Van Buyten: Mainz made us pay

Bayern Munich defender Daniel Van Buyten said his side underperformed in Sunday’s shock 3-2 loss to Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga.

The Belgium international scored both of Bayern’s goals at the Coface Arena, but his unlikely brace was not enough to save Jupp Heynckes’ men from defeat, resigning them to third spot in the league.

Van Buyten said there was not enough effort spread across the Bayern XI on Sunday, which contributed to the defeat.

“What makes us strong is the fact that we all attack but we all come back to defend as well. If you don’t do these simple things then you will be in trouble against a team like Mainz,” the 33-year-old said.

Team-mate Thomas Muller said he felt his side did not give up the chase, despite trailing by two goals with 15 minutes to play.

“We have scored twice at their stadium, but if you concede three then the team must have made mistakes. I think we wanted to win,” Muller said.

“We improved when we went 2-1 down. When it was 3-1 we scored and we almost got the equaliser.”

Bayern’s director of sport Christian Nerlinger said the Bavarians needed a severe makeover if they were to regain top billing in Germany.

“We basically have to give a lot of credit to Mainz, but obviously, after a defeat like this, we have to start by looking at ourselves,” Nerlinger said.

“The trend in the Bundesliga is negative for us. We’ve lost three of the last five matches, and that’s made itself felt in the table.”

“It’s not running as smoothly as it sometimes has, and that’s when you have to fall back on certain fundamentals: the necessary aggression, keeping it tight, stopping your opponents creating chances.”

“I saw none of that whatsoever, especially in the first half (on Sunday).”