Lahm Considers Bayern Back Office

Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm has admitted he has given some consideration to ending his career before his contract runs out.

The 32-year-old retired from international football immediately after captaining Germany to World Cup glory in 2014.

He has previously suggested his current contract, which expires in 2018, will be his last, but has now told Germany's Bild newspaper he may even call it a day before then.

"My current contract runs up to the summer of 2018 and of course I am not getting any younger, but rather older, and you've always got to ask yourself questions as a professional sportsman," he said.

"If somebody were to come along who could play my role better than me, or if I notice that I can no longer keep up, then I would certainly have to deal with perhaps having to call it a day sooner."

When Lahm does pin his boots to the wall, he intends to remain part of the Bayern Munich family in some capacity.

"I certainly want a long-term bond to remain with this club," he added.

Lahm has played for Bayern since 2005, after a two-year loan spell with Stuttgart. He joined the Bavarian club in 1995 and has played almost 300 Bundesliga fixtures for the record German champions.

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Bayern Munich Top for Christmas

Bayern Munich made sure they will go into the Bundesliga winter break in top spot after beating promoted Ingolstadt to bounce back from their first league defeat.

Second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski and Philipp Lahm lifted Bayern, who lost to Borussia Mönchengladbach last week, on to 43 points, eight ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who play Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, with one more match left before the one-month break. The Bavarians, who won the league 17 times out of the previous 20 they had finished top at the halfway mark, struggled for more than an hour against the gutsy visitors.

Without the injured wingers Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben it was captain Lahm who went close, failing to beat Ramazan Ozcan in a one-on-one early in the second-half as Bayern upped the tempo. Lewandowski was also denied by Ozcan, but the Poland forward latched on to a defence-splitting pass from Jérôme Boateng in the 65th minute and flicked the ball past the keeper and in off the post for his 15th goal of the season.

Lahm made amends for his earlier miss, drilling in Bayern’s second goal from a Thomas Müller assist 10 minutes later.

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Bayern Tactics Were Wrong - Lahm

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Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm admitted his side got their tactics horribly wrong in the first half of their Champions League humiliation at home to Real Madrid.

The Bundesliga champions were blown away before the break as Madrid raced into a 3-0 lead, 4-0 on aggregate, thanks to two Sergio Ramos headers and a Cristiano Ronaldo effort.

It was an astonishingly inept display from a side which had been the dominant force in Europe over the past 18 months.

Ronaldo added his second at the death to book Madrid's place in the final.

"We're very disappointed because we set our sights high, but suddenly we were 2-0 down after 20 minutes from two set-pieces," Lahm said on the Bayern website.

"That really leaves a bitter taste. I don't think we played well tactically in the first half. The game was too open.

"It was the opposite of the first leg when we controlled the play. I know they hit us on the break last week, but (on Tuesday) it was end-to-end stuff in the first half.

"That's fundamentally not the way we play our football, but it's what Real really like. It totally played into their hands."

Arjen Robben said Madrid were the "world's best counter-attacking team", but added: "A 4-0 defeat at home is a choker."

Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge admitted the loss exposed the limitations of the Bundesliga champions. They failed to find the net against Carlo Ancelotti's side in 180 minutes of football.

Rummenigge said: "We didn't have quite enough passion to cause our opponents serious problems.

"We were obviously unlucky to go two goals behind to set-plays. After that it was obvious Real would make the final.

"Real have a magnificent team at the moment and our limitations have been exposed to a certain extent.

"You get games like these, but we need to hold our nerve. We've been a little spoiled because we made the final twice in a row, and three times in the last four years.

"Despite the anger you feel welling up inside, I think on days like these you have to stay calm, go home and try to do things better as of tomorrow.

"We need to lick our wounds quickly, because we want a much better performance on 17 May in the DFB-Pokal final against (Borussia) Dortmund."

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Lahm Dream Ends in Warsaw

Captain Philipp Lahm admitted Germany felt 'very bitter' following their shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Italy in the semi-final of Euro 2012.

Mario Balotelli struck twice to secure a famous win for the Azzurri to leave the Germans' hopes of a fourth European Championship crown in tatters.

A late penalty from Mesut Ozil proved no more than a consolation goal for Joachim Low's inexperienced team, whose 16-year wait for a major title continues.

The full-back said: "It's very, very bitter. We made mistakes that led to those two goals. We worked hard in the first half and we had chances but you can't give up goals like that."

"Every defeat is bitter, especially after getting so far in the tournament. The most bitter part is that this team has so much potential for more than this, but we weren't clever enough."

Heart

Meanwhile, head coach Joachim Low felt huge disappointment after defeat at the National Stadium in Warsaw, but felt his side must now bounce back.

"We had two goals against us in the first half and it was difficult. The team showed a lot of heart after that," he said.

"We had our chances in the second half, if we had got the goal sooner it would have been a different match.

"It's very difficult against a team like Italy to fall behind 2-0. They defend with everything they have.

"The disappointment is huge for everyone but we shouldn't make the mistake and question everything. We've got to see how we can do better in the future."

Low Faces German Spy

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A nagging ankle problem for Bastian Schweinsteiger and the continuing issue of a mole in the camp have cast a small shadow over Germany's preparations for their Euro 2012 semi-final in Warsaw on Thursday.

The experienced holding midfielder Schweinsteiger has missed some training sessions due to an ankle injury picked up earlier in the year. "He has a problem and obviously it is best when no player has a problem," the captain Philipp Lahm said on Sunday. "It is OK when you miss a training session but when you need to sit out several then it is not that easy."

"But I am not too concerned. Bastian knows his body inside out, he is experienced and he will be able to deliver on Thursday."

Germany will meet either England or Italy, who play later on Sunday, for a place in the final on 1 July in Kiev.

"We need fit players, so much is clear," said Lahm when asked whether Schweinsteiger would play even if not fully fit. "We have depth in the squad and that gives you peace of mind. But clearly it would be good if Bastian Schweinsteiger could play on Thursday."

Germany made four changes to their lineup in their 4-2 quarter-final win over Greece compared to their last group game against Denmark but looked even sharper.

Preparations for their fourth straight semi-final in a major tournament have also been hit by revelations that someone has been leaking the lineups for group games and their quarter-final match against Greece to the media hours before the start.

The coach, Joachim Löw, has said none of his players was responsible but did not rule out the possibility that the mole could be someone they had talked to, from friends and wives to perhaps agents.

Lahm said the issue had again been raised with the players and that the culprit was causing some damage. 

"Everyone should be aware that it is normal for a player to tell his wife, girlfriend or agent whether they will play once they find out but you cannot reveal the lineup. You cannot do that."

"It is sad when this thing comes out. The whole nation is behind us and it is not an advantage when it is leaked hours before. The one who released it has a problem. He has not understood how this works. But we will not deploy a spy," he said.

Zwanziger and Lahm Disagree

The outgoing German soccer federation president says it's time for gay players to come out.

Theo Zwanziger called on gay players "to have the courage to declare themselves," although he conceded it was surely difficult to acknowledge one's homosexuality within a team. He pointed to the example of Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, who came out years ago.

Speaking at a discussion on the subject organized by the federation, Zwanziger said Tuesday that society was more understanding than a few years ago. Germany captain Philipp Lahm, however, disagrees as far as soccer goes.

"Football is like being the gladiators in the old times," Lahm said in an interview published Monday. "The politicians can come out these days, for sure, but they don't have to play in front of 60,000 people every week."

"I don't think that the society is that far ahead that it can accept homosexual players as something normal as in other areas," he added.

Zwanziger, who will leave his job in March, said Lahm is a tolerant person "and if that's how he sees the situation, I am not going to be the one to criticize him."

No player in Germany's professional leagues has so far acknowledged his homosexuality.