Pardew to remain at the helm

Pardew to remain at the helm

Published May. 24, 2013 7:15 a.m. ET

Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is aiming to treat Wembley to footballing perfection in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Bayern can complete part two of a possible Treble with victory and go into the clash with Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund as clear favourites.

Jupp Heynckes' side finished 25 points ahead of Dortmund in winning the league title and have the DFB-Pokal final to come at the start of June.

"We've taken a massive stride towards perfection, and we're aiming for a perfect performance in the final," Schweinsteiger said.

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"For me, the decisive factor will be everyone working hard and running for the others when we don't have the ball.

"If we play to our potential, it's very hard for anyone to win against us."

The 51-year-old met the sportswear magnate with managing director Derek Llambias yesterday to review a desperately disappointing season and discuss the way forward.

However, it is understood that despite a year of drastic underachievement for a club which had finished fifth 12 months earlier, Pardew's position as manager was never on the agenda amid fevered speculation that he could lose his job.

That said, Pardew will be expected to improve significantly on last season's 16th-place finish if he is to justify the faith placed in him when he was handed an eight-year contract in September last year.

Llambias said: "Everyone connected with the club was disappointed to finish where we did last season, particularly on the back of such a fantastic year prior to that.

"Our discussions on Wednesday were very constructive and we pinpointed a number of factors that contributed to a season which fell below expectations.

"We are now looking forward and are entirely focused on the forthcoming campaign, with the expectation of at least a top-10 finish in the Premier League.

"There has been a great deal of speculation in recent weeks but our desire, as we announced back in September, is to bring long-term stability to this club.

"It's up to us all now to work closely as a team to ensure next season sees us competing in the top half of the table again.

"We would all like to thank the fans for their continued support and assure them we remain committed to providing affordable football at St James' Park."

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