Bayern Munich began to lay the foundations for this season’s impressive run to the Champions League final immediately after their defeat to Chelsea in last year’s showpiece, coach Jupp Heynckes said on Wednesday.
After Bayern inflicted the biggest aggregate defeat on Barcelona in European competition, a jubilant Heynckes said the painful reverse on penalties to Chelsea at their own Allianz Arena in Munich had given him the motivation to try to go one better this term.
The Bundesliga champions thrashed Barca 4-0 in last week’s semi-final first leg in Germany before ending the La Liga club’s 21-match unbeaten run at home in the Champions League with a crushing 3-0 win to set up an all-German final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on May 25.
“I was bitterly disappointed after losing the final last season but we started working straight away,” Heynckes told a news conference.
“From the first day, you could tell that everyone was determined to change things,” the experienced 67-year-old added.
“I think my desire to do better than last season infected the players.”
Bayern’s humbling of Barca, who have won two of the last four editions of Europe’s elite club competition, prompted suggestions that the German club are poised to take over as the continent’s pre-eminent force.
Their commanding performance over both legs, particularly the way they closed out World Player of the Year Lionel Messi in Munich, was hugely impressive and they remain on course for a treble of Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup.
“We are a team that has a tremendous unity,” said Heynckes, who knows Barca well from his time coaching at their La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.
“We work fantastically well together and have a huge hunger for success,” he added.
“We play high-speed football, are very well organized, tactically astute, close down space well and the counter attack has also worked very well this season.”
Heynckes is stepping down at the end of the current campaign and will be replaced by former Barca coach Pep Guardiola.