Pep Guardiola says his Bayern Munich side deserve more respect as he fired back at critics of the German champions, who have lost five of their last six games.
Bayern will be crowned German league champions for the 25th time on Saturday, but have suffered a nightmare four-week period since their title was confirmed.
“People involved in football in Germany talk far too much,” fumed Guardiola on Friday.
“They must have a bit more respect for the German champions and their players.
“If Bayern Munich want a coach who wins the treble every year — well, I can’t manage that.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not good enough for that.”
Last Saturday’s shock 2-1 loss at relegation-threatened Freiburg was the latest in a string of defeats dating back to the end of April.
Former Bundesliga striker Dieter Schatzschneider voiced the harshest criticism of Guardiola’s Bayern after the Freiburg defeat.
“Bayern is a piss-poor team,” the 57-year-old told German daily Bild.
“And I’d send the manager home straight away.
“He couldn’t even motivate his team against Freiburg.
“If he’s the best coach in the world, I’ll eat my hat.”
The Freiburg result followed Bayern’s German Cup semi-final exit at home to Dortmund and league losses against Leverkusen and Augsburg.
Bayern were also knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona in the semi-finals after a 5-3 aggregate defeat having lost the first leg 3-0 in Spain before winning the return 3-2 in Munich.
They will celebrate their league title with the customary ‘beer showers’ in Munich: when players pour huge glasses of the frothing liquid over each other after the final whistle.
“We deserve all the beer showers we get for what we have achieved,” insisted Guardiola, who praised his “exceptional” players.
Even Guardiola’s long-term rival Jose Mourinho has admitted he has some sympathy for the Bayern boss, whose squad has been plagued by injuries this year.
“The ideal scenario is to be champions before the end of the season, go home and plan your holiday,” said the Chelsea boss.
“When you still have four games left, things can happen like Bayern Munich has seen.
“When you’ve been under pressure to win a game every three or four days since August, it’s hard to keep the motivation up.”
In any case, the party will kick-off in Munich after the final whistle as Bayern hold an internal title-party on Saturday.
The squad will then celebrate with fans in Munich’s city centre on Sunday when they display the Bundesliga trophy from the town hall balcony at Marienplatz.
Guardiola will then start planning for next season, but the Spaniard will not be going on holiday before pre-season starts in July.
“I will be here, our children are still in school,” explained Guardiola.
The Spaniard has one year left on his contract.
He and says he will be planning with Bastian Schweinsteiger for next season despite rumours Manchester United want to sign the Germany captain. – Agence France-Presse
