Guardiola sounds alarm as Real looms

BERLIN: Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has sounded the alarm bells ahead of next week's Champions League semifinal at Real Madrid after back-to-back defeats in the Bundesliga.
"If we play like we have done in the last three league games, we won't be reaching any finals," said Guardiola as Bayern bid to reach their fourth Champions League final in five years.
The 43-year-old is encountering his first difficult period at Bayern and was more animated and self-critical than usual in Tuesday's press conference, 24 hours before Bayern's German Cup semi-final at home to second-division Kaiserslautern.
Since winning the Bundesliga title three weeks ago with a record seven matches to spare, Bayern have won one of their last five games, including back-to-back league defeats at Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund, who romped to a 3-0 win in Munich on Saturday.
Bayern are bidding to repeat last season's treble of Champions League, German Cup and Bundesliga titles, but Guardiola admits he is bemused by the sudden drop in form.
"It's the same training, the same system, the same players," he said.
Giant-killers Kaiserslautern have already knocked top-flight sides Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin out of the German Cup, but last won in Munich 17 years ago.
After the cup semi-final, Bayern travel to Bundesliga bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday in their final preparation before their trip to Real's Bernabeu on April 23.
"We're in a dangerous situation," admitted Guardiola.
"If we play in Madrid like we have done recently, we have no chance.
"When the focus isn't there, then the head is slow and everything happens a little slower."

Zidane wanted to coach France

Midfield great Zinedine Zidane offered to coach the national team two years ago but was turned down by the president of the French Football Federation.
Noel Le Graet says in a book due out this week that Zidane expressed an interest in replacing Laurent Blanc after the 2012 European Championship. Blanc and Zidane played together when France won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
France Football magazine published an extract on Tuesday from Le Graet's book, "Champions du monde 98, secrets et pouvoir" (98 world champions, secrets and power).
In it, Le Graet writes "Zinedine Zidane would have liked to have coached Les Bleus," adding "it's clear, he wanted it" and "I met him at his request." But Le Graet refused because Zidane, now Real Madrid's assistant coach, lacked experience.
"It was not the moment, he needed to coach a team first," Le Graet said.
The 41-year-old Zidane — who scored twice in the 1998 final when France beat Brazil 3-0 and also in the 2006 final — has been linked to the Monaco job next season as a possible replacement for Claudio Ranieri.