In other football news, the struggling Berlin football club, Hertha BSC, is expected to get a new trainer in the new year, following intense media speculation that current trainer Markus Babbel is getting the boot, various media reports suggested.
But a new Hertha trainer is unlikely to challenge the depth and breadth of the Bayern team, which solidly beat Cologne even though midfielder Franck Ribery was sent off at 33 minutes after being shown two yellow cards in the space of a minute.
Despite its numerical disadvantage against Cologne on Friday, Bayern went ahead after the break when striker Mario Gomez claimed his 16th goal in 16 league games before second-half substitute David Alaba doubled Bayern’s lead just after the hour mark.
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos then made it three in the dying minutes as unconvincing Cologne’s defence fell apart.
The win leaves Bayern clearly at the top of the Bundesliga table and six points ahead of rival Borussia Dortmund — ahead of the weekend’s other games.
One of those games will be played Saturday by Berlin’s Hertha BSC, currently in 11th place, which faces 9th place 1899 Hoffenheim.
Rumours about a trainer switch at Hertha have been brewing in Berlin for weeks.
Reports now suggest that Babbel could leave the team before the year’s end, even though his contract extends through this year’s football season. Reports suggest Babbel will receive a severance payment.
Skibbe was the national team trainer between 2000 and 2004. More recently he was the coach of Eintracht Frankfurt, but was fired earlier this year due to the team’s poor performance.
AFP/mw
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