Clean sheet pleases Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti heaped praise on Bayern Munich’s defensively solidity as they kept their first clean sheet in five matches in beating Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

Bayern have been surprisingly wasteful in recent weeks and only ended a three-game winless run with victory over PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday.

That win provided enough of a confidence boost to end a run of successive draws in the Bundesliga, with Arturo Vidal and Douglas Costa getting the goals in a 2-0 triumph.

However, Ancelotti was equally pleased with their first clean sheet since September 24.

“The first half was very good,” he told a post-match media conference. “I was very happy with the performance and attitude shown by the team.

“We defended well. It’s not just about the attack, you also have to play well defensively.”

Bayern’s line-up was shorn of captain Philipp Lahm, but Ancelotti revealed the 32-year-old was merely rested in favour of Rafinha.

“I wanted to give Philipp Lahm a rest,” he added. “He will be ready for the next game.”