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Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has pinned the blame on his side's defensive mindset for their 3-1 Champions League exit to Liverpool on Wednesday evening.

The Bavarian giants were humbled on their own turf against Jürgen Klopp's rampant Reds, and failed to turn the 1-1 half-time score into a victory. Second half goals from Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk secured a famous win for Liverpool, as a sluggish looking Bayern crashed out the competition in dismal fashion.

Speaking after the dispiriting defeat, via the Daily Mail, Lewandowski appeared to make a veiled criticism of his manager Niko Kovač's tactical approach, and said: "Of course, we knew it would be a tough game. But in both games I think we played too defensive. We didn't try to push forward to create situations - in the first game and today.

"We didn't risk much, we were playing at home it was our game but that's why I think Liverpool beat us. We were playing too deep, we didn't take risks, I don't know why. We tried to push Liverpool but offensively sometimes it was two against four players and that's why we didn't do much."

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While Bayern fans will be distraught with the manner of their exit, they still have an excellent chance of retaining the Bundesliga title, after clawing back ground on Borussia Dortmund in the past few weeks. Certainly, the ageing side is in need of a radical overhaul in the summer, with a number of veteran players likely to be moved on in the next transfer window.

In other news, Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp claimed his side's win over Bayern had secured their place at the table of the European elite once again. The charismatic German said he was proud and happy with his side's efforts, and that he was looking forward to taking the positive momentum through into the latter stages of the competition.