Julian Nagelsmann has backed Bayern Munich to bounce back from hitting rock Bochum.
The Bayern boss will send out his team to face Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday after a wave of criticism in the wake of a shock 4-2 weekend defeat.
Such are the sky-high standards at German giants Bayern that the 4-2 loss to mid-table Bochum in the Bundesliga has seen the team exposed to criticism and questioning, mostly but not exclusively from outside the club.
Bayern still hold a six-point lead at the top of the German top flight, and they will be strongly favoured to fend off Salzburg over two legs at the last-16 stage in Europe.
"If you concede four goals, the defence is of course criticised," Nagelsmann said. "Before Bochum we were good. We are by far the team with the most ball wins in Europe."
Nagelsmann said he had been looking at how Bayern's opponents were able to open up a 4-1 interval lead and added: "You can anticipate many things if you're greedy. We didn't have that against Bochum.
"Most of the time we're able to score more goals than we concede. In the Champions League and in the cup, of course, the impact is greater when that happens. So we are all willing to get a better result than we got on Saturday."
Bayern have come under fire from club legend Lothar Matthaus, who now works as a television pundit. Matthaus pointed the finger at Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Hernandez, saying they are not providing good value for money.
Nagelsmann said he would not comment "on every expert opinion that comes out without pressure from the leather chair", adding: "In the end, it's about us delivering such a performance that this kind of thing doesn't even come up."
Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness suggested there was perhaps "not enough friction" in the team, and Thomas Muller responded to that and similar verdicts on Tuesday.
Muller said: "At the end we are judged on our results. It was a disastrous result against Bochum.
"We've already discussed that, we're very self-critical. We already have friction. Many of us have known each other for years. The powers that come from that trust unleash more powers. I see us on the right track."
Looking at the Bochum result, Muller said: "We don't close our eyes and tick it off, we're very analytical and self-critical."
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life without Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Kompany urges Bayern to cut out errors against Freiburg
Vincent Kompany has urged Bayern Munich to stop making mistakes ahead of their Bundesliga match against Freiburg at home on Sunday.
Bayern narrowly secured a 3-2 victory against Wolfsburg last time out, courtesy of a late goal from Serge Gnabry, after conceding twice early in the second half.
"We observe everything, delve into details to find solutions and strive to create a perfect picture. We performed very well in the first half against Wolfsburg but lost momentum just after half-time," Kompany told reporters on Friday.
"Such lapses often occur due to mistakes. However, we fought back and persevered. The mentality was commendable. We need to address these issues as a team."
Freiburg claimed an impressive 3-1 win against last season's runners-up, Stuttgart, in their first match and Kompany acknowledged that Sunday would pose a different challenge.
"It's a difficult game for us but our objective at home at the Allianz Arena is always clear," Kompany said.
Despite injuries to defensive players, including Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic, who are out for the start of the season, Kompany was unconcerned about the overall squad situation.
"We're close to having everyone available. I don't want to exert too much pressure. We don't have many worries. I hope we’ll have everyone fit soon," he said.
Kompany said he was excited about the new-format Champions League after Bayern found out their fate in the competition in Thursday's draw, with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona among their adversaries.
"It feels new and exciting. I'm looking forward to it because it'll be different. You have eight opponents in very different situations. Previously, it was often clear who would advance after four games," Kompany said.
"I’m excited about the fixtures. An away game in Rotterdam is always nice; playing at home against Paris and away in Barcelona. The key is to keep the players fit, then we can relish the games."
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