Bayern Munich kick off their Champions League campaign at home to Anderlecht on Tuesday, with German pundits sharpening their knives for coach Carlo Ancelotti amid unrest in his star-studded squad.

Bayern crashed to a shock 2-0 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday which left them sixth in the Bundesliga table – their worst position after the first three games since 2010/11.

German fans nicknamed the defending Bundesliga champions ‘FC Hollywood’ for times when in-fighting starts and tensions bubble and drama is threatening to unfold once more in Munich.

Ancelotti has a few key areas to address for the opening Group B match, with Paris Saint-Germain and Celtic to come in Europe.

Where to play Mueller?

Thomas Mueller set up two goals last Monday for Germany in a World Cup qualifier, yet was poor on the right wing at Hoffenheim in his 400th game for Bayern.

The stats say he won just 20% of his challenges and touched the ball only 32 times before being hauled off on 78 minutes.

Mueller, a cult figure at Bayern, complained about starting on the bench for their win at Werder Bremen two weeks ago, yet did nothing against Hoffenheim to help his cause.

Germany head coach Joachim Loew lets Mueller roam as an attacking midfielder, but Thiago Alcantara fills the number 10 role under Ancelotti, who has yet to find the best place at Bayern for Mueller.

“Of course, there is tension. Mueller is not a ‘7’ like Robben or a ‘9’ like Lewandowski, he is a free spirit,” said Bayern legend Lothar Matthaeus.

“If a coach knows how to treat him, that helps the team, but if the coach isn’t 100% convinced, then it is hard for him.”

Too much rotation

When faced with a group of star players and only 11 names to pick, rotating the team often helps a Bayern coach keep egos happy in his squad.

However, Ancelotti paid the price for starting with wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben on the bench in Hoffenheim.

Robben, 33, came on for the last 33 minutes while Ribery, 34, who is fit after spending the international break training, only played the last 12 minutes alongside James Rodriguez, who made his debut.

“I would have started with my full-strength team,” said Matthaeus.

“He (Ancelotti) certainly didn’t help matters with his team line-up.”

Attitude problems

With Mueller having moaned about being benched and Robert Lewandowski criticising the club’s spending policy, the attitude of Bayern’s stars does not help.

Only a spirited and dominant performance against Anderlecht and at home in the league to Mainz on Saturday will get the Bavarian giants back on track.

“It’s not so bad,” said defender Mats Hummels after the Hoffenheim defeat. “But only if we show the right reaction – two home wins this week.”

Too placid

Ancelotti cuts a calm figure on the sidelines with arms folded, quietly chewing gum and rarely barking instructions.

It contrasts with his predecessor Pep Guardiola, who would rant heatedly on the sidelines when urging and organising his players.

“I miss the chaos and craziness, like under Pep Guardiola,” said ex-Germany and Bayern midfielder Paul Breitner.

“Carlo Ancelotti has not let the team develop.

“I haven’t seen any movement, it’s all static and the team has taken at least a step backwards.

“Some of the players seem to be restricted, above all Thomas Mueller, but what about David Alaba?

“When was the last time we saw him play a game when he was tearing up and down the wing for 90 minutes?”

System fault

Bayern won the 2013 Champions League with an attack-minded 4-2-3-1 system, while Ancelotti likes a 4-3-3 line-up.

Even captain Manuel Neuer diplomatically admitted that Ancelotti’s system does not always allow enough players to push forward on attack.

“We had too few players in the box,” said Neuer in Hoffenheim.

“It isn’t necessarily the fault of the system, but perhaps another system would allow more players in the box.”