Bullish Bayern issue signal of intent

FC Bayern München made a statement of intent ahead of the new Bundesliga campaign by defeating the three teams that finished above them last season to win the League Cup on Sunday.

'Marker'
Miroslav Klose scored his first goal for Bayern to secure the trophy with a 1-0 win against FC Schalke 04 in the final to the delight of coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. "We laid down our marker that we're back," he said. "It's good to beat all three teams that were ahead of us, one after another."

Spending spree
Bayern suffered their worst domestic season for eleven years last term, finishing fourth and missing out on a UEFA Champions League place. They responded by splashing out €70m on new recruits and early signs of improvement were apparent as they won the traditional season opener in Germany with style and some clinical finishing. Bayern, who will compete in the UEFA Cup, swept aside Werder Bremen 4-1 and champions VfB Stuttgart 2-0 to reach the final, where they defeated Schalke by a single goal to claim the trophy in Leipzig.

Ribéry impact
France midfielder Franck Ribéry scored three times in the first two matches, but missed the final along with fellow newcomers Luca Toni and Jan Schlaudraff. Bayern were also without the injured Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger while Mark van Bommel was suspended, making their success especially sweet. Bayern have gone on to win the Bundesliga on the last four occasions they have won the League Cup and captain Oliver Kahn insists they are aiming to do the same again now.

Good start
"We've set out to do a lot after last year's poor season," the 38-year-old said. "It's always good to get the first title. We won't get carried away but it's a good start. We've now got a team that we hoped to have. The new players represent a chance for us but there are also dangers involved. I think we'll have to wait for seven or eight weeks to see how it all works."