A managerial edition of our daily transfer roundup

As you can see, Franz Beckenbauer and Jurgen Klinsmann used to be in love. After last night’s humiliation, however, things aren’t so rosey…

Jurgen Klinsmann faces the sack
Over-opinionated Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has called his side’s first half performance against Barcelona “the worst in the club’s history.” German newspaper Bild are leading with the headline “Klinsi close to the exit,” and they go on to say “If the directors don’t fire him straight away, it’s obvious that his job will be on the line for each league game.”

The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Currently languishing in fourth place in the Bundesliga, and having suffered a piss poor 5-1 defeat at Wolfsburg last weekend, Klinsmann must be very close to seeking alternative employment.

Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea
According to The Sun, the Italian has told Chelsea he is ready to take over from Guus Hiddink in the summer. A contract worth around £5.8m a year has been discussed, and should be signed and sealed in June.

The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Ancelotti says he has a gentleman’s

Chelsea dent ‘Pool’s Euro dream, Barca makes Bayern look rubbish

Liverpool 1/ Chelsea 3
Whoa! Who saw this scoreline coming? When Nando put the Reds ahead after six minutes, it looked as if Liverpool were on course for another famous Champions league evening. However, Michael Essien kept Steven Gerrard locked in a cage all night, and Guus Hiddink’s tactical nous prevailed.

Barcelona 4/ Bayern Munich 0
Well, that lucky sausage didn’t do the German’s much good, did it? Last night’s game at the Nou Camp was virtually over after fifteen minutes, leaving gaffer Jurgen Klinsmann in an uncharacteristically humble mood: “It shows that we’ve still got a lot of work to do to be in Europe’s top four.”

[Videos: 101GG]

This is how Germans entertain themselves

Some folks like to claim that Germans have no sense of humour, but The Spoiler has evidence that this simply isn’t the case. TV presenter and comedian Matze Knop has been impersonating German football stars for many years, and is now attempting to crack the pop charts.His “hilarious” new single ‘Numero Uno’ is a send-up of Bayern Munich’s Italian striker Luca Toni, where ‘cannelloni’ and ‘pepperoni’ are ingeniously rhymed with the player’s name.

According to German paper Bild, the video recently appeared on Controcampo (an Italian football Show whose sexy presenters have included WAGs Federica Fontana and Elisabetta Canalis), where Luca Toni was the studio guest. Fortunately, the Italian found it very funny. Who wouldn’t?

Spoiler bonus: Here’s Matze Knop’s tribute to Franz Beckenbauer and here’s his recent send-up of Jürgen Klinsmann. The resemblances are uncanny.

Wantaway striker wants away yet again

For about the thousandth time in his Chelsea career, Didier Drogba has shown a desire to jump ship after being spotted in a restaurant with his agent, an Inter director and Jose Mourinho’s agent. However, for perhaps the first time, the Ivory Coast striker is no longer indispensible. Chelsea are top of the Premier League and the division’s top-scorers while Nicolas Anelka has managed eleven goals in twelve league starts. So if the Blues do finally decide to get shot of the striker, who should they bring in to replace him? Here are a few of the names that have been mentioned so far:

Adriano
The Brazilian striker was a surprise inclusion for Inter Milan in the starting line-up against Juventus, where he helped create the winning goal. There are big question marks over his attitude but former Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi has tipped him to move to Stamford Bridge, saying: ”Roman Abramovich has always liked him and I wouldn’t be surprised if Chelsea came knocking on Massimo Moratti’s door soon.”

Mario Balotelli
The 18-year-old is another Inter Milan striker who is linked with a move to Chelsea in a part-exchange deal for Drogba. Scolari is reportedly impressed by the youngster but it would be seen as a big gamble to replace Drogba with someone so inexperienced.

Lukas Podolski

The bookmakers expect Mourinho to swap Milan for Eastlands

It looks like the folks at SkyBet agree with The Spoiler and its readers with the belief that Mark Hughes’ days are numbered after he received the managerial kiss of death earlier this week. They have opened a market on who Manchester City’s next manager will be and the list is loaded with big names. Here are the five leading contenders to take charge of the billionaires:

Jose Mourinho
It’s only five months since The Special One took charge of table-topping Inter Milan, yet he finds himself in the curious position of simultaneously being favourite to become the next manager of Manchester City and Manchester United. The former Chelsea boss became the first man ever to win the Premier League in his first season, but do City really want a manager who will turn their exciting young attacking talent into flair-free workhorses?

Frank Rijkaard
Two years ago, Rijkaard guided Barcelona to a La Liga/Champions League double, but his stock has plummeted since then and he was axed earlier this year after a run of just three wins in thirteen league games saw Barca finish utterly trophyless. The fact his inexperienced successor Josep Guardiola has instantly taken the Catalan club to the top spot while scoring seventeen goals in their last three home games makes you wonder where the Dutchman was going wrong.

Roberto Mancini
The Italian kindly ended Inter Milan’s seventeen year wait for the title by winning three in a row (the first of which was handed to them after Juventus’ enforced relegation and Milan’s points deduction) but his reward for such drastic over-achievement was the

Is Jurgen finally having to settle his karmic debt for a career of outrageous dives?

From the never less than excellent The Week

“Jurgen Klinsmann’s reputation as one of the greatest figures in German sporting history is under threat, says Ian Hawkey in the Sunday Times. The former Spurs striker has courted ridicule ever since he took over as manager of Bayern Munich, bringing with him some “new-age gimmicks”, from California. Within days of taking over the club, Klinsmann erected four Buddha statues on the roof of Bayern’s training headquarters - including a “mysterious addition” from Burma called Shakyamuni.

Klinsmann, who coached Germany to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup, claimed they would “spread positive energy”, although the “porcelain deities” have had a decidedly negative impact on results.

Under-fire Bayern party Bavarian style

Jurgen Klinsmann’s long-awaited arrival at Bayern Munich has had about as much impact on the club as an inspirational Juande Ramos team-talk is having on Spurs at the minute. One point from three games is an awful start to Klinsmann’s reign at the champions, but there is no point crying over spilt lager. At least not when you could dress yourself up like a prize muppet and attend Oktoberfest. The Bayern boss does a mean impression of Roald Dahl’s The BFG.

It is an annual tradition for the Bayern squad to kit out in traditional Bavarian gear and attend Oktoberfest, Munich’s 16-day old school bender. I suppose the Liverpool Christmas party is about as close as the Premier League gets to this. More photos and after the jump.

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