FC Bayern München continued their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 victory at FC Schalke 04 on Friday evening. After the game against his former club, world champion Manuel Neuer not only talked about the game, but also looked ahead to the upcoming challenges. On Tuesday, FC Bayern will face FK Rostov in their opening Champions League group game.
Question: Mr. Neuer, why did FC Bayern struggle so much at FC Schalke and only secure a win through late goals from Robert Lewandowski and Germany international Joshua Kimmich?
Manuel Neuer: We didn't create too many chances in the first half. Everything was quite tight and Schalke played well. After we scored the opener, they had to open up a bit and they were running out of steam towards the end of the game. We then had several clear opportunities and could've scored the second goal sooner. Overall I think we deserved this result due to the number of chances we created in the latter stages of the match.
Question: Why were Schalke unable to pull through with their brave game plan and pick up at least a point today?
Neuer: The way they played today was obviously quite exhausting. I expected that they wouldn't be able to keep it up for the full 90 minutes. But we are still at the start of the season, so it's completely normal that your stamina declines towards the end of the game in temperatures like this.
Question: Robert Lewandowski seems to be in great form already. He's already scored four goals this Bundesliga season.
Neuer: He had already missed a few chances before scoring his goal. He had to score one of them sooner or later.
Question: Substitute Joshua Kimmich then decided the game by scoring a very similar goal to the 2-0 against Norway in Oslo on Sunday.
FC Bayern München continued their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 victory at FC Schalke 04 on Friday evening. After the game against his former club, world champion Manuel Neuer not only talked about the game, but also looked ahead to the upcoming challenges. On Tuesday, FC Bayern will face FK Rostov in their opening Champions League group game.
Question: Mr. Neuer, why did FC Bayern struggle so much at FC Schalke and only secure a win through late goals from Robert Lewandowski and Germany international Joshua Kimmich?
Manuel Neuer: We didn't create too many chances in the first half. Everything was quite tight and Schalke played well. After we scored the opener, they had to open up a bit and they were running out of steam towards the end of the game. We then had several clear opportunities and could've scored the second goal sooner. Overall I think we deserved this result due to the number of chances we created in the latter stages of the match.
Question: Why were Schalke unable to pull through with their brave game plan and pick up at least a point today?
Neuer: The way they played today was obviously quite exhausting. I expected that they wouldn't be able to keep it up for the full 90 minutes. But we are still at the start of the season, so it's completely normal that your stamina declines towards the end of the game in temperatures like this.
Question: Robert Lewandowski seems to be in great form already. He's already scored four goals this Bundesliga season.
Neuer: He had already missed a few chances before scoring his goal. He had to score one of them sooner or later.
Question: Substitute Joshua Kimmich then decided the game by scoring a very similar goal to the 2-0 against Norway in Oslo on Sunday.
Neuer: Two goals in a week for Joshua are obviously superb and it's great for him. I think that he's playing really well at the moment, although obviously he had hoped to be in the starting line-up.
Question: Germany's footballer of the year, Jerome Boateng, is currently in rehab working on his recovery. Javi Martinez is currently playing in his place and helped set up the victory with his superb assist for Lewandowski.
Neuer: When Javi gets involved in our attacks, it's always dangerous for the opponents – especially at set-pieces, as he is very good in the air. He also has the ability to play passes like that, and he's done very well so far. We are very happy that he's doing a good job and that we have so much quality in central defence with Jerome and the others.
Question: What do you know about your upcoming opponent in the Champions League, FK Rostov? What type of game do you expect on Tuesday?
Neuer: They qualified for the group stages through the play-offs. I know where the city is. For us, it’s not the names of the players that matters, but how Rostov likes to play football and we will make sure we are well prepared for that.
