Dynamic Duos Klose And Toni

In the course of history there have been legendary onfield partnerships formed at every club, whose combined efforts have gone on to leave a lasting impact and cultural legacy. With tonight’s visit of Bayern Munich, Liam Carson takes a look at how strikers Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni came together in Bavaria to form a prolific partnership that returned Die Roten back to the top of German football.

“We were only able to communicate with our hands and feet,” is how German Miroslav Klose recalled the early moments of life in Bavaria with Italian Luca Toni. They were both of different languages and cultures, yet there was an instant click between the forwards that would lead to a prolific partnership in front of goal.

The pair had arrived in Munich in the summer of 2007 in what was a peculiar period for their new club. The German-record champions had struggled in the previous season and had consequently missed out on a Champions League place for the first time in a decade. For the Bayern board, it was a situation that needed rectifying immediately, so they took the decision to invest heavily in their playing squad. Franck Ribery, Hamit Alintop, Marcell Jansen and Ze Roberto were all brought in that summer, as well the statements signings of Klose and Toni.

It was a time when footballing philosophy was also evolving and diverging rapidly. The use of ‘tika-taka’ and the ‘false nine’ were on the rise in the game while 4-4-2 was seen as an archaic formation. Yet, Bayern had just made a significant outlay for two big-name strikers, as well as a pacey winger in Ribery, so it seemed Die Roten were intending to persist with that most famous of formations.

To complement that set-up, the German club had selected two attackers with world-renowned pedigree. The year prior, the pair had caught the eye on the biggest stage as they made a name for themselves in the World Cup Finals. Taking place in his home nation, Klose had finished as the competition’s top scorer with five goals, while Toni had played his part in Italy becoming world champions. Yet there were still concerns with the additions, especially as the Italian had already had his 30th birthday, while Klose was not far behind at 29-years-old. It was noted however, that the pair had been something of late bloomers in the game.