Bayern face crucial week with Mueller in spotlight

No one can be held responsible for the actions of their spouse but Thomas Mueller's wife criticizing Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac on Saturday is likely to have done little to improve the mood at the German champions.

Bayern are preparing for Wednesday's Champions League clash against AEK Athens and then a trip to Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund on Saturday after a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Freiburg.

That brought their brief revival to a sudden halt, saw Dortmund open the gap to four points and returned pressure to the squad ahead of facing the pointless Greeks in Group E. A home win will take Bayern into the last 16 if Ajax also beat Benfica elsewhere.

Mueller spent 70 minutes watching the Freiburg game from the bench before being introduced as a substitute, prompting his wife's Instagram post - which while critical was hardly offensive and Kovac accepted her quick apology for going public with her frustrations.

"We will be back, you can be sure of that,” Mueller said after the game. Bayern are undoubtedly in a slump of form but the forward himself has seemed off the top of his game for quite some time.

After winning the World Cup with Germany in 2014, he hit 13 and a superb 20 league goals in the next two seasons for Bayern.

But a slightly flat Euro 2016 preceded a campaign of just five league goals in 2017 and eight last season.

Two goals and two assists capped good performances to start this term but he hasn't scored in the league since September 1 and hasn't hit the net in the Champions League either.

Even in a squad full of riches at Bayern, Mueller was an established starter who was rarely rotated out for a rest. Benching him seems significant, particularly as German coach Joachim Loew has also recently given him a break from the starting eleven.

“We should be a bit worried,” said Mueller of Bayern's current difficulties.

“We need to show our true colours and pull together and sort this out. Our job is to stand our ground and not hide away. We now have two important games, it won’t help us to argue or hesitate."

Mueller, now 29, has a medal collection which stands comparison with anyone in football, nearly a century of German caps and a highlight reel of dozens of excellent goals.

A personal return to form would do a lot towards helping Bayern back to winning ways.

"We're not playing the best or most spectacular football at the moment, so the coverage is negative," midfielder Leon Goretzka told the club homepage.

"But we can turn it around just as quickly. That'll be our task now. We'll have the opportunities to do it in the upcoming week."

AEK were already defeated 2-0 in Athens by Bayern and a goalless draw with city rivals Panathinaikos at the weekend has left them fifth domestically.

"We have to improve 100 per cent in Munich, otherwise we won't have a chance," Bayern quoted AEK coach Marinos Ouzounidis as saying.