Touré stalks Bayern nightmares

By Andreas Alf

After he watched his side concede a late goal in their 3-1 UEFA Champions League win against Arsenal FC last week, FC Bayern München coach Felix Magath looked genuinely disappointed. And while Bayern fans were celebrating after the final whistle, Magath could not hide his frustration.

Late stumble
"We had the chance to see Arsenal off completely," he fumed. "They were down and out and had basically had enough." From his point of view, Bayern had been offered the chance of a knockout blow ahead of the second leg, but by allowing Kolo Touré to score, they have left their European future in the balance.

Anxious week
Now the 2001 Champions League winners face a week of anxiety before travelling to Highbury with their mission of re-establishing themselves as a major European side not accomplished. "It is our own fault," said Magath. "We will now face a sort of hell in London. Arsenal are well capable of scoring three or four goals in 90 minutes. Nobody knows if they will perform as badly [as they did at the Olympiastadion] again. That is why I am so mad about the goal we conceded."

Arsenal let-off
Sure enough, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger - who had his head in his hands for much of the game in Munich - seemed to be aware that his side had been let off the hook, yet remained hopeful of lifting the Gunners for the second leg. "Of course, Bayern won," he said. "But they didn't play extraordinarily well."

'Killer instinct'
For Magath, Bayern are not quite the finished item yet. He is eager for them to become a top-class side, but thinks that, regardless of Roy Makaay and Claudio Pizarro's goalscoring records, they do not have the requisite mercilessness in front of goal. The coach once said: "We lack killer instinct."

Frings miss
That was in evidence last Tuesday as Torsten Frings failed to capitalise on a one-on-one situation. "Our match at Arsenal would have been meaningless if Torsten had stayed cooler when he only had Jens Lehmann to beat," said Magath. Frings excused himself, saying: "The ball slipped off my foot just a tiny bit."

Bayern focus
For many, that lack of focus is indicative of the differences between the current Bayern side and the one that brought Champions League success to Munich four years ago. Stefan Effenberg, Mario Basler and Giovane Elber's side simply did not miss their chances.

'We have improved'
"There is no doubt that my team has got class," said Magath. "But a top team must react more aggressively and determinedly in situations like that. We have improved since the beginning of this season but we will have to keep this development going if we want to get the crown one day."

'Healing shock'
Touré's goal may be giving Magath sleepless nights, but Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge almost seemed pleased about it. "Touré's strike was a healing shock," he said. "It is another advantage for us because we now know for sure that we cannot afford to be anything less than completely focused in England."

Mighty focus
Focus, of course, was the hallmark of the great Bayern sides of old. If Magath's men can prove at Highbury that they have the cold steel of Bayern legends like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Lothar Matthäus, maybe they will be ready to bring the European Champion Clubs' Cup back to Munich again.