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Bayern Munich suffer first loss, wait for right moment

Xinhua, October 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Bayern Munich's Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who is at the peak of his career, currently loves to talk about "the right moment", referring to the UEFA Champions League.

In London on Tuesday evening, Lewandowski and his German club were defeated 2-0 by Arsenal in Group F. That was not one of the games the Pole had in mind.

Bayern Munich was beaten for the first time in this season's campaign but still top the group table and is still expected to proceed to the next round.

Olivier Giroud (77th) and Mesut Oezil (90th) scored the goals that gave Arsenal their first three points.

What Lewandowski means are the games that take place when springtime comes around in Europe. Though the temperatures are far more agreeable the opponents on the pitch can pose a deadly threat to one's dreams of winning the Champions League at that time.

In the last two years, Bayern were knocked out twice in the Champions League semifinal (to Real Madrid and Barcelona) and that after they had dominated the domestic league championship and seemed to be well on their way to going all the way in Europe's top club competition. In the end the Bavarians seemed to be trapped and blocked mentally, and were not able to call upon some of their key players who were injured.

This time the 2013 Champions League winner is trying to consider all possibilities, mentally and the quality of the squad in which every position has to have a top class back up.

To fulfil his and his club's greatest dream, Guardiola gets his team to practice several tactical systems so that they can make changes during a game within minutes. To fulfil the dream Guardiola accepts a kind of football in which an unconventional and unpredictable figure like Thomas Mueller plays a part as does a target striker like Robert Lewandowski.

Guardiola generally is not an advocate of such players but had to accept them in Munich as the club's powerful officials like Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Director of Football Matthias Sammer and former president Uli Hoeness all demanded that they play.

Operating with a player like Muller and a striker like Lewandowski who needs wingers to give him a service from the flanks means that one loses control to a certain extent. Muller is not a player who can be fitted into a rigid system. And Lewandowski in the center means "you are predictable to a certain extent" as Matthias Sammer puts it.

Bayern have gone to great lengths to ensure that the current Champions League season ends on a high note and being beaten by Arsenal is nothing that will be of great concern to the Germans.

"We know we have to be more effective when it comes to converting chances. The game today shows us again that we have to concentrate in every single minute in every game," said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm. "And we have to be aware that domination does not automatically leads to goals."

Even a world class goal keeper like Manuel Neuer blundered when failing to cut out an Arsenal cross to leave French striker Giroud with a simple header to put the "Gunners" 1-0 up.

Before that the German national had impressed the football world with a quite brilliant reflex save to keep out a Theo Walcot (33rd) effort.

It was Arsenal's first win at home after 10 years against Bayern Munich. Despite 21-13 shots, 756-278 passes and 73 percent ball possession (Arsenal had 27) for Bayern, Arsenal managed to stop the until now unbeatable Bavarian ball machine.

"It was a clear draw for me, but things like that happen," Manuel Neuer said. "It was clearly my fault that made Arsenals 1-0 possible," Neuer said. On Nov. 4 both teams will meet again, this time in Munich.

As for the future of Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola, the former Bayern international, Germany's most-capped player Lothar Matthaeus once again voiced his opinion that the 44-year-old Spaniard will leave the Bavarians after this season.

"If he intends staying he could announce it now. I don't see any reason for waiting with a clear message until the winter break. Therefore I think he will leave Bayern after this season," said Matthaeus. And he repeated his opinion that the former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti would be Guardiola's successor. Endi