Guardiola takes blame for Real rout

German giant Bayern routed 4-0 by Spanish side in second leg of semifinal

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has admitted he was at fault as the holder suffered a historic 4-0 drubbing in the Champions League semifinal, second leg to Real Madrid.

The holder suffered its worst European home defeat on Tuesday as two goals each by Madrid's Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo saw the Bavarian giant crash out 5-0 on aggregate.

Having previously never lost at home by more than two goals in Europe, Bayern saw its dreams of reaching a third consecutive Champions League final crushed in what chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge dubbed a "debacle".

"We lost heavily and we had only a few chances," said Guardiola.

"We played badly and that's my responsibility.

"If you don't play well and you defend set pieces badly, that's just how it is.

"We are playing at the highest level in Europe, and such mistakes are punished right away."

Ramos exploited Bayern's weak set-piece defending with two bullet-headers from corners before Ronaldo grabbed two more, setting a record of 16 goals in a single European campaign.

But Bundesliga champion Bayern is more concerned about its record defeat as Guardiola said he made a mistake by selecting Bastian Schweinsteiger alongside Toni Kroos in the defensive midfield.

Things improved after the break when Guardiola moved Schweinsteiger into the attacking midfield with Javi Martinez taking his place alongside Kroos.

Selection mistakes

"I told the players during the break that I had made a mistake," said Guardiola.

"We knew how Real played, so we always wanted to have a lot of possession and players in midfield.

"We couldn't control the defensive midfield in the first half and didn't put in a good performance, because the coach made a mistake.

"The players ran and tried hard, as they always want to do, but we didn't have the right players in the right positions at the end of the day."

Despite Bayern boasting a star-studded squad, Guardiola questioned whether he has the players for to his brand of quick-passing, possession-orientated 'Tiki-Taka' soccer.

Guardiola claimed his side did not have enough possession to be effective against Real, but the stats undermined his argument as his team had 69 percent possession, compared to just 31 to Madrid.

"Of course, we have to consider whether we have the right players to play this style of game," said Guardiola.

"I like to have possession and we lost because we didn't have the ball, simple as that.

"I can only say we have to reflect on this and gather our thoughts.

"We have to talk about this as a club."

Having won the Bundesliga title in his debut season at Bayern with a record seven games to spare, Guardiola's side dropped just four league points in eight months before its league title was confirmed with a 3-1 win at Hertha Berlin on March 25.

Since then it has dropped eight in just five weeks and the sudden dip in form of key players, plus its undignified Champions League exit, will concern club bosses.

But Guardiola's side can still win the domestic double and faces rival Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final on May 17.

"It's a tough night both for me and the team, but taking criticism is part of the job," he said.

"You can't be satisfied after a performance like that, but we have to stand up and prepare for the German Cup final."

Captain Philipp Lahm said the squad would need time to recover.

"This is a big disappointment which we have to analyze, but there is no need to speak ill of what we have achieved over the last two years," he said, after Bayern won the treble of European, league anc cup titles last season.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben said the Bavarian giant now has to pick itself up for Dortmund.

"We have been punished tonight, but we have to lift our heads, because we have a cup final coming up.

"We took a beating, we have to accept it, cry about it, go home and then move on."

(China Daily 05/01/2014 page11)