<span class="titolo">Luca Toni: The Tie-Breaker</span></p> <span class="sommario">The Oktoberfest, Munich’s world-famous beer festival, came to an end on Sunday, but the party down the road at the Allianz Arena shows no signs of finishing.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en-GB">After another comprehensive victory, this time a 3-0 against Bavarian neighbours Nuremberg, Bayern Munich appear to be head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Man of the match, yet again, was new Italian striker Luca Toni.</span></p> <p lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en-GB">His German is </span><span lang="en-GB">somewhat lacking, but the man from Modena already appreciates the less stressful nature of player-supporter relations in the Bundesliga. </span></p> <p lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en-GB">“</span>Things are so much calmer here in Germany. We beat Bremen away the other week, but their fans still applauded the team, and when we walked to the team bus they applauded us as well. There was no violence. It was a party for everyone. Beautiful.”</p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">Given his current form, Toni is unlikely to be given a hostile reception by Bayern fans anytime soon. </span><span lang="en-GB">The €11m fee the Bavarians paid to Fiorentina was relatively high by Bundesliga standards, but ten games and ten goals into the striker’s Bayern career, neither party will be regretting the move.</span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">Toni has been nicknamed “the deadlock breaker” by the German</span><span lang="en-GB"> media because he has scored the opener in six of his ten games, including last Sunday against Nuremberg and in both Uefa Cup games against Portuguese outfit Belenenses. His ability to consistently get that all important first goal has been crucial to Bayern’s early dominance, relaxing the side and allowing stars like Ribéry and Hamit Altıntop to focus on playing attractive football and running the opposition riot.</span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">It is the range of Toni’s abilities that has most impressed fans in Germany. At </span><span lang="en-GB">1 metre 94 tall, Toni obviously enjoys a height advantage over many centre-backs, but unlike others (e.g. Peter Crouch) he is highly proficient at directing headers into the corner of the net. </span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">He’s also adept with both feet too, whether it be the lightning reactions that saw him slide in </span><span lang="en-GB">the opener against Nuremberg or his tricky lob against Karlsruhe. And far from being the selfish front-man, the Italian has also provided three assists, mostly for strike partner Miroslav Klose, with whom he jointly heads the Bundesliga scoring charts on eight goals. And all this while allegedly not yet being 100% fit.</span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">Critics, particularly in his home country, will say that substandard opposition is the chief reason for Toni’s recent goal glut. The Bundesliga perhaps lacks the depth of quality of Serie A, but the simple fact is that this is possibly Bayern Munich’s best side ever. They have never enjoyed such a high goal difference (+22) nine games into a season as they have this year. Luca Toni is playing his part. </span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">Besides, </span><span lang="en-GB">the Italian’s scoring exploits are nothing new, as his record of 47 goals in 67 games for Fiorentina and 50 goals in 80 games for Palermo prove. Admittedly he remains to be tested in Europe’s top club competition, the Champions League, but Bayern’s runaway league performance means this should be rectified next season.</span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">Toni’s impressive start to </span><span lang="en-GB">life in Germany bodes well for the national side too. Eyebrows were raised when the striker opted to swap Florence for Munich, with accusations being levelled that it was purely financial greed prompting the decision to head north. But along with the departures of fellow strikers Bianchi, Lucarelli Rossi for foreign pastures, Toni’s move has signalled a new era. </span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">Italy is no longer the dream destination for many footballers, and seemingly gone are the days when the Azzurri’s coach need look no further than Serie A when naming his squad.</span><span lang="en-GB"> Toni is now regularly playing with better team mates than last season with the Viola, and accordingly is growing in stature and confidence.</span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">With established home-based strikers like Inzaghi, Gilardino and Del Piero consistently turning in mediocre performances for their clubs, Italians should be meeting Toni’s scoring exploits in Germany with joy rather than cynicism. </span></font></p> <p style="margin-top: 0.49cm; margin-bottom: 0.49cm;"><font color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB"></span></font></p> </p>
