The Catalan coach criticised his players after they slumped to a fifth loss in their last six outings in all competitions
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola questioned his side’s character after they slumped to a third successive Bundesliga defeat.
After a run of four consecutive losses in all competitions, the Bavarians had returned to winning ways by recording a 3-2 victory over Barcelona in midweek, even though it was not enough to see them through to the final of the Champions League final.
Guardiola had been hoping that his troops would build upon that victory at Freiburg on Saturday but they were beaten yet again, with former Bayern striker Nils Petersen netting an 89th-minute winner for the relegation-threatened hosts.
It was a bitter pill for the Catalan coach to swallow, particularly as the Bundesliga champions had conceded a devastating late goal in their 3-0 first-leg loss at Barca, and he took the unusual step of criticising his players after the game at Mage Solar Stadion.
“Congrats to Christian Streich and his squad,” Guardiola told reporters. “Freiburg showed the will to win this match, more than my squad.
“They are fighting relegation and this win was very important for them. For us, it was not easy. We conceded a late goal again, like in Barcelona.
“The matches after the win of the championship are not easy. One match against Mainz is left and then we will take a holiday.
“Congratulations to Freiburg because of this win. I hope they will stay in the league this year.”
Meanwhile, Freiburg coach Streich freely admitted that his side had enjoyed their fair share of good luck in claiming a first victory over Bayern in 19 years, but he felt that they were due a change of fortune.
“We have great character in the team,” he stated. “We decided to play defensively because we saw no alternative.
“Luck was on our side today, no question about that, but we’ve been very unlucky so often this season. We’ve earned the win.”