Bayern vs Real Madrid: Reborn 'Robbery' set to take centre stage
There was a nostalgic feel to Bayern Munich’s 4-1 trouncing of Borussia Dortmund at the weekend and it wasn’t just to do with the hosts’ dominance of their Bundesliga counterparts. Rather, that wide duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were both on the scoresheet in the victory to help earn a place in the Bundesliga team of the week. Bayern Munich put up a picture on their official Instagram account of Robben on Sunday morning with a headline on the paper stating ‘Local man cuts inside’ and the caption: “Sometimes the headlines write themselves” after the Dutchman’s goal on Saturday evening.
The experienced winger has made a habit of picking up the ball from the right before darting infield onto his left and going for goal. Easy to read? Yes. Unstoppable? Almost always. His strike against Dortmund was an archetypal 'Robben goal'. It also restored Bayern's two-goal lead at the Allianz Arena on Saturday after Ribery had put the hosts ahead with just four minutes on the clock.
The duo have endured their (un)fair share of injury concerns in recent seasons, yet despite their advancing years, are once more key men for the Bundesliga outfit. Robben has nine goals and five assists to his name in Germany’s top tier this term. Ribery is third in the assists chart (9) and has bagged four goals this season. They rank third (7.61) and fourth (7.44), respectively, as Bayern’s top rated players in the league this season and are more than capable of transferring their excellent form into Europe as their Champions League ratings – Robben 7.67 and Ribery 7.42 – suggest.
Impressively still is that they have re-established themselves as first choice despite Ancelotti being able to call on the wide talents of Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman. The duo were brought in as heirs to the respective thrones on the wings, yet their impact has been minimal – in part due to injury – as they have failed to displace the pair commonly referred to as Robbery. Bayern still have the option to make Coman’s move permanent at the end of the season, but there is less of an inclination to do so considering his senior teammates’ performances.
With a combined age of 67, they’re turning back the clocks to really hurt opponents and Bayern are the beneficiaries of their resurgence. Considering the Bundesliga side were somewhat stalling in the opening weeks of the campaign, they’ve hit their stride at just the right time to coincide with this run to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. A meeting with the defending champions Real Madrid is what stands between them and a place in the next round of Europe’s elite club competition.
It’s also a chance for Ancelotti to knock his former employers out of the competition as the master faces his former apprentice Zinedine Zidane at the Allianz Arena. The wide areas are where Bayern can best hurt Real Madrid, particularly with regular right-back Dani Carvajal a doubt. The Spain international missed training this week and could be replaced by the erratic Danilo, which should appease Ribery. Marcelo’s willingness to push forward to provide another option for Real Madrid, meanwhile, is another area where Bayern can capitalise.
With Thiago Alcantara pulling the strings in the final third, the wide pairing of Robben and Ribery know full well that they will receive the ammunition required to exact revenge for a humiliating semi-final defeat to los Blancos three years ago. It's the aging duo that are set to play a vital role for the Bavarian giants in their quest to secure a spot in the final four of the Champions League once again.
