by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, April 7 (Xinhua) -- To fully understand the concerning state of Bayern Munich ahead of its UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Arsenal, it might need the frank comments of striker Thomas Muller.

"It's not like we don't care. We care, but as a fact, we don't seem in the best flow at present," said the 34-year-old after Bayern's 3-2 defeat against newly-promoted Heidenheim.

Despite a devastating record of five defeats in the national league after the winter break, the Bavarian icon said after his 700th competitive game for Bayern, "Due to my experience, I am near the appropriate state of fighting spirit for Tuesday."

Muller demanded to forget about the setback and "not to tear ourselves into pieces."

Most other comments of the Bavarians came near an act of defiance. "We won't stop to play now," said board member of sport, Max Eberl.

"It might sound surprising, but we will travel to London and try to achieve a turnaround," the official added.

Eberl said the club "needs action now and no precocious statements."

To ease tensions as the first season without a title since the 2011-12 season seems inevitable, Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund hurried to announce that coach Thomas Tuchel will stay until the end of the season.

But Freund said the performance was far from acceptable and admitted that "we are losing control."

Eberl promised to count on Tuchel's expertise when crossing swords with Arsenal. "It's not always the coach who is to blame," he said.

Things around Tuchel might change after the duel against the prospering Premier League side, but for now, Bayern feels its last opportunity to end the season, to some extent, in a satisfying way.

Eberl rang the alarm bells when it comes to securing Bayern's participation in next season's Champions League.

"We must turn our heads to secure next season's participation. What will I say to possible coaching candidates? We might play the Champions League or maybe not," Eberl stated.

The official said that securing second place in the Bundesliga is the most pressing goal for the remaining season.

"We might be disappointed, but after all, it's a worthwhile goal to end up second. It might sound depressing, but this is the question we need to answer," he added.

With only seven points away from the fifth position and six rounds of games to go, further setbacks might endanger Bayern from crossing the finish line among the top four.

"To be honest, I expect more resilience and men's guts in our games. To gamble away games seems our story of this season, we need to stop that," Eberl said. Enditem

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