After Bayern Munich tied Frankfurt on Saturday, they were criticized for not only their performance, but their attitude. Bayern Munich has not won a match since September 24 and after this most recent tie, Carlo Ancelotti was not alone in his disappointment.
Even though Bayern Munich sits atop the Bundesliga table by 2 points and a +14 goal differential, things are not going as planned for the Bavarians. After a winless streak of three games, the club has come under heavy criticism for their play and attitude from multiple sources.
Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola’s replacement at Bayern Munich, led the team to a dream beginning by winning the German Supercup and the first 4 games of the Bundesliga. Then, Bayern Munich lost to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. That is when their woes started.
After dropping points in Madrid, they continued to drop points in draws to FC Koln and most recently, Eintracht Frankfurt. After the draw to Frankfurt, Ancelotti criticized and expressed disappointment in the squad and their performance. Bayern Munich let Frankfurt equalize twice, with the second coming when they were leading in the second half against a 10 men opponent.
“It’s not difficult to give an opinion about this game,” Ancelotti said in a post-game news conference. “We didn’t play well, we didn’t show a good attitude, we played against a side that were more aggressive with a different attitude.”
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Ancelotti was not alone in his criticisms. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern Munich CEO, echoed Ancelotti’s sentiments saying that Saturday’s draw was not worthy of the German champions. He said of the match that: “You cannot play that way. We have got to be happy to come away with a point.”
Criticisms within the club did not stop at the management. Philipp Lahm also publicly criticized his team’s attitude, saying that it was not the aggressive attitude that led the club to four consecutive Bundesliga titles. “Nobody had the right attitude,” he claimed.
If Bayern Munich wants to continue their dominance in the Bundesliga and be successful in Champions League, it appears that they need an attitude adjustment. While this sounds like advice a mother gives to a petulant 13 year old, Bayern could benefit from an attitude adjustment. Given the results of the last 3 matches, something needs to change. Whether that change needs to be their attitude is yet to be determined.