Thomas Muller speaks on the difficulty of filling in for the incomparable Robert Lewandowski when he's out of the Bayern lineup. Jupp Heynckes expresses satisfaction with Bayern Munich's win over Hannover and the return of multiple players from injury.
MUNICH -- Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes has criticised his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti for his squad planning over the summer and the failure to sign a backup striker for Robert Lewandowski.
In his fourth spell in charge, Heynckes, 72, has overseen 10 wins in 11 games in all competitions since taking over as interim coach from Ancelotti in October. Bayern dismissed the Italian the day after a humiliating 3-0 Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain.
Lewandowski was sorely missed in last season's Champions League quarterfinal defeat to eventual winners Real Madrid under Ancelotti. He did not play in the first leg in Munich because of a shoulder injury and was still not 100 percent for the return in the Bernabeu either.
Asked whether the lack of a backup for Lewandowski in the present Bayern squad was a mistake: "Yes, but the coach had not wanted one," Heynckes told Suddeutsche Zeitung.
"You have to bear in mind; the coach explicitly said he did not want a second top striker. What should the club do?"
The German champions have been linked with Hoffenheim's Sandro Wagner to fill this void in the January transfer window.
Nevertheless, Heynckes warned: "It's not easy to find anybody in winter who can do an adequate job over a one or two year timeframe. Therefore, I am of the opinion that you have to plan things correctly in the summer.
"In 2011-12 for example we already had Mario Mandzukic und Mario Gomez as strikers. Despite that, we added Claudio Pizarro in the summer too. He arrived with us a few kilos overweight but we soon got him into shape."
Mark Lovell covers Bayern Munich for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter: @LovellLowdown.
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Source: espn.co.uk