Van Gaal risks Bayern fallout over keeper (News Feature)

By Barry Whelan Jan 10, 2011, 11:50 GMT

Berlin - Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal will be on confrontation course with the club's board if he replaces veteran Joerg Butt with novice keeper Thomas Kraft this week.

Kraft, 22, could be given his Bundesliga debut when the season resumes at the weekend following a short winter break.

The youngster played with the first team during the club's just-ended training camp in Qatar. Van Gaal refused to confirm Kraft would play at Wolfsburg Saturday but said it was 'possible.'

However, the mooted switch has not gone down well with the club's management who feel the 59-year-old Dutchman should have informed them first of any plans.

Van Gaal is set to meet chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sports director Christian Nerlinger this week for a regular get-together which Bild newspaper said Monday was 'potentially explosive.'

All the signs are that the board is against Van Gaal risking replacing the consistently reliable Butt, 36, with an unknown quantity in goal at a delicate stage of the season.

Fifth-placed Bayern need a string of wins to close the gap on runaway leaders Borussia Dortmund and are desperate to at least finish second to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Honorary president Franz Beckenbauer, writing for Bild Monday, said Van Gaal should have informed the board - who are keen on signing Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer - of his intentions.

While team selection is undoubtedly the coach's decision, different criteria apply for goalkeepers where any decisions can influence the club's future planning, he said.

'It would have been wiser for Louis van Gaal to have talked beforehand to those responsible at Bayern in such an important matter,' Beckenbauer wrote.

At least sports director Nerlinger should have been informed, said Beckenbauer, who also referred to president Uli Hoeness's recent criticism of the coach's autocratic management style and 'poor ability to communicate.'

'That seems to be the case here. It means Van Gaal is taking the risk of pushing through measures without support,' he added.

Van Gaal, who can point to a record of success in bringing on young players, suggested at the team's training camp in Doha he would not know how a promising talent handled pressure until he played him.

'I think one of my jobs as coach of Bayern Munich is to develop players,' he said.

Although Kraft has yet to appear in the league, he performed well in the Bayern side for two Champions League games against Roma and Basel when the Germans had already qualified from the group stage.

However, any decision to drop Butt would be hard on a keeper who has been one of the squad's top performers in an inconsistent season.

Bayern have meanwhile returned home, with the players given two days off before the next training session Wednesday ahead of the visit to Wolfsburg.

'I think it was an excellent training camp,' Van Gaal told the club's homepage of the seven-day visit to Doha.

'We've become a lot stronger. We spent the week building up stamina, but we also worked on technique and tactics.

'Hamit Altintop and Mario Gomez, who were both injured, are back again and fit, and Arjen Robben, who's not played for six months, made a very good impression. We've also avoided any new injuries, so I can't be anything but satisfied.'

Bayern are also integrating Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo who has joined from Hoffenheim and are hoping France midfielder Franck Ribery will be back to his best following injury.

'They're both options for the squad, and I believe they're both in contention for the starting line,' Van Gaal said.

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