fit Berbatov, while the strangest decision of all was Darron Gibson starting in central midfield beside the static Fletcher and Carrick.

With those three in the Red Devils engine room United were always going to find it hard to keep and gain possession of the ball.

Gibson, the young Irish international is an extremely limited footballer. He is quite slow, is not a great passer of the ball, lacks creativity, and finds it hard to close down the opposition. Saying that, he does possess an absolute rocket in his right foot and it was his calm finish in the third minute that put United into the driving seat.

Valencia's quick break from midfield and his ball into the centre found it's way to Rooney who teed it up for Gibson on the edge of the box. His side footed finish found it's way into the bottom corner and United were in front 1-0 on the night.

Four minutes later and Luis Nani put United 2-0 up as the Red Devils threatened to run riot in the first ten minutes. Bayern Munich looked shell-shocked but their experience gave them a foothold in the match as the half wore on.

Valencia again the provider as his whipped cross was met perfectly by the little Portuguese who backflicked the ball expertly into the far post. Nani making up for his poor performance in Munich last week.

The subtlest of changes happened to the tide of the game in the 24th minute as Rafael flicked out a boot to catch Mark van Bommel after the Dutchman had fouled him. A yellow card was the reward for the most selfish and impudent of actions by the young Brazilian.

One minute later and Wayne Rooney showed the first signs of how unfit he actually was as he started hobbling.

As the half wore on United began to tire from the exertions of applying so much pressure and Bayern eked out their first real chance as Edwin van der Sar saved brilliantly and bravely at Muller's feet.

From the clearance United managed to gain possession as Rafael threw the ball to Valencia. The muscular winger easily fought off the attentions of the fantastically named Budstuber and his perfect cross was met by Nani who fired home his second and United's third.

A sea of red scarves melted in with yellow and green as United's fans tore the roof off Old Trafford. At 3-0 up the Red Devils were as good as through, and it would take United to take their foot off the pedal, combine it with good luck for Bayern, bad decisions by the referee, and world class finishing to deny them on this European night...

Less than one minute later and Michael Carrick served up the first part by completely switching off and allowing the workaholic Ivica Olic through. His finish from the tightest of angles giving Bayern the slimmest of hopes as the two teams went in for half time.

That glimmer became a beacon on 50 when Rafael fouled Franck Ribery to earn himself a second yellow card and a sending off. In previous times the referee might have been allowed to use common sense and just award the free-kick with a warning for the young Brazilian, but the letter of the law decrees that the offence carries a card, and the devastated youngster, who was always a liability, walked off the pitch morosely.

United re-jigged, Rooney came off, Nani went up front by himself, John O'Shea came on at right full, and Berbatov stayed on the bench...

It was the bitterest of blows to lose Rooney with an aggravation of his injury, and it will be in the lap of the Gods to see how quickly he returns. Without him, Manchester United are simply not the same team.

All Bayern needed was one more goal. The wind was in their sails, they were up against a United team who had stopped playing completely and their midfield was non-existant. Surely a goal was only a matter of time in coming?

Sensing they were trapped, United sat back and allowed Bayern to come onto them. Only using the outball provided by Nani with rare occasion.

Ribery and Gomez both went close as van der Sar and the crossbar saved United in quick succession. By this stage Manchester United were beaten in everything but the scoreline.

Players like Carrick, Gibson, Nani, and Valencia were little more than spectators as Bayern's greater desire and mobility took over. The goal they deserved and craved came from the boot of the imperious Arjen Robben with 15 minutes to go.

A deep corner by Ribery was met by an unmarked Robben on the edge of the box, he positioned himself perfectly and met the volley with perfection and crispness, and the ball found it's way into the bottom corner of the far post with van der Sar rooted to the spot. There is not a 'keeper in the world that would have been capable of saving the shot.

With the scores at 3-2 on the night, 4-4 on aggregate, Bayern Munich were through on the away goals rule. Ferguson had one last throw of the dice and turned to the player he had snubbed to save his season. Dimitar Berbatov.

It is hardly surprising to see that the Bulgarian's influence was negligible after Ferguson's message without words.

In the end Bayern closed out the game in the kind of professional manner that United should have shown at 3-0 up. It leaves us with a Champions League semi final bereft of English talent for the first time since 2003.

It is a sad night for fans of English football and more importantly, fans of Manchester United.

United were incredibly poor in the final against Barcelona last year and needed to rebuild their team in almost every position.

Carlos Tevez, enjoying life at Manchester City, was allowed to leave while Dimitar Berbatov was kept at the club. Tonight Ferguson all but admitted that he let the wrong player leave.

For some time now Manchester United's midfield have been in decline. The incredibly important central berth is populated by players who are either too old or too static to influence matches of the highest calibre. Tonight they were found out yet again.

Nemanja Vidic obviously wants to leave the club, Ferdinand and Neville have aged terribly this season, and van der Sar, who has been brilliant all year, is old and needs to be replaced.

In short Manchester United are in trouble. Given their financial predicament and the imminent rise of Manchester City, it might be no exaggeration to see United relapse into previous malady and go some years without another trophy.

The warning signs are there for all to see and while the Red Devils still have a chance at winning the league this year, the malaise needs to be repaired and the only thing that will do that is a cold hard cash injection.

Alex Ferguson Contributes To Manchester United's Downfall in Munich

Bayern Munich took partial revenge on Manchester United tonight by beating them 2-1 at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League after Ivica Olic scored a dramatic 93rd-minute winner.

However, although Bayern deserved their win, Alex Ferguson must hold his hand up and accept that he contributed greatly to his team's demise.

Just as Ferguson's substitutions turned that now famous game in 1999, his changes tonight were equally as poor, handing the impetus and control on midfield directly to Louis van Gaal's team.

Manchester United were given a dream start when Nani was brought down at the corner flag by the clumsy Demichelis, who had a nightmare first half.

The little Portuguese winger picked himself up off the ground to fire in a free kick that a completely unmarked Wayne Rooney met to volley home in the Bayern six-yard box after Demichelis had slipped and lost his footing.

Sixty-six seconds in and the procession that many believed would happen was well under way.

Something changed in United's setup though. The team began to defend very deeply, rendering much of its own penetrative forces useless, as the likes of Patrice Evra could not get out of his own half.

On the other side of the pitch, a terrified Gary Neville was brought face-to-face with one of the most frightening sights in football: Franck Ribery tearing down the wing at full pace.

The fact that Nani was operating in front of him on the right didn't help Neville's cause, after Ferguson decided to leave the much better and far more effective Antonio Valencia on the bench. Perhaps he was resting him for Sunday's crucial clash with Chelsea.

It was just one of the Scot's many questionable decisions that went wrong on the night.

As Bayern began to gain a stranglehold in midfield, Rooney became an isolated figure up front. Nani, Scholes, and Carrick became peripheral figures as Marc van Bommell orchestrated midfield beautifully.

The Dutch star may be coming to the end of his career, but he has a phenomenal football brain and always manages to be in the right place or pick the right pass. He possesses the strength and stamina to back it up.

With him providing the foundation, the likes of Ribery and Altintop were free to bomb forward and troubled a brilliant Edwin van der Sar on more than one occasion.

Sensing that this United team was not of '99 vintage, Bayern stepped up a couple of gears.

The game was in real danger of slipping away. Ferguson was forced to act—he brought off Park and Carrick for Berbatov and Valencia.

They were curious moves for a couple of reasons.

Playing with five in the middle, United's midfield were already being overrun, so the decision to bring on Berbatov and go 4-4-2 was strange to say the least.

While Park was having a quiet game, he was far better than Nani. By bringing Valencia on, he moved Nani out left and made three changes for the price of two, never a good move when you are under pressure.

By going 4-4-2, a legless Paul Scholes was left with a demoralised Fletcher in United's engine room. Bayern just steamrolled past them.

United's static midfield has caused them problems in every game, which has raised questions. Van Gaal deserves huge credit for exploiting them, when other managers are often afraid to take the initiative.

A far more sensible approach would have been to remove Neville for Rafael and replace Nani with Valencia.

United would have kept the same formation. But they would have replaced the wheelbarrow-slow Neville with a much younger model and replaced Nani for a much better player, who wouldn't be afraid to work either end of the field.

But with Ferguson's substitutions made, Bayern duly took over.

Seven minutes later, they scored the equalizer they deserved after Ribery's free kick was deflected past van der Sar and off Rooney.

In a cowardly move, the England striker turned his back on the ball as it left Ribery's boot.

It is a cardinal sin in football to turn your back on the ball, especially in a free kick. You just don't know where the ball is going to go. Nine times out of 10, the deflection gives the ball a dipped trajectory that 'keepers find impossible to judge.

Besides, when you're on as much as Rooney, taking a ball in the face is all part of the game.

The free kick was initially awarded after a punch-drunk Neville fisted the ball away from Ribery with the referee less than five yards away—incredibly poor defending by the player many feel is the best right full ever to play in England.

It was a night to forget for Neville and one that will linger long in both his and Ferguson's minds.

And one thing is for sure: Ronaldinho of AC Milan is no Ribery.

The goal spurred Bayern on even more as Die Roten went chasing a winner.

Staring defeat straight in the eye, Ferguson played the only card he had left and took Nani off for Ryan Giggs.

It was too little too late though. Ivica Olic stepped up in the 93rd minute to coolly slip the ball past van der Sar for a winner that will go a little way to eradicating the memory of 1999.

Olic pounced onto the ball after a schoolboy error by Patrice Evra, who could not control the ball. He took far too many touches with the striker in close attendance, the end result being Bayern's winner.

Insult was added to that injury-time winner when Rooney appeared to twist his ankle awkwardly. It would now appear that the United striker will miss Sunday's crucial Premier League clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford.

Ferguson had spoken before the match of how he valued an away goal more than a clean sheet, and perhaps this mindset had seeped into the team.

The tie is delicately poised, but Bayern will be a far different animal in the return leg when Arjen Robben returns to the fold.

Rooney's season is now in the balance, and so is United's.

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