BERLIN — Bayern Munich begins the defense of its Champions League title Tuesday with unrest in the Bavarian club after director of sport Matthias Sammer slammed the team for “emotionless” football. Bayern warmed up for Tuesday's visit of Russian champions CSKA Moscow with a 2-0 home win over Hanover 96 Saturday with Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic and France's Franck Ribery scoring second-half goals. But Sammer was scathing in his appraisal, accusing Bayern of playing “lethargic football,” “going through the motions” and “playing without emotion.” His comments raised eyebrows as Bayern has won four of its five league games, only dropping points at Freiburg a fortnight ago when Pep Guardiola's side drew 1-1 and is second in the league. “I understand Matthias wants to pour oil on the fire, but I don't think we need to fire things up at the moment,” Bayern President Uli Hoeness told German daily Bild. “We will certainly talk about it, because it gives a bad impression of Bayern Munich. “You get the feeling as if we've lost three of our five games and drawn the other two.” Guardiola said Sammer was entitled to his opinion. “Matthias is very emotional, like me,” said the Bayern coach. “It's the culture here in Germany for people who work in the club to give their opinion. “We'd have a problem if that happened in Spain, but it's normal here.” League leader Borussia Dortmund hammered Hamburg 6-2 Saturday and after five victories it is the only Bundesliga side with a 100 percent record — which has not escaped its Bavarian rival's attention. “They must be laughing themselves to death in Dortmund. Our position in the Bundesliga is not dramatic,” added Hoeness. “He shouldn't stir things up. Matthias needs to take care not to overstep the mark. If you do things like that every week, you are going to get your fingers burnt at some point. “The enemy is outside the walls, not within. The players are people who are sometimes careless. “If we just want robots on the pitch, then there is no need to go to the stadium.” But Bayern's ex-president Franz Beckenbauer, who coached and captained Germany to World Cup titles, said Sammer's rant was in order. “I think Matthias is working under the motto: Fight from the start! I think his comments are called for. He had a legitimate point,” said Beckenbauer. But ex-Bayern and Germany midfielder Lothar Matthaeus said he was “really shocked” by Sammer's outburst. “The players need trust, not criticism,” Matthaeus, a pundit for Germany's Sky Sports, told Munich newspaper TZ. “Comments like that just lead to a greater uncertainty, but that's Matthias. “I'm not sure whether it's the right time to say something like that.” — AP
