Bayern Munich's 3-3 draw with lowly VfL Bochum is a catastrophe for the struggling defending Bundesliga champions, said former Germany star Matthias Sammer on Sunday.
Sammer, the German Football Federation's director of sport, told television station Premiere that Saturday's draw in Munich signals structural problems in the team as coach Jurgen Klinsmann comes under increasing pressure.
Goals by Bochum midfielders Christoph Dabrowski and Dennis Grote in the last 10 minutes saw Bayern allow a 3-1 lead slip to a 3-3 draw.
After recent league defeats by Werder Bremen and Hanover, Bayern have now gone three league games without a win and were 11th in the table on Sunday morning.
"The result is a disaster for Bayern. There are structural problems," Sammer told Premiere.
Despite nominating Mark van Bommel as captain, Klinsmann has left his skipper on the bench for the last few games saying the Dutchman has problems following Bayern's game plan.
"The hierarchy is missing, which the coach has to do something about. That is his responsibility," added Sammer in a thinly disguised attack on Klinsmann.
With cries of "Klinsi Raus!"- (Klinsmann out!) heard in the stadium on Saturday, the coach's position is becoming precarious and Bayern manager Uli Hoeness was incredulous at the result.
"I don't understood how we let a 3-1 lead turn into a 3-3 draw," said Hoeness.
"Several players need to take a long look in the mirror and ask if they produced a performance worthy of what they were paid."
When he took over from Ottmar Hitzfeld on July 1, Klinsmann took office saying he wanted to "make each day a little better for each player", but his players seem to make every day worse for him.
Having won the German league, cup and league cup last season, Bayern are nowhere near as dominant this term.
With Oliver Kahn in goal, Bayern leaked just 21 goals in 34 league games last season.
But Kahn retired in May and his replacement Michael Rensing has seen 13 goals fly past him in just seven games so far.
Bayern's strikers Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose have scored just four league goals between them all season with Bayern's recent goals all coming from the midfield - yet Germany striker Lukas Podolski remains on the bench.
And there have been reports here Bayern are courting Zenit St Petersburg defender Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, as well as Lazio forward Goran Pandev.
But Bayern bosses say they are backing Klinsmann - for now.
"We are remaining calm and trusting in Jurgen Klinsmann," said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "But we must quickly find our way back to success."
(AFP via China Daily October 7, 2008)
