Julian Nagelsmann and Leon Goretzka urged Bayern Munich to become more ruthless after escaping with a 2-1 victory in Saturday's match at lowly Stuttgart.
Bayern held a convincing two-goal lead at Mercedes-Benz Arena with a little over an hour played after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting added to Matthijs de Ligt's first-half opener.
The visitors took their foot off the gas at that point, and it almost backfired as Juan Jose Perea pulled one back late on and Tanguy Coulibaly headed inches wide in added time.
Despite finishing with an expected goals (xG) return of 2.30 compared to 0.67 for Stuttgart, Nagelsmann conceded Bayern almost blew it.
"After going 2-0 up, we had several counter-attacks we didn't finish well," he told Sky Sport. "We had the game under control, but if you concede late on, things gets tight again.
"We have to finish our chances better and go for the third goal, then we'd kill it off."
Goretzka, who accumulated a game-high xG of 0.54 without scoring, agreed with his manager's assessment.
"We made a few mistakes after going 2-0 up," he said. "The opponent didn't believe they could get something out of the game after going 2-0 down.
"We have to act accordingly, but we didn't manage to do that in the last 15 minutes."
Thomas Muller, whose assist for Choupo-Moting's strike was his 300th direct goal involvement in the Bundesliga, looked to take positives from his side's sluggish finish.
"We're happy. We won and we're top of the table again," Muller said. "When FC Bayern is up there, I always have a good feeling.
"The fact that the game got tight at the end is maybe a good test for the Champions League game against PSG."
Bayern lead that last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 heading into Wednesday's second leg at the Allianz Arena thanks to Kingsley Coman's goal in the reverse fixture.
Asked if he intends to stick with the same line-up that started against Stuttgart, Nagelsmann gave little away.
"I have to analyse and see how PSG are doing, then I'll decide," he said.
Bayern have now won four of their past five league matches and are above Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table by virtue of a superior goal difference.
The 10-in-a-row champions have won 13 away game on the spin against Stuttgart, who are one of four sides on 19 points at the bottom of the division.
"It was an important win for us," said Choupo-Moting, who signed a new contract on Friday. "Of course we didn't play our best game, and we can improve a few things.
"The opponent didn't give up and made it difficult. After their goal, you could feel the atmosphere in the stadium and that they were hoping for a point."
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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