Former Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn says head coach Carlo Ancelotti will be “under observation” this season and has warned the club they must start to spend big to remain among European football’s elite.
Bayern won their fifth successive Bundesliga title in Ancelotti’s first campaign in charge last term but exited the Champions League in the quarter-finals, losing 6-3 on aggregate to eventual winners Real Madrid.
The Italian has overseen an unconvincing 2017-18 pre-season, Bayern needing penalties to defeat Borussia Dortmund earlier this month following a 2-2 draw in the DFL-Supercup.
Although they dispatched third-tier side Chemnitzer 5-0 in the DFB-Pokal, Kahn knows Ancelotti still has plenty to prove in Germany, despite his impressive record with the likes of AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Madrid.
“Of course Carlo Ancelotti is under observation,” he told Kicker.
“The benchmark is the Champions League, as with [Ancelotti’s predecessor] Pep Guardiola, but also, the integration of young players into the team is a criterion.”
Of some poor friendly results, including losses to Napoli, Liverpool, Inter and Milan, Kahn said: “If, according to my experience, the preparations were very bumpy, this also carried on into the season.”
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