Bayern are missing a hierarchy: Kahn

AFP - 27 October 2009 14:10

Ex-Germany captain Oliver Kahn, seen here in 2008, said his former club Bayern Munich are suffering from a lack of leadership on the pitch as the German giants struggle for consistency this season.

BERLIN (AFP) - Ex-Germany captain Oliver Kahn said Tuesday his former club Bayern Munich are suffering from a lack of leadership on the pitch as the German giants struggle for consistency this season.

"I think Bayern are missing a hierarchy at the moment," former goalkeeper Kahn told Bavarian broadaster BR with Bayern fourth in the league and four points off leaders Leverkusen.

"It cannot be that all players are equal, a team must have a clearly structured hierarchy which is chosen by the coach."

And Kahn launched a thinly-veiled attack on Bayern's head coach Louis van Gaal as the Dutchman continues to experiment to find his strongest formation in his first season with almost a third of the league games played.

"Permanently trying out new formations is extremely problematic," said Kahn.

Kahn retired in May 2008 and says Bayern, under former boss Ottmar Hitzfeld, who guided them to the Bundesliga title in 2008, was better organised.

"The players knew who the bosses were and what to do if things went wrong," said Kahn.

But van Gaal brushed off any criticism from Kahn who now does some scouting work for Bayern and is a television pundit here.

"I never change anything, if a player is injured, then of course I make changes, but there is no lack of hierarchy in my team," said the Dutchman.

"Perhaps he should coach a team sometime.

"Everyone has an opinion, especially people who have never had that sort of responsibility.

"The hierarchy comes from those who are playing now, not from those with previous earlier achievements. These don't mean anything to me."