Lothar Matthaus says Bayern Munich have lost their fear factor
Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus has said that the Bundesliga holders have lost their fear factor this season with teams able to beat them more than usual. The Bavarian giants were expected to have a stiffer challenge in the pursuit of an eighth straight league title but things have been much harder than predicted with the competition around them.
Bayern have recently suffered back-to-back losses in the Bundesliga and that has dropped them seven points adrift of Borussia Monchengladbach. In addition to this, they have fallen one point adrift of the Champions League places and Matthaus is undoubtedly concerned with the current situation.
He told: “The opponents have lost their fear and awe of Bayern Munich. Even if teams fall behind, they still believe they can win, and some even manage to do so. This was extremely rare in the past. If Bayern continue to weaken, and Gladbach, Leipzig or Dortmund continue to play consistently well, it will be tense until the end of the season. Except for Bayern and their fans, everyone is happy. But everyone should know that you can never write off the record champions.”
Bayern have had the standout striker in the German top-flight with Lewandowski contributing 16 goals but that has not been sufficient to keep them at the top. At times, they have been over dependent on the Pole to find the net and that has been quite evident during the recent defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Monchengladbach where he has failed to get onto the scoresheet.
In midweek, Bayern have a Champions League group stage clash against Tottenham Hotspur at home and caretaker boss Hans-Dieter Flick will want a stronger response from his side. Spurs are expected to rest many senior players including Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Jan Vertonghen and that could play into the hands of Bayern, who have the opportunity to end the group phase with the perfect tally of points.