Bayern Munich coach Louis Van Gaal criticises Frank Ribery
French international Frank Ribery was heavily criticised by his Bayern Munich coach Louis Van Gaal for his performance in a friendly match against Unterhaching.
Unterhaching play their football in 3. Liga and were defeated 3-0 by Bayern Munich, but the Dutch coach was not pleased with Ribery’s effort.
Ribery played 75 minutes of the match in an attempt to recover his full fitness, as he returned from injury.
However, Van Gaal feels that the player did not play with any commitment. "Frank did not give it his all against Unterhaching. He did not show sufficient commitment during the game," Van Gaal is reported to have said to
SPOX.
The coach disagreed with the media who praised the player for his performance in the friendly. "The media wrote that he was excellent, but I did not find that at all," said Van Gaal after the match.
Ribery is expected to start on the bench as Bayern Munich returns to competitive action this weekend against rivals Bayer Leverkusen.
The club have made a poor start to this season, after only just missing out on the treble last season. They were defeated by Inter Milan and this denied the German club the Champions League trophy.
This season, Bayern Munich and Van Gaal are already under extreme pressure to turn the club's fortunes around, despite last season's wonderful domestic league and cup double.
The team finds themselves 12 points behind league leaders Borrussia Dortmund. Their Bundesliga match with Bayer Leverkusen, who are in second position, is a crucial game for Bayern Munich if they aim to retain their league title.
Van Gaal will need players like Ribery to return to form, but the Frenchman may reconsider his future after the comments made by his manager.
The relationship between the coach and player is believed to have deteriorated over the past number of seasons and Van Gaal’s criticism will fuel further speculation about the midfielder’s future.
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