Guardiola respectful of Beckenbauer criticism

The fact that Bayern have been criticised seems outstanding on the surface, with the European champions 23 points clear of the second-placed Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Their UEFA Champions League defence is on track, with Bayern having qualified for the quarter-finals, while they meet second-tier Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final.

But Beckenbauer expressed his disappointment with Bayern in the wake of their 1-1 home draw against Arsenal in the Champions League's last 16, claiming that the club would become "unwatchable like Barcelona" - Guardiola's former side.

When asked to respond, the Spaniard bit his tongue though, quoted as saying in Marca: "Franz isn't a legend. He is this club's legend.

"I have enormous respect for his opinion.

"I give the very best I can – I did at Barcelona and I do here. I always accept these opinions."

Bayern can win their second successive Bundesliga title this week, if they win at Mainz on Saturday and Borussia Dortmund and Schalke both fail to win.