Rummenigge gives van Gaal all clear

Bayern Munich’s Dutch coach Louis van Gaal is not to blame for the champions’ poor start to the season, according to club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who laid the responsibility squarely at the players’ feet.

Bayern’s 2-1 defeat by surprise tabletoppers Mainz on Saturday saw them make their worst start to a season since the 1977/78 campaign but Rummenigge, who had little to celebrate on his 55th birthday on Saturday, said van Gaal was doing nothing wrong.

“It is the team and not the coach, who must react (to the poor start),” said Rummenigge on the club’s website.

“Day to day our coach does a really good job.

“The team and the players alone must take measures to improve what happens on the pitch.”

Rummenigge said that the poor results would not place a question mark over extending the Dutchman’s contract till 2012.

“We do not take this sort of decision in the light of one match or one defeat,” said Rummenigge.

“However, we cannot be satisfied with out performance (against Mainz).”

Rummenigge refused to deploy as excuses for Bayern’s sluggish start – they lie eighth after six matches 10 points adrift of Mainz – the effects of the World Cup finals which saw the German and Dutch internationals return late to training.

“We knew that the beginning of the season would not be perfect but now we are at the end of September,” remarked Rummenigge.

The former West German and Bayern striker said that he wanted to see an instant improvement in last season’s Champions League finalists match against second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who they lag seven points behind.

“At Dortmund, it is vital that we begin to take points,” he said.

“We cannot afford ourselves the luxury to believe that things are going to turn in our favour as they did last season.”