First Trophy No Excuse for Complacency Says Magath

Despite beating the reigning Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen in the pre-season German league cup final, Bayern Munich's new coach Felix Magath has demanded further improvement from his players.

The perfectionist task master watched over his new charges as they beat Bremen 3-2 in the climax of the tournament which acts as a curtain-raiser to the Bundesliga season but after proclaiming his satisfaction, the former Stuttgart coach railed on his Bayern players for almost blowing a three goal lead.

"We played badly in the last half an hour and almost gave away what was believed to be a comfortable win," said Magath who picked holes in his side's defensive play. "That's not allowed to happen to us in the Bundesliga. We've seen that we still need to do a bit more."

A small beginning for new Bayern

Most managers would be very happy to pick up the first silverware at a new club within five weeks of being installed but Magath was eager to transform one into many as he and his Bundesliga opponents prepare for the kick-off on August 6. "Our aim is to win titles and that was a small beginning, but we can't be content with just that," he said after the final in Mainz.

It is also unlikely that the added bonus of €1.3 million ($1.57 million) in prize money for their fifth victory in the lucrative warm-up could not fully satisfy the dethroned league champions with the title well up for grabs this season.

Bayern welcomed back the rejuvenated Sebastian Deisler, who missed most of last season through injury and treatment for depression, and the attacking midfielder seemed back to his very best. Deisler scored twice before leaving the field after picking up an injury and left Michael Ballack to finish the scoring with Munich's third.

Deisler weighs in with two goals on return

Deisler's first was a wicked free kick after 27 minutes and the Germany international followed that up with a scorching effort from 20 meters just before halftime. Bayern fans held their breath later in the game when Deisler went down after a heavy challenge on 71 minutes and had to be helped from the field before being substituted.

"Valerien Ismael caught me on the knee with his studs and I needed a few stitches, but it's nothing to worry about," Deisler later stated. The 24-year-old midfielder will be fit for his team's Bundesliga opener in Hamburg on Saturday and set his sights on a glorious season to dispel the bad memories of the past 18 months. "We want to win the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and challenge in the Champions League," said Deisler.

Champions fight back to take game to the wire

Despite the three goal lead, double winners Bremen went down fighting. After Ballack had put the Bavarian 3-0 up on 65 minutes, Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic reduced the deficit just three minutes later. French defender Valerien Ismael added a second just six minutes after that from the penalty spot.

Werder coach Thomas Schaaf blamed his team for a sluggish start. "We slept in the first half," he said. "We were not aggressive enough. Only after the break did we wake up."