Bayern Munich looking to find their Team work in Final Stages of European Club
Bayern Munich are playing in their fifth consecutive Champions League semi-final and it shows the dominance that they have had in Europe.
However, the club has lifted just one European honour in the last five years and this is another proof that they have choked at the final stages more often than not. It has especially been the case under Pep Guardiola’s regime. Despite reaching the semi-finals twice under the Spanish manager, they have been knocked out in both occasions. There is a feeling of déjà vu ahead of the second leg against Atletico Madrid at the Allianz Arena as a result of a 1-0 defeat in the first leg.
Very few teams have managed to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg away from home especially in the Champions League semi-final. Bayern will have to achieve this against a resilient Atletico Madrid team that have proven their desire to work so hard that it often feels like Diego Simeone’s team have more than 11 men on the pitch. In Guardiola’s time at the club, they have suffered heavy defeats at this stage against Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Apart from being keen to avoid a similar mistake, the Spaniard is also looking for title success to go out on a high.
"A semifinal is very important, but it was also very important against Real Madrid and Barcelona. We didn't make it back then. Real played very well, with Bale, Benzema, Di Maria and Ronaldo; against Barcelona we had 14 players available and weren't ready, they were much better at the time. But this is a new year and a new situation for us -- we have our chance now and we will try our best. We have to go in one direction and go for attack,” said Guardiola.