Mario Basler has clearly criticized FC Bayern’s Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain. The former international sees Munich’s defensive approach in particular as a major mistake
FC Bayern’s elimination from the Champions League semi-finals against Paris Saint-Germain continues to cause discussion. After the spectacular 4:5 in the first leg, the Munich team only managed a 1:1 in the second leg at the Allianz Arena – not enough to reach the final
For Mario Basler, one thing is clear: Bayern were primarily to blame for their defeat to PSG
„It was a deserved elimination after the second leg. Bayern wanted to decide the game after just two minutes – and that was the big mistake,“ explained the former Bayern professional in the podcast „Basler ballert“
The 57-year-old is particularly critical of Munich’s opening phase. PSG took the lead shortly after kick-off through Ousmane Dembélé and, according to Basler, benefited from the record champions‘ risky style of play
„If the entire team is in the opposition half after two minutes and you’re outplayed with one ball, then you shouldn’t be surprised. That simply wasn’t tactically clever,“ Basler criticized
Basler praises PSG and criticizes Bayern’s defence
While Basler was harsh on Bayern, he was impressed by the French side’s performance
„PSG defended sensationally,“ enthused the former international. „They were brutally compact, closed everything down and didn’t let Bayern get into their combination play at all.“
The French side also deserved to progress across both games
„If Manuel Neuer hadn’t made such a strong save, Paris could have decided the game earlier. It was deserved across both games,“ said Basler
After the first leg in Paris, the former midfielder had already found clear words for Munich’s defensive performance: „If you concede five goals at this level or allow a game like that, then you have to ask yourself what’s going on defensively,“ said Basler
Above all, he felt the risk in the game against the ball was too great: „Bayern have incredible quality up front, that’s outstanding – but at times it’s just too open at the back, too wild,“ the ex-Bayern star continued
„That’s not world class defensively“
Basler was particularly clear in his assessment of the Bayern defense: „At Bayern, everyone always talks about world class – but defensively it’s not world class for me at the moment, quite clearly,“ he made clear
He continued: „You can’t do everything right up front and be so open at the back – that doesn’t work at this level.“
For Basler, Vincent Kompany’s team lacked the necessary stability above all: „When you concede goals like that, the coordination at the back is not right, there is a lack of stability. For me, this is not a team that is defensively solid – there is far too much risk involved.“