FC Bayern Munchen News

The Bundesliga side have failed to get past the semi-finals in each of the last three seasons, but the new coach is targeting his fourth European crown as a coach with them

Carlo Ancelotti says Bayern Munich’s aim for this season must be to win the Champions League, after falling short at the semi-final stage in the previous three campaigns.

The Italian has previously won the competition twice as a player and three times as a coach – twice with AC Milan and again at Real Madrid.

And now Ancelotti is aiming to deliver Bayern the success that evaded them under Pep Guardiola, despite the Catalan coach taking charge just after their continental triumph with Jupp Heynckes.

“[Bayern’s objective in the Champions League is] to win,” he told Marca.

“They have missed out because of small details in the past and we’ll try to reach that turning point in the best possible way.

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READ MORE  | ‘Bayern free of Pep’s chains

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“It’s clear that our goal is to win the Champions League.”

The German champions were knocked out by Atletico Madrid last term and have now been paired against the same side again in this season’s group stage.

Ancelotti has also suffered pain at Atleti’s hands and he is determined to post an improved result on this occasion.

“I expect and want to win because I have never managed a victory there with Chelsea or Real,” he continued.

“Bayern already know how good Atletico are because they eliminated us last season. We’ve not forgotten.”

The former midfielder – who won eight Bundesliga titles with the Bavarians – believes new boss Carlo Ancelotti has liberated the players from their old manager’s regimented regime

Bayern Munich will benefit from being free of the “chains” of Pep Guardiola this season, according to former midfielder Mehmet Scholl.

The Bundesliga champions began the defence of their title with a 6-0 thrashing of Werder Bremen at the Allianz Arena on Friday, with Robert Lewandowski scoring a hat-trick in coach Carlo Ancelotti’s first league match in charge.

The win equalled the biggest opening-day victory in Bundesliga history, when OFC Kickers thrashed Bayern by the same scoreline in 1974.

And Scholl, who won eight top-flight titles in a glittering Bayern career, believes Ancelotti has liberated the players from the more regimented approach implemented by Guardiola during his three years in charge.

“Bayern are having fun – Ancelotti has set them free. They have shaken off Pep’s chains,” he told ARD.

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READ MORE  | Ancelotti: My Bayern more direct than Pep’s

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Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer admitted after the match that the difference in approach between Guardiola and Ancelotti is notable, but he did not criticise the methods of the Manchester City boss, who delivered three league titles and two DFB-Pokals before leaving in May.

“Carlo Ancelotti has a different manner in speaking to us and he has been part of the business for longer,” he said.

“He has coached big teams and he knows how to deal with every single player.

“Pep was a coach who always tried to have an influence, who always wanted to help the team. Carlo is a coach who tries to give us confidence with his calm manner.”

The Italian coach insists he has not made many changes to the Bundesliga champions since he took charge in the summer, apart from making them a more direct side

Carlo Ancelotti says he has made very few changes to Bayern Munich since replacing Pep Guardiola at the helm, but feels he has turned them into a more direct side.

The defending Bundesliga champions got the 2016-17 campaign off to a great start on Friday as they trounced Werder Bremen 6-0.

Robert Lewandowski netted three, while Xabi Alonso, Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribery were also among the goals in a comfortable win.

Ancelotti was delighted with his team’s performance, but insists they look much the same as they did last term.

“We made ​​a very good start to the game, we scored quickly and completely controlled the game,” he said. 

“I’m very happy, this is a very good performance from my team. 

“In fact, I have changed very little in this team, it’s a great team. We just tried to play a little more directly.”

Ancelotti hailed Lewandowski after the striker scored his second hat-trick in two games, with the Poland international having hit a cup treble against Carl Zeiss Jena a week ago.

“He is a fantastic player,” said Ancelotti. “He is always in the box ready to score.”

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READ MORE  | Aubameyang warns Lewandowski: The race has started!

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Mats Hummels made his second Bundesliga appearance for Bayern – the first was in May 2007 before his decorated spell at Borussia Dortmund – and the centre-back accepted it felt “weird” to be back at the club after eight years away.

“It was a little weird for me to return to the Allianz Arena,” said Hummels. 

“I was a little nervous, but it’s a perfect start for us, to put us on track in the league.

“For me, I’m still not 100 per cent in my form but it was a good match. The road is still long for us.”

Die Roten brushed past a lacklustre Bremen side to claim all three points in the Italian manager’s first league game with the club

Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich cruised to a 6-0 home win over Werder Bremen in their opening Bundesliga match of the season.

It took the defending champions only eight minutes to open the scoring, with Xabi Alonso thumping in a volley from just outside the penalty area after a cross was half-cleared.

Bremen’s weak resistance was broken again four minutes later when Franck Ribery slipped Lewandowski through on goal and the striker finished superbly from a tight angle.

The dominance continued after the interval when Lewandowski stretched to tap in a Thomas Muller cross, before Philipp Lahm drove in the fourth via the post after more precise passing.

Ribery added a fifth by finishing well from Muller’s pass and Lewandowski completed his treble with a late penalty as Bayern won their first league match of the campaign for the fifth year in a row.

Mats Hummels made his second league appearance for Bayern – the first was in May 2007 before his decorated spell with rivals Borussia Dortmund – while Carlo Ancelotti became the first manager to take charge of teams in Europe’s top five leagues.

Bayern dominated possession from the first whistle, with Muller having an early shot deflected narrowly wide for a corner, and the opening goal soon arrived.
 
Lahm’s cross was headed straight to Alonso, who teed himself up on the edge of the penalty area and hammered a stunning volley into the top corner.
 
Muller then forced a fine save from Felix Wiedwald but it was 2-0 to Bayern shortly afterwards.
 
Lewandowski beat the offside trap to race on to Ribery’s throughball into the left channel and, from a narrow angle, the Poland international produced a brilliant curled finish.
 
Wiedwald denied Lewandowski and Muller shot at the goalkeeper as Bremen failed to put Bayern under pressure, before Muller hit the post from 25 yards and Lewandowski missed the rebound.
 
Bayern came close again after 38 minutes as they once more cut Bremen apart easily, with Ribery and Muller involved in a sumptuous one-touch move, but Wiedwald got enough on Lewandowski’s shot to deflect it on to the crossbar.

Lewandowski had a further first-half opportunity in the 42nd minute after Bremen gave away possession, but Wiedwald made the stop as he continued to keep the score down.

The third goal arrived in the first minute after the interval, as Lewandowski was presented with a simple close-range finish from Muller’s superb right-wing centre.

After 65 minutes Bayern scored the fourth goal their dominance deserved to ensure a 14th straight win over Bremen, with Lahm and Muller playing a one-two before the full-back shot across Wiedwald and in off the upright.

Muller was given far too much space to pick out Ribery for a powerful finish and Lewandowski rolled in a penalty for his second hat-trick in two games – he claimed the matchball in the cup thrashing of minnows Carl Zeiss Jena seven days ago – after substitute Rafinha was fouled.

On this evidence Bayern will take some stopping as they aim for a fifth consecutive league title.