adminMUNICH. — Pep Guardiola was delighted to see his Bayern Munich side respond to criticism of their style of play with a 3-0 win against CSKA Moscow in his first Champions League soccer game in charge of the club.Goals by left-back David Alaba, striker Mario Mandzukic and Dutch winger Arjen Robben sealed a convincing win as the defending champions opened their Group D campaign at Munich’s Allianz Arena with the perfect riposte to suggestions their football had been “lacklustre”.
After winning 14 titles in four years at Barcelona — including the 2009 and 2011 Champions League titles — Guardiola has been the centre of much hype since his arrival in Bavaria.
Jupp Heynckes led Bayern to the treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League last season and Guardiola has been under pressure to continue that success since taking charge in June.
After Bayern beat Hanover 2-0 on Saturday, director of sport Matthias Sammer accused Guardiola’s team of playing “lacklustre football”, but the champions responded with a convincing display.
“I speak to Matthias on a daily basis and he has given me a lot of support since my arrival,” said Guardiola, dismissing suggestions of any problem with Sammer. — AFP.
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