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Despite seeming invincible nowadays, Bayern Munich proved last night that they are still human after all. Germany’s treble-winning champions ended their Champions League group stage campaign with an a 3-2 loss to Manchester City but still secured first place in Group D despite this unexpected setback.
It was the first defeat since losing 4-2 to Borussia Dortmund in the Supercup on 27 July for Pep Guardiola’s team, who appeared to relax last night after making a strong start to the match. It was also the team’s first reverse since setting a record of ten consecutive victories in the Champions League, and their first defeat at home since being beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on 13 March. In an interview with DFB.de, Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge discussed the mistakes made in the final group game and provides an overview of the team’s remaining matches this year.
Frage: How do you explain the loss to Manchester City after starting so strongly and taking a 2-0 lead?
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: We started brilliantly, but surrendered control of the game after 20 minutes. We had Manchester City on the ropes like a reeling boxer – we just forgot to land the knockout punch, and lost the match as a result. It was our second defeat in the Champions League this year, but it wasn’t a painful one. Nevertheless, we’ve got to learn the right lessons from this.
Frage: Doesn’t the fact that the team faded a little after such a strong run simply show that they are human?
Rummenigge: The coach was not happy; that much is clear. We have to look at ourselves and recognise that we lost a match we set out to win. We cannot afford to relax, especially when playing a team of Manchester City’s quality. In that respect, it was a blessing in disguise.
Frage: Were you afraid that the team could still fail to win the group?
Rummenigge: We regained our concentration somewhat at the end. Ultimately, it didn’t matter and there was no harm done. We don’t want to gloss over our mistakes, but the positive thing is that we still finished as group winners.
Frage: Were the team suffering as a result of the demands of the past few weeks?
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Rummenigge: I don’t know about that. We played on Saturday and then again on Tuesday, but we’ve been playing in that rhythm for a month now, so we’re used to it. We just let Manchester City back into the game after 20 minutes. We could have won easily.
Frage: After Arsenal in March, this was the second time an English team has beaten Bayern this year…
Rummenigge: Perhaps the Bundesliga isn’t the best league in the world; maybe it’s still the Premier League..
Frage: Bayern have three more important matches to play before Christmas. What are your expectations ahead of these games?
Rummenigge: We’re playing Hamburg on Saturday. We need and want to win that game as that would ensure we go into the winter break at the top of the league, and would mean we don’t have to reply on results from the last match, which we can only play in January (against VfB Stuttgart on 29 January – editor’s note). That’s our target. Then we’re off to the Club World Cup in Morocco, where we want to lift the only trophy we haven’t yet won this year.
created by sid
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Despite seeming invincible nowadays, Bayern Munich proved last night that they are still human after all. Germany’s treble-winning champions ended their Champions League group stage campaign with an a 3-2 loss to Manchester City but still secured first place in Group D despite this unexpected setback.
It was the first defeat since losing 4-2 to Borussia Dortmund in the Supercup on 27 July for Pep Guardiola’s team, who appeared to relax last night after making a strong start to the match. It was also the team’s first reverse since setting a record of ten consecutive victories in the Champions League, and their first defeat at home since being beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on 13 March. In an interview with DFB.de, Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge discussed the mistakes made in the final group game and provides an overview of the team’s remaining matches this year.
Frage: How do you explain the loss to Manchester City after starting so strongly and taking a 2-0 lead?
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: We started brilliantly, but surrendered control of the game after 20 minutes. We had Manchester City on the ropes like a reeling boxer – we just forgot to land the knockout punch, and lost the match as a result. It was our second defeat in the Champions League this year, but it wasn’t a painful one. Nevertheless, we’ve got to learn the right lessons from this.
Frage: Doesn’t the fact that the team faded a little after such a strong run simply show that they are human?
Rummenigge: The coach was not happy; that much is clear. We have to look at ourselves and recognise that we lost a match we set out to win. We cannot afford to relax, especially when playing a team of Manchester City’s quality. In that respect, it was a blessing in disguise.
Frage: Were you afraid that the team could still fail to win the group?
Rummenigge: We regained our concentration somewhat at the end. Ultimately, it didn’t matter and there was no harm done. We don’t want to gloss over our mistakes, but the positive thing is that we still finished as group winners.
Frage: Were the team suffering as a result of the demands of the past few weeks?
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Rummenigge: I don’t know about that. We played on Saturday and then again on Tuesday, but we’ve been playing in that rhythm for a month now, so we’re used to it. We just let Manchester City back into the game after 20 minutes. We could have won easily.
Frage: After Arsenal in March, this was the second time an English team has beaten Bayern this year…
Rummenigge: Perhaps the Bundesliga isn’t the best league in the world; maybe it’s still the Premier League..
Frage: Bayern have three more important matches to play before Christmas. What are your expectations ahead of these games?
Rummenigge: We’re playing Hamburg on Saturday. We need and want to win that game as that would ensure we go into the winter break at the top of the league, and would mean we don’t have to reply on results from the last match, which we can only play in January (against VfB Stuttgart on 29 January – editor’s note). That’s our target. Then we’re off to the Club World Cup in Morocco, where we want to lift the only trophy we haven’t yet won this year.
