Robben reprimanded over long johns
Reuters - Thursday 04 February 2010, 11:18
BERLIN - Bayern Munich striker Arjen Robben
has been in sparkling form since the mid-season break but his
long johns, rather than his nifty footwork, could be under the
spotlight for Saturday's visit to champions VfL Wolfsburg.
German media have been speculating whether Robben's
grey-coloured underwear - which the Dutchman has been sporting
to protect his muscles from the freezing winter - conform to
Bundesliga rules as the colour differs from the team's red kit.
"The German federation want a single colour," sporting
director Christian Nerlinger told the club's website.
"We'll either have to dye them or he'll
have to find another pair."
Robben, wearing his trademark longjohns, scored two goals as
Bayern won the first three games after the mid-winter break to
lie two points adrift of leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
"I'm an explosive player who must warm up well," he said.
"They are not beautiful but they are functional."
Wolfsburg, beaten 3-0 by Bayern earlier in the season, have
failed to win in their last eight Bundesliga outings and
occupying 11th spot are now looking more to the relegation zone
than the title race.
Their miserable run has also seen them knocked out of the
Champions League and cost coach Armin Veh his job.
PERFECT RECORD
Leverkusen, the league's only unbeaten team, travel to
struggling VfL Bochum on Saturday and like Bayern attempt to
maintain a 100 percent record since the break.
Goalkeeper Rene Adler believes the leaders, who have 44
points from 20 games, are reaping the benefits of staying at
home for the break rather than following the lead of their
rivals and heading off to sunnier climes.
"We worked hard during the short winter break," he told the
league's website.
"We stayed here and got
used to the difficult winter conditions.
"You're never going to play attractive football on these
pitches but our players have the technical skills to play a
decent game even on those surfaces.
"Now we're up against Bochum and it's going to be a tough
task because everyone is expecting us to destroy them," said
Adler.
The keeper would not be drawn on their chances of winning a
first title and finally shedding their unhappy 'Neverkusen' tag.
"I've been at the club for 10 years now and experienced
quite a lot," said Adler. "We don't want to get too carried
away."
Third-placed Schalke 04 (41 points) can pounce on any
slip-ups by the leading pair when they visit
relegation-threatened Freiburg on Saturday.