Sports FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2014 Vanishing spray to make Bundesliga debut FRANKFURT: The vanishing spray used by although the referees themselves were fielders, has not played in 14 months overcome its slump. Former star and referees in free kick situations is making its skeptical about its benefits. It is used to because of back problems. Germany international Marco Bode will debut in the Bundesliga this weekend keep the wall at the proper distance from take over before the end of the year as despite a recent study that called it poten- the ball at free kicks. “The spray is nothing Schalke’s new coach president of the supervisory board from tially unsafe. revolutionary, it is not going to change Schalke is also hoping for a fresh start Willi Lemke. Bode’s promotion is expected Borussia Dortmund is hoping its prob- football,” said Lutz Michael Froehlich, chief under new coach Roberto Di Matteo. Di to draw more local sponsors to the club. lems will vanish too after the international of the refereeing section of the DFB. “If a Matteo, who won the Champions League break so it can start catching up with can malfunctions, the match will not be title in 2012 when Chelsea beats Bayern on Thiago’s injury Bayern Munich, which hosts bottom-place interrupted. But it could lead to calming penalties in the final in Munich, was hired Bayern Munich’s director of sport Werder Bremen. Dortmund visits Cologne, the situation in the penalty area during during the international break after the fir- Matthias Sammer says the club is “shocked while Schalke hosts Hertha Berlin under a free-kick situations.” ing of Jens Keller. Schalke is off to a shaky and sad” over the new injury sustained by new coach and second place Hoffenheim start and is only 11th in the 18-team midfielder Thiago Alacantara. Just days visits Hamburg. Here are some things to Dortmund’s fresh start league. It beat great rival Dortmund but after returning from a long-term injury know about the weekend matches in the Seven matches into the season, Borussia then lost to Hoffenheim. The inconsistency break, Thiago requires another operation Bundesliga: Dortmund finds itself only in 13th place cost Keller his job. Captain Benedikt after reinjuring the ligaments in his right and, more importantly, already 10 points Hoewedes has praised Di Matteo. “He gives knee. “Thiago was so close to his come- Vanishing spray here to stay behind leader Bayern Munich. Dortmund clear instructions, has clear ideas and a back after a long time,” Sammer said. “But A recent study commissioned by one of has lost three of its last four, with one draw. clear system he wants to use,” he said. he should know that the entire club is Germany’s newspapers recently showed - Now, after the break, Dortmund is hoping there for him. We’ll do everything that he rather vaguely - that vanishing spray could to resurrect its campaign. “We’ve sworn to Still winless recovers and wins many titles with us.” potentially be a health hazard and that it each other that this will be a restart now,” Werder Bremen and Freiburg are still Thiago partially tore the ligaments in was not properly labeled. However, a tech- defender Kevin Grosskreutz said. “We want without victories. It would be a major sur- practice on Tuesday. The Spaniard nical inspection agency, which incidentally to show our real football again. We haven’t prise if Bremen notched its first in Munich, returned to team practice last week, and sponsors Germany’s referees, found noth- played well until now.” The reason for but Freiburg has a better chance at home faces another lengthy recovery. He proba- ing wrong with the spray and certified the Dortmund’s optimism is the return of three against Wolfsburg. Bremen, which played bly won’t play until March. He was injured product made in Argentina that was used stars from injuries. Forward Marco Reus, in the Champions League five straight sea- in March and returned to training in May, at the World Cup in Brazil. The German midfielder Henrikh Mkhitayran and mid- sons starting in 2004, has fallen on hard only to suffer a setback and required sur- Football Federation (DFB) is introducing fielder Ilkay Gundogan are available again. times. But a recent fresh injection of cash gery on his right knee that ruled him out the spray at the urging of the clubs, Gundogan, one of Bundesliga’s best mid- by its chief sponsor could help the team of the World Cup. — AP Germany in state of shock after poor Euro 2016 start BERLIN: Just three months after their World Cup triumph, Germany are in a state of shock following the poor start to their Euro 2016 qualifiers with Joachim Loew vowing to make amends. With four point from their first three qualifiers, including their shock defeat to Poland and draw with the Republic of Ireland, Germany find themselves in the unusual position of third in Group D. They are already three points adrift of leaders Poland and the second-placed Irish with fans wondering where it all went wrong. German supporters were still in a state of World Cup euphoria after the Brazil triumph in July when the Euro quali- fiers began as the world champions laboured to a 2-1 win over Scotland in September. The reasons were obvious. The retirements of defenders Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker and goal-machine Miroslav Klose took a combined tally of more MADRID: This comb image shows Barcelona’s Argentinean Leo Messi celebrating his goals. — AFP than 350-caps worth of experience with them. Injuries to midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira meant head coach Loew had to pack new talent around the skeleton of the team which won the World Cup. Messi targeting La But there was still no cause for concern. After all, Loew retained the nucleus of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, centre- backs Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng. Midfield stars Mario Goetze, Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller all Liga goals record have experience beyond their tender years with memories of that fabulous night in Rio de Janeiro still fresh. But having spluttered badly against Scotland and in the 4-2 friendly MADRID: Lionel Messi will have another chance to match or surpass ‘Clasico’ at Real Madrid a week later. The match falls the day after Luis defeat to Argentina, Loew’s finely-tuned machine finally Telmo Zarra’s six-decade-old La Liga scoring record of 251 goals Suarez’s ban for biting an opponent at the World Cup expires and the broke down in Warsaw last Saturday. when Barcelona host promoted Eibar tomorrow. The Argentina cap- Uruguay forward could make his official Barca debut at the Bernabeu. tain and four-times World Player of the Year has netted 249 times in Woeful finishing the Spanish top flight since he played his first match exactly 10 years Solid start The mis-firing attack was made to pay for woeful finishing ago - aged 17. Barca are looking to bounce back this season after missing out on and wasted chances as Poland earned an historic first win Messi’s goals-he has 361 overall in 434 official games- have helped major silverware last season for the first time in six years. They have over Germany at the 19th attempt in a shock 2-0 victory. the Catalan club win 21 trophies during the past decade, including six made a solid start under new coach Luis Enrique and are two points La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns. Widely considered clear of Valencia at the top of the standings after seven matches. Loew’s side lost their proud record of 33 qualification match- one of the best players in soccer history, the 27-year-old has been Messi has six goals in those seven outings and it is a measure of how es unbeaten dating back to October 2007. Despite an air of showered with praises in the run up to the anniversary although his high he has set the bar in recent years that his tally this term is con- steely determination, amidst talk of “putting things right”, father Jorge insists his son is unaffected either by acclaim or criticism. sidered a meagre one by his standards. Cristiano Ronaldo, who ended Loew’s side then threw away a 1-0 lead as John O’Shea cele- “There are times when there is too much praise and other moments Messi’s four-year reign as World Player by winning the latest award, brated his 100th cap with the 94th-minute winner in Ireland’s when the criticism is excessive,” Jorge Messi said in an interview with has a jaw-dropping 13 goals in six La Liga appearances for Real and 1-1 draw in Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday. Spanish radio yesterday. will be gunning for more when they visit Levante tomorrow. Real, It was one of only three chances the Irish had all game, “You have to stop somewhere in the middle and simply look for- who appear to have recovered from an early-season wobble, are four just like Poland, who had scored twice despite just four clear ward,” he added. “He (Lionel) reads and listens to everyone and I points behind Barca in fourth place, with Valencia, who play at chances. The stats from both games paint a stark picture of don’t know how he does it but he doesn’t attach much importance to Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday, in second and Sevilla, who are at Germany failing to capitalise despite dominating. In both either the good or the bad.