Heynckes: No problem with Ribery sulk
Reuters - Wednesday 22 February 2012, 23:39
Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes
had no problem with Franck Ribery's sulky reaction to being
substituted in their 1-0 Champions League defeat to FC Basel on
Wednesday.
Ribery had two good efforts saved early in the match but ran
out of ideas as the game went on, repeatedly running down blind
alleys as Basel defenders crowded him out.
He was taken off midway through the second half and
television pictures showed he refused to look Heynckes in the
eye or shake his hand as he made his way to the bench.
"It's natural when a player is substituted in a game of this
importance that he is not going to be very happy," said
Heynckes, playing down the incident.
Heynckes, looking unruffled despite the growing pressure on
his side who have fallen four points behind Bundesliga leaders
Borussia Dortmund, said the game could have gone either way.
"It was generally an even game, a typical 0-0 game," he
said. "Both teams had very good scoring chances.
"If we had taken the lead, we could have sat back and let
them come at us. But we took risks because we wanted to win the
game.
"I'm convinced that in a short time we can play better and
with more success."