Lothar Matthaus blasts Bayern Munich for failing to replace Philippe Coutinho, Thiago Alcantara and Ivan Perisic as he questions squad’s ‘concentration’ following shock defeat against Holstein Kiel
- World cup winner Lothar Matthaus says Bayern Munich are lacking squad depth
- He says Hansi Flick needs to rest and rotate players during the hectic schedule
- He also says the player’s lack of ‘concentration’ is the reason for their poor form
Lothar Matthaus believes Bayern Munich are lacking squad depth after parting ways with Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Perisic and Thiago Alcantara.
The World Cup winner has criticised the club’s recruitment policy, saying the Bundesliga side need a wider range of options to be able to rest and rotate players during the hectic 2020-2021 schedule.
Matthaus also says the player’s lack of ‘concentration’ is preventing Hansi Flick’s side from establishing the dominance they exhibited in their treble-winning 2019-2020 campaign.
World cup winner Lothar Matthaus (above) says Bayern Munich are lacking squad depth
Matthaus told Sky Sports Germany: ‘I have to criticise the buying policy a bit. With Philippe Coutinho, Thiago and Ivan Perisic, you lost three players.
‘They were, of course, important players. They were always there and brought the necessary quality with them.
‘With many newcomers, it may take a certain amount of time to get going or the quality may simply not be there to say: “They make the difference”.
‘You knew from the start that it would be a long and difficult season with lots of games.
He has criticised the recruitment team for failing to replace Coutinho, Alcantara and Perisic
He says Hansi Flick needs to rest and rotate players during the hectic 2020-2021 schedule
‘I think that the breadth of the squad in terms of quality is not set up in such a way that you can go through rotation and still maintain the quality.’
Bayern have struggled to maintain form this season, having been dumped out of the DFB Pokal on penalties by second-tier Holstein Kiel, their first cup exit to lower league opposition in 17 years.
That shocking result came just days after they chucked away a two-goal advantage to lose 3-2 to Borussia Monchengladbach in the league.
In total, Bayern have dropped 12 points across 15 games in the 2020-2021 season – seeing the German giants suffer the worst defensive record of the Bundesliga’s top six at present.
He also says the player’s lack of ‘concentration’ is the reason for their poor form this season
Bayern were dumped out of the DFB Pokal and lost 3-2 to Borussia Monchengladbach
The last time a top-flight German team experienced such a leaky defence was in 1981-82.
Matthaus does not believe the issue lies with the manager’s system, he has instead stated the club’s form is down to the player’s ‘concentration’.
He said: ‘There is a lack of concentration. Perhaps it is also because of the high levels of stress, because of the many games last year, and there was little break.
‘You don’t really have to change the system now, only the position of the system should perhaps be moved a little further back. So that there is not 30 or 35 metres of space between Manuel Neuer and the back four for the opponent to exploit – which is where they keep playing.’