Bayern drop points but extend lead

A word of thanks to Bayern partner MAN, whose superb team bus simply bristles with state-of-the-art technology. And it's not just the wonderfully smooth ride and the luxury interior fittings. This particular bus can do so much more. Saturday provided a good example. The mood as the players climbed aboard after the Nürnberg clash was frustrated. “We're angry about taking the lead but the game ending in a draw," said Thomas Müller following the 1-1 stalemate. Just 170 km down the road, the players were getting off the bus in Munich, “and the mood is excellent now," twittered FCB media director Markus Hörwick. Many thanks, magic bus!

Okay, it's just about conceivable that Leverkusen's 2-0 victory over Schalke, naturally watched on the bus’s monitors by the FCB stars, may have contributed to the change in atmosphere. The result from the BayArena means Bayern have increased the gap between themselves and second place in the Bundesliga table from seven to eight points, despite failing to win in Nuremberg. “We can live with the draw. It's not the end of the world," Heynckes said in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's match, the first time FCB have not won away from home in the league this term.