FC Bayern München’s 2-1 victory at SC Freiburg on Friday evening was hard work. A magical last-minute strike by Robert Lewandowski ensured the record champions all three points. World Champion Manuel Neuer also played his part in Bayern’s 13th win of the season, keeping out former FC Bayern striker Nils Petersen just moments before Lewandowski’s winner. In this interview on DFB.de the 30-year-old keeper talked about Bayern’s start in 2017.
Question: Mr. Neuer, how satisfied are you with this narrow victory in Freiburg?
Manuel Neuer: You could say that in the end everything worked out. It wasn’t an easy game here, but we knew that beforehand.
Question: What caused you to struggle, especially in the first half?
Neuer: I think we had too many players involved in our build-up game. In the first half we had a lot of players positioning themselves on the same line and they all tried to help our build-up which we could’ve managed better with fewer players. We needed one or two more players in between the lines in order for our attacking game to work better. That was our problem especially in the first half. Unfortunately we conceded an early goal as well, but luckily equalised before the break.
Question: At times it seemed as if Bayern weren’t fully concentrated, or would you blame the pitch conditions for the mistakes that were made?
Neuer: Yes, that’s true – we lacked focus in our passing game. To an extent that was due to the pitch conditions, but in the end both teams had to deal with that. Our training ground pitches at Säbener Street aren’t much better, but they are harder and that allows the ball to roll faster. Here in Freiburg the pitch was quite soft, but I don’t mean to blame Freiburg for that. I’m sure they did everything they could, in order that we could play our game in solid conditions today. Overall pitch conditions like that are a disadvantage to us because we are used to playing at a high pace.
Question: What is your take on Robert Lewandowski’s winning goal?
FC Bayern München’s 2-1 victory at SC Freiburg on Friday evening was hard work. A magical last-minute strike by Robert Lewandowski ensured the record champions all three points. World Champion Manuel Neuer also played his part in Bayern’s 13th win of the season, keeping out former FC Bayern striker Nils Petersen just moments before Lewandowski’s winner. In this interview on DFB.de the 30-year-old keeper talked about Bayern’s start in 2017.
Question: Mr. Neuer, how satisfied are you with this narrow victory in Freiburg?
Manuel Neuer: You could say that in the end everything worked out. It wasn’t an easy game here, but we knew that beforehand.
Question: What caused you to struggle, especially in the first half?
Neuer: I think we had too many players involved in our build-up game. In the first half we had a lot of players positioning themselves on the same line and they all tried to help our build-up which we could’ve managed better with fewer players. We needed one or two more players in between the lines in order for our attacking game to work better. That was our problem especially in the first half. Unfortunately we conceded an early goal as well, but luckily equalised before the break.
Question: At times it seemed as if Bayern weren’t fully concentrated, or would you blame the pitch conditions for the mistakes that were made?
Neuer: Yes, that’s true – we lacked focus in our passing game. To an extent that was due to the pitch conditions, but in the end both teams had to deal with that. Our training ground pitches at Säbener Street aren’t much better, but they are harder and that allows the ball to roll faster. Here in Freiburg the pitch was quite soft, but I don’t mean to blame Freiburg for that. I’m sure they did everything they could, in order that we could play our game in solid conditions today. Overall pitch conditions like that are a disadvantage to us because we are used to playing at a high pace.
Question: What is your take on Robert Lewandowski’s winning goal?
Neuer: Robert’s goal was great. Especially given such little space, surrounded by opposing defenders – that makes it even more difficult to control and finish off a move like that.
Question: Where does Bayern stand after this 2-1 victory in Freiburg?
Neuer: Overall we are fit. The winter break wasn’t as long this time, therefore I think we will quickly return to the level that we want to be on. Obviously we made a few mistakes in our passing game. We hope that the conditions in our next game at Werder Bremen will be better and that we can show what we are really capable of.
