Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has criticised his club’s players for their poor performance against Bordeaux which is likely to cost the team a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The 2-0 defeat on Tuesday means that a win over Juventus and Maccabi Haifa may not be enough to see Bayern join Bordeaux in the next round.
“FC Bayern no longer have their destiny in their own hands and the consolation of coming third and playing in the Europa League is hardly comforting,” he wrote in his column in the Bild.
“Only when Arjen Robben came on in the second half did we start looking for a goal. He is quick and dares to go into challenges. Bastian Schweinsteiger is capable of doing that too, as he has shown more often when he has played for the national team.
“You have 90 minutes to score the winner, but you cannot afford to make blunders like Mark van Bommel did for 1-0.”
Beckenbauer is now resting his hopes on Franck Ribery making a speedy recovery from his knee injury to rescue Bayern’s season.
“It is like the theatre production ‘waiting for Godot’, only we are waiting for Ribery,” he added. “We have got to hope that Ribery returns. He makes the difference. He gives unpredictability to our game and carries the team with him.”
Beckenbauer remains convinced, however, that coach Louis Van Gaal is the right man for the job and, unlike his predecessor, Jurgen Klinsmann, has the experience to transform the fortunes of the club.
”Van Gaal simply must be given the chance,” he added. ”I hold him in high esteem. herever he has worked, he has left good results behind. He will get things under control.”
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