Coach Pep Guardiola says holders Bayern Munich need France winger Franck Ribery to be in “angry” mode for tonight’s Champions League semi-final, second-leg at home to Real Madrid.
Ribery, 31, who missed out on the Ballon d’Or earlier this year, has produced a string of below-par performances since Bayern were confirmed Bundesliga champions at the end of March with a record seven league games to spare.
The Frenchman put in an improved display when he netted in Bayern’s 5-2 league win at home to Werder Bremen in Saturday’s dress rehearsal for the semi-final, with Real holding a slender 1-0 lead from last Wednesday’s first leg.
But Guardiola said he needs Ribery, who joined Munich from Marseille in 2007, at his aggressive best to help Bayern’s bid to reach a fourth Champions League final in five years.
“Franck Ribery is very important for us,” said Guardiola. “He has been at Bayern longer than me and I am happy, of course, if he plays with energy and motivation.
“He sometimes needs an anger and I am sure he will play very well. He has this fighting spirit. He always wants to fight for the team, that’s why the people love him.
“He is one of the most fantastic players in the history of Bayern.”
Bayern failed to get an away goal in Madrid, despite dominating the stats with 72 per cent possession and firing 18 shots on goal compared to Real’s nine, and Guardiola said they must be more effective.
“I love being in possession of the ball, it was the way I was trained to play the game,” added Guardiola.
“We want the ball to create chances and I want us to be just as dominant as we were in Madrid, but more effective and aggressive, we must find the right balance.”
Carlo Ancelotti has brushed off suggestions that his Madrid team are approaching tonight’s trip with an attitude of complacency.
Guardiola is amongst those to have claimed the Spanish team believe they’ve already done the hard work in the tie by taking a 1-0 first leg lead, but Ancelotti responded: “We’re not so stupid as to think we’ve already won. We have a small advantage from the first leg and we want to make the most of it.”
However, Ancelotti was also keen to ensure he avoids entering into a war of words with opposing boss Guardiola, adding: “Sometimes in a press conference, you have to say something to make the time go by. Guardiola is very professional and he’s focused on the match, like me.”
Ancelotti was giving away few clues about his team’s tactical approach for the tie.
However, the Italian also refused to rule out taking a defensive approach, smiling: “In Italy, catenaccio isn’t a dirty word. It has brought us a lot of success and it’s not impossible for us to go through without scoring.”
One thing Ancelotti is determined about, though, is that his team must start the game in a more intense fashion than the slow start they delivered in the first leg against Bayern and the quarter-final second leg at Borussia Dortmund.
Leading 3-0 from the first leg against Dortmund, Madrid’s visibly relaxed at the Westfalenstadion and nearly paid the price as the German’s won 2-0, falling short by one goal.
Ancelotti added: “We started very cautiously and that would be very dangerous.”
