Dietmar Hamann says English teams way off the Champions League pace

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann has dismissed Arsene Wenger's suggestion that the sending off of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was the decisive moment in the two-legged Champions League tie between his old club and Arsenal.

After Tuesday’s 1-1 draw in Munich, the Arsenal boss had claimed: “what made the difference was the decision to send our goalkeeper off in the first game. That decision had a huge impact.”

But speaking yesterday in Dublin at the launch of Carlsberg’s “#Jointhegreats” campaign (see facebook.com/carlsbergfootball), Hamann insisted the gulf between the two teams was far greater and suggesting no English team is good enough to win the Champions League in the foreseeable future.

“I don’t know here he gets that from,” said the 40 year-old former German international when asked about Wenger’s comments.

“If he thinks the sending off had any impact on the outcome of the two legs, he must have watched different games because they (Bayern) outclassed them.

"Arsenal had 12 per cent possession in the second half at the Emirates . . . it was embarrassing. Sometimes it can be harder playing against 10 men but Bayern Munich used the man advantage and just absolutely annihilated them in the second half.

12% possession
"Twelve per cent possession? If you turn it around the other way; if Bayern Munich had a player sent off, do you think Arsenal would have had 90 per cent possession? I don't think so.

“No, Bayern Munich are in a different league. Full stop. The English teams are way behind what’s required to win the Champions League. I think that was obvious.”

Hamann was similarly unconvinced by Wenger’s suggestion that Bayern are “more vulnerable” this season than last with the former Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City player acknowledging that defending their European title may be more difficult than winning it in the first place was but arguing that with the players they have added and Pep Guardiola in the dugout they are exceptionally well-equipped for the task.

"The manager's got them on their toes; I think that's the biggest difference he has made. They were a great team last year but I think their mentality... he did it at Barcelona, they played at this (indicates high with his hand) level for four or five years, won 15 or 16 trophies out of 20-odd, and I think he instilled that belief and mentality that: 'While we are the best, we've got to make the most of it'.


"I think Bayern have the belief now, because they lost two finals don't forget, against Inter and Chelsea. And I think to come back after the Chelsea disappointment and win it the way they did the season after showed what a formidable side they are; what great character they've got. If anyone can defend it, it will be them. They look the real deal."

And if they do that, he suggests, they will have a claim on being the best club side ever.

“I think you can make a case for them being better than Barcelona because Barcelona relied on one player. Bayern Munich don’t.

“But, yes, of course they are stoppable. In a one-off game, in a final, anything can happen.

As for the big English clubs, he says, for all the money they have spent they lack the number of top quality players they had a few years back.

“England had the golden generation - even though they were probably just only silver because they never did it in a tournament - and there were world class (foreign) players in abundance at every team.

“You look at it now: how many players would get in a World XI. Would a Manchester United player? At the time you had Keane, Van Nistelrooy, Beckham, Scholes, Stam; you could have made a world XI out of Premier League players. Now, you would struggle to find three.”