BayernForum.com

21.02.2007

Ash Wednesday is a solemn day in the Christian calendar, but following Tuesday night's narrow 3-2 defeat away to Real Madrid in the Champions League first knockout round, the mood in the Bayern camp was anything but sombre, as the Bavarians know a controlled victory in the return will take them through to the quarter-finals.

"There are various types of defeat, but this actually feels as good as a win," captain Oliver Kahn reasoned after the final whistle. The 80,000 full house at the Bernabeu had seen Bayern respond to a 3-1 half-time deficit with "bags of desire. We've set ourselves up nicely for the return, which is what we came here looking for. We have to build on what we've achieved, and then we could yet get something from this season," the keeper continued.

<b>Too passive in midfield</b>

"I'd hoped we'd make more of it today," coach Ottmar Hitzfeld mused, although he was far from dissatisfied with the evening. "I'm confident we can make it, but we'll have to improve," the boss declared following his return to the European stage after a three-year absence.

The season-long porousness afflicting the Reds defence persisted in the first half, despite the return of Owen Hargreaves as a second holding midfielder. "We were too passive in midfield. I wanted us to be more aggressive. I'm slightly disappointed about our defensive errors," the General conceded.

<b>Mental coach and motivator</b>

"We didn't look good for their goals," lamented chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, reviewing Raùl's brace on 10 and 28 minutes and Ruud van Nistelrooy 's 34th minute poacher's goal. "We lost concentration. We'll have to cut that out, or we'll be in big trouble in the return."

"We've gifted Real Madrid three goals. It was totally unnecessary. We let them into the match and gave them a boost," Hitzfeld fumed. Lucio's 23rd minute header to cancel out Raùl's opener at least offered a grain of hope, before the head coach turned mental trainer and motivator at half-time. "I told the team there was no reason for our heads to go down. We needed to show more courage, make our tackles and attack them earlier," the 58-year-old revealed.

<b>Appeal to home faithful</b>

Whatever else the boss said in the dressing room, his team was a different proposition after the restart. "We reacted well in the second half. We ground Real down, and our second goal was only a matter of time," the General remarked. Mark van Bommel netted the vital strike two minutes from time, transforming his side's chances of making the last eight. "Real are far from invincible, as we saw in the second half. If we can build on our improved second half display, we have a good chance of making the quarter-finals," Hitzfeld observed.

"Our desire, which has finally been rewarded, can be the spark we need for the Bundesliga," Kahn reckoned. "We need to bring the Allianz Arena to boiling point for the return. It's a first chance for our crowd to create a truly intimidating atmosphere. Then anything could happen," the captain continued.

<b>More work in defence</b>

Addressing the traditional post-match midnight banquet, Rummenigge warned the club and its fans not to think the job had been done. "Fundamentally, you can't be satisfied with any defeat, but on this occasion we can be pleased with the result. We need to feel we're making a new start, we need to put up a good fight in Munich. A team capable of two goals in Madrid is also capable of scoring the single goal we need in Munich."

Hitzfeld intends to continue ironing out the team's remaining weaknesses. "We'll spend the next two weeks working closely on defence. I have no intention of letting up. We have to cut out our errors," the coach remarked. "The team needs to rediscover its confidence, belief and stability as fast as possible," Rummenigge added. "We can only say we've turned the corner after we've beaten Real Madrid in Munich."