Ribery: Alaba's free kicks are madness

The French winger and Bayern team-mate Mario Gotze have lauded the recent set pieces from the Austrian full-back following Wednesday's strike

Franck Ribery has described Bayern Munich team-mate David Alaba's free kicks as "madness" after his latest super strike from distance.

The Austrian left-back has scored in three successive DFB-Pokal matches for the Bavarians - the latest of which was a stunning free kick to open the scoring against Eintracht Braunschweig in Wednesday's 2-0 victory.

It's the second time that Alaba has smashed home a set piece from distance, having helped them defeat Stuttgart last month from a dead ball situation, and Ribery was glowing in his praise.

"It was a super free kick. His efforts are just madness," the French forward told Bild. "You cannot take them any better than he does."

Mario Gotze echoed Ribery's sentiments and, though he is partial to a set piece strike himself, he conceded that Alaba is going to be at the front of the pecking order more frequently at this rate.

"They're not bad at all, are they?" the ex-Borussia Dortmund attacker responded when asked about Alaba's free kicks.

"It depends on the situation as to who takes the free kicks at Bayern. The fact that Alaba scored his last two though means he will be giving it a go a few more times in upcoming games."

Alaba himself has put his finely-honed technique down to a blend of his own natural game and a study of other top set piece shooters, while revelling in his latest strike from outside the area.

"In the past I've watched many free kicks from others," he said. "Though I also have my own technique.
"I felt very good about taking that free kick. I think I hit the ball pretty well! It's good that it worked out."

Bayern are back in action on Saturday with a visit to Hannover as they look to consolidate or extend their eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.