Bayern have no more excuses, says Mueller

Bayern Munich have “no more excuses”, interim captain Thomas Mueller told AFP after veteran German coach Jupp Heynckes took over as manager of the Bundesliga champions.Heynckes, 72, came out of retirement to take charge of the squad – his fourth stint with Bayern – when Carlo Ancelotti was sacked after a stinging 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.“A change of coach always releases energy, and I think we, the players, must now give a lot of ourselves. There are no more excuses,” said Mueller, at the Ingolstadt headquarters of Audi, a major sponsor of the club.“The sacred fire is still there with Jupp Heynckes, he has given off a lot of energy since Monday with his team of coaches,” the striker added. Heynckes has reunited the coaching team which in 2013 helped steer Bayern to win the only ever treble of the Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup titles.According to the German press, the Bayern stars were critical of Ancelotti’s soft training methods, but Mueller said the team have enjoyed the sessions under Heynckes. “So far we’ve trained very well,” he said. “We had two intensive sessions and we had a lot of fun.”Bayern are currently second in the Bundesliga, but already five points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund after just seven matches. The defeat in Paris also brought into question the team’s ability to play at the highest European level. Asked about the changes needed following Ancelotti’s dismissal, Mueller laughed, saying: “What to change? The results!”Mueller is the current captain of Bayern in the absence of injured goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, but the German international was not in Ancelotti’s starting eleven as he struggled to find a role in the Italian’s system.Explaining the team’s poor start by their standards, he said: “There are things that have not been 100 percent successful. “In the last two matches of the Bundesliga, we led 2-0 twice and we drew both matches 2-2. Each time there were individual faults, perhaps due to difficulties in concentration, but we now have to be more rigorous collectively.”Dortmund kept a record five consecutive clean sheets to open the league campaign and have 19 points with a goal difference of 19 – also club records. “We have yet to play against the biggest teams,” Bosz told the club homepage. “But we’ve played Hertha, and Gladbach. They’re both ambitious sides.”Dortmund were, however, defeated in both Champions League games so far and face another member of the elite competition in Leipzig inthe Saturday late game. Ralph Hasenhuettl’s side are now up to fourth having initially struggled for the consistency which brought them a sensational runners-up spot in their maiden top-flight season.They could be further boosted by Timo Werner returning from a neck injury though Rangnick stressed only a late decision would be made.The weekend opens Friday with newly-promoted VfB Stuttgart hosting bottom club Cologne, who are refusing to let a poor start with just one point dent their confidence. “We have guys on the team that are always willing to give it everything they have,” midfielder Konstantin Rausch told the team website.“We are just missing that bit of luck to swing a game in our direction. Over time we are hoping to gain everything back.”Werder Bremen, 17th and the only other side without a win, host Borussia Moenchengladbach late Sunday after Bayer Leverkusen meet Wolfsburg. Tomorrow’s other matches see third-place Hoffenheim take on Augsburg and Hanover, in fifth, look to maintain their strong start at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. Midtable Hertha Berlin and Schalke will both target the European spots during their capital clash while Mainz and SV Hamburg hope to move away from the relegation fight.