Hoeness expects more after 'pitiful' showing

Club president Uli Hoeness says he wants Bayern Munich to wipe away the "embarrassment" of a 3-2 defeat by Bundesliga strugglers Mainz with a convincing display against Werder Bremen on Saturday. Bayern's fourth defeat of the season pushed Jupp Heynckes' side down to third place in the league as defending champions Borussia Dortmund went top for the first time this season. Their second defeat on the trot, a week after losing to Dortmund, has left Bayern only one point adrift of both Dortmund and second-place Borussia Monchengladbach. But Hoeness has demanded more from the Bavarian giants -- if they are to go into the festive season, and the winter break, believing they can win back the title. "I expect our team to make up for the embarrassment of their pitiful performance at Mainz," said Hoeness. "Now, there's no excuse. The team have ample opportunity between now and Christmas to get back on top." The last time Bayern suffered three consecutive Bundesliga defeats was in 1998, when Italian Giovanni Trapattoni was at the helm. However, they have extra incentive going into their 15th match of the campaign -- with Dortmund and Monchengladbach facing off on Saturday, Bayern could go top if they beat Bremen. Subsequently, Bayern travel to Stuttgart on 11 December before hosting Cologne for their final pre-break match on 16 December. The Bundesliga will resume on 20 January.