Even if Bayern Munich wraps up a record fifth consecutive Bundesliga
title on Saturday, it won’t compensate for the disappointment of two
defeats.
Bayern was knocked out of the German Cup by a 3-2
defeat at home to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, just over a week after
its Champions League ambitions were ended by Real Madrid in the
quarterfinals.
Bayern’s 2013 feat of a Champions League,
Bundesliga, and German Cup treble under Jupp Heynckes has arguably
become the yardstick by which his successors are measured.
Pep
Guardiola was unable to replicate it in three seasons that ultimately
failed to meet Bayern’s extraordinarily high expectations, and now Carlo
Ancelotti is learning that “only” the league title will not be enough
to keep criticism at bay.
“Coaches have to live with
criticism,” Ancelotti said on Friday in Munich. “Criticism helps you to
focus and concentrate. Then you have to weigh up what criticism is fair
and which is not.”
Ancelotti’s side has failed to win its last
five games in all competitions, with defeats in the games that matter
most. It’s a remarkable failure given the Italian coach assured the club
his side would be primed for the decisive stage of the season.
“Everything was still good at the start of April,” Ancelotti said.
