• The visitors have it all to do in the second-leg after the limp 1-0 defeat in Rome 
  • PLAYER RATINGS: Harry Kane’s nightmare week continues after Leverkusen loss 
  • Moscow, Madrid and now Leverkusen… we’ve seen this bereft Harry Kane before. He went to Munich for medals – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast

Owen Hargreaves and Rio Ferdinand tore into Bayern Munich as they lost 1-0 to Lazio in the first leg of the round of 16 Champions League clash on Wednesday evening. 

Thomas Tuchel’s side were keen for an immediate bounce back after defeat to Bayer Leverkusen left them five points adrift of the top spot in the Bundesliga on Saturday night. 

But the visitors struggled to break past the hosts at the Stadio Olimpico, and were unable to reduce the deficit after Dayot Upamecano’s foul on Gustav Isaksen handed Lazio a penalty – and the defender a red card – which was coolly struck by Ciro Immobile. 

The Bundesliga champions will hope for a stronger showing next month at the Allianz Arena in a bid to progress to the quarter-finals with silverware on the line. 

But the TNT Sports pundits were pessimistic about Bayern’s chances of comeback, should they play as they did in Rome. 

Bayern Munich lost to Lazio 1-0 in Rome on Wednesday night, heaping misery on the side after a weekend defeat to Bayer Leverkusen

Bayern Munich lost to Lazio 1-0 in Rome on Wednesday night, heaping misery on the side after a weekend defeat to Bayer Leverkusen

Lazio captain Ciro Immobile struck from the spot to claim the match-winning goal at home

Lazio captain Ciro Immobile struck from the spot to claim the match-winning goal at home

Neither Rio Ferdinand (left) or Owen Hargreaves found many positives in the visitors' form

Neither Rio Ferdinand (left) or Owen Hargreaves found many positives in the visitors’ form

‘Bayern are playing ugly football. It is ugly,’ Ferdinand said after the final whistle. ‘I wouldn’t bet against Lazio going there and stifling them again. 

‘Bayern have a lack of confidence, they are in a rut and I don’t see how they are going to get out of it before the second leg.

‘If they don’t have good results in the league before then I don’t know how they turn it around. Too many big names are out of shape, out of form, out of confidence and things are just not quite clicking for Bayern.’

Before hosting the Serie A side in Bavaria, Tuchel’s team have three Bundesliga ties to play against VfL Bochum, RB Leipzig, and Freiburg, and the former Manchester United cited the break between ties as a sole positive.  

The best news for them, apart from the fact that the tie stands only at 1-0, is that the return game is in three weeks,’ he continued. ‘This will give them some time to recover their form.

‘If this game was any time soon, this team does not look like they have it in them to play anywhere near their strengths to get a result.’

He also compared the Bavarian giants to being like a ‘soap opera’, adding: ‘sometimes when things aren’t going your way every little mistake becomes a big highlighted factor and it amounts to a penalty, a goal or a big situation at the football club.

‘When it is such big club like Bayern Munich where every little factor is highlighted it becomes a soap opera every weekend and that is where they are at the moment.’

Hargreaves was similarly damning, stating that the criticism Bayern Munich will no doubt receive is likely to be deserved. 

‘Everyone is going to get hammered in the media, players and coaches, and rightly so,’ Hargreaves added. ‘Bayern Munich were favourites, Thomas Tuchel is a world-class coach, the players are world class and rightly so.

‘When you play for the big teams, when you play like that, you are going to get criticised. Frustration will be huge in and around Bayern right now.’ 

Thomas Tuchel cut a frustrated figure in the dugout and after the final whistle on the defeat

Thomas Tuchel cut a frustrated figure in the dugout and after the final whistle on the defeat

Tuchel himself cut a frustrated figure in his post-match interviews, pointing at that his team were ‘completely responsible’ for their inability to overturn Maurizio Sarri’s players. 

‘We started well, had a chance in the first minute and then with Harry Kane and then with Jamal Musiala,’ The former Chelsea and PSG head coach said. ‘We had the game under control in the first half. 

‘But in the second our performance dropped inexplicably. We made too many individual errors and made our opponents stronger and we lost concentration. We lost our rhythm.

‘It was completely our responsibility. We lost a game today that in the first half looked like we could not lose it.’

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Post source: Daily mail

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