Klinsmann urges Bayern to push on

Having given them a rare Sunday off, FC Bayern München coach Jürgen Klinsmann has urged his resurgent team to show their "desire to go to the limit" in every match as they look to qualify for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League and continue their ascent up the Bundesliga.

'Big ask'
Bayern's form has been steady rather than spectacular since the 44-year-old replaced Ottmar Hitzfeld in the summer, although back-to-back domestic victories against Karlsruher SC and VfL Wolfsburg either side of a 3-0 defeat of ACF Fiorentina have brought the feel-good factor back to the Fußball Arena München. "We wanted [Sunday] to be a treat for a job well done. Up to now, and partially because of our bumpy pre-season, we've not had many days off," Klinsmann told fcbayern.de before tonight's game at Eintracht Frankfurt. "In terms of fitness, we're where we want to be. The decisive factor over the coming weeks will be our desire to go to the limit every time, always giving 100 per cent. It's a big ask for the players to pull out all the stops every three or four days, but that's why we're at Bayern and that's why we'll succeed."

'Right mental attitude'
The champions are seventh after climbing six places on Saturday, and they plan to be looking down on the rest when the first half of the season concludes on 14 December. "We're gradually making up ground," continued Klinsmann. "We're hoping to take the next step in Frankfurt. Our goal is to get back to the very top as soon as possible. We're expecting a very, very tough match in a seething cauldron. I can imagine Frankfurt focusing mainly on defence, so we'll have to go there with the right mental attitude, and be prepared to go to the limit. We're there or thereabouts now, and we have to keep it up to get where we want to be in the table."

No1 in Europe
Bayern are exactly where they want to be in Europe, unbeaten and top of Group F with seven points from three games ahead of next Wednesday's rematch with Fiorentina. A victory in Florence could send them into the last 16 with two matches to play. The Bavarians have conceded just once in ties against FC Steaua Bucureşti, Olympique Lyonnais and Fiorentina – a sign, perhaps, that goalkeeper Michael Rensing is "heading in the right direction" after replacing the retired Oliver Kahn as Bayern's No1. "The odd mistake is part of the maturing process," said the 24-year-old's coach. "What he has to do at the moment is earn the respect of his team-mates, especially the defenders, of course. He'll only do that with consistently excellent displays." Another in Frankfurt will continue both his and Bayern's rise.