Bayern may have to settle for second, admits boss

Bayern Munich’s director of sport Christian Nerlinger said Monday the defending champions will have to settle for second place in the league unless they close the 14-point gap to leaders Dortmund.

With more than a third of the season gone, Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Leverkusen on Saturday left them eighth in the Bundesliga on 20 points, while Dortmund are on 34 points and with a seven-point lead on second-placed Mainz.

Despite taking a first-half lead through Germany striker Mario Gomez, Bayern conceded a penalty just before the half-time break and went on to share the spoils with Leverkusen.

Dortmund have won 11 of their 13 games this season and Bayern are struggling to close the gap with the season set to finish in May and second place, which would mean an automatic Champions League place, is their goal.

“We made schoolboy errors (in Leverkusen),” Nerlinger told German daily Bild.

“It is clear that we are currently 14 points behind Dortmund, so there is no point in talking about the Bundesliga title.

“Our main focus is to qualify for the Champions League and we have to achieve that.

“There are already concerns about that, but I am 100 percent convinced that we can manage it.”

In the history of the Bundesliga, no team has ever managed to make up 14 points to be crowned champions, but coach Louis van Gaal is still positive.

“There are still many games – we have to keep hoping,” said the Dutchman.