MUNICH, September 17- Former Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld thinks there could be a player backlash when the Bundesliga champions return to full strength, he explained in an interview with Bild on Wednesday.
“Each player currently accepts spending some time on the bench,” said Hitzfeld, who led the club to Champions League glory over Valencia in 2001 at the San Siro.
“But it could get more dangerous later in the season when some of the returning players are not injured and might start complaining about being a substitute,” added the 65-year-old, who recently retired after guiding Switzerland at the World Cup in Brazil.
“There is the risk of an implosion,” he warned about coach Pep Guardiola’s talent-laden squad.
The German champions, who repeated their Champions League victory in 2013 by defeating domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund, bolstered their squad in the off-season with several big name signings.
The 24-time Bundesliga winners added Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso from Real Madrid as well as the talented Moroccan international defender Medhi Benatia from Roma.
“When all the players are fit and operational, there will be problems and the unhappy ones will express themselves. I’ve known this problem myself,” continued Hitzfeld.
Bayern Munich open their 2014-15 Champions League campaign on Wednesday at home to English champions Manchester City, while Roma and CSKA Moscow complete Group E.
