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Bayern Munich snapped its run of four winless matches by virtue of a 3-1 dismantling of VfL Wolfsburg over the weekend and followed up that effort with a 2-0 win over AEK Athens yesterday in the Champions League. While the performances in both matches may not exemplify Bayern at its best, Die Roten produced important results and can carry that momentum forward.
Center-back Mats Hummels meanwhile has been critical of some of the negative comments Bayern has received from the press in recent weeks. After the win in Athens, Hummels reiterated his belief that the press reacts too harshly to what players say (via AZ):
They (the press) hit out at them. I used to think I could change that, but I can’t. I only say how I see the game, and if people see it differently, I have to live with that.
Hummels was particularly irritated by the backlash he personally received for comments after both Bayern’s 3-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach and Germany’s 3-0 loss to the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League. In both matches, Hummels had said he felt his side was the better squad and that the scorelines didn’t represent how well each team worked.
The criticism Hummels received for his blunt statements, he feels, was unwarranted. and the center-back insisted that he shouldn’t be lambasted for speaking his mind:
The fact that I constantly have to take criticism for what I say — it’s been that way for ten years. I simply say things as I see them. I affirm that I understand the game; I’ve been a professional for ten years and have played hundreds of games at this level.
After Bayern’s 2-0 win over AEK Athens, Hummels again gave a brief match analysis after the final whistle, speaking freely on how he felt the 90 minutes unfolded overall. Hummels assessed the action in Athens as follows:
After halftime, we simply lost the ball many times, despite the fact that the opponent wasn’t putting us under any pressure. They let us play and we played the ball right to their feet. That always creeps into our game now and then. Not in every game, but a little too often. At least for a team at the level where we want to be.