'Some of the best football I've ever seen'

The morning after Bayern's humbling 4-0 defeat in Barcelona, fcbayern.de sat down with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to hear his post-match analysis. The Munich chairman was full of admiration for the star-studded Catalan squad, and unstinting in his praise for Ronaldinho and Co: "It wasn't traumatic at all, I really enjoyed the match."

Interview: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

fcbayern.de: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, did Bayern lose to the best club side in the world yesterday evening?

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: "I'm afraid we did. Especially in the first half, Barcelona played probably some of the best football I've ever seen. Before kick-off, when the team was introduced onto the field one after another, I just stood there in astonishment. It was a never ending stream, it was incredible. You have to congratulate Barcelona on assembling this squad. It's definitely the best squad in the world."

fcbayern.de: Bayern were a long way from full strength. Does that excuse the result?

Rummenigge: "If you're going to match the Barcelonas of this world you need everyone on top form, and nobody missing with injury. We were without Lucio and Hargreaves, and Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger came on as late subs. Obviously we didn't want to lose by four goals, but that can't be changed now. At the end of the day, it was a friendly and you shouldn't read too much into it. What matters is beating Nuremberg on Saturday and maybe moving to the top of the table."

fcbayern.de: How did you feel during the match? Did you suffer?

Rummenigge: "It wasn't traumatic at all, I really enjoyed the match. In the first half, Barcelona played absolutely top-class football, with an appropriate dollop of arrogance. It was truly impressive."

fcbayern.de: The Champions League group stage draw takes place on Thursday, but Bayern are unseeded. You could be back in Barcelona again very soon...

Rummenigge: "We'll inevitably draw one of the biggest names, a Barcelona, Milan or Chelsea. I don't think we have a chance against Barcelona for now, but the group will contain teams from pots three and four. Our target will be qualifying for the next stage."

fcbayern.de: You return to Bundesliga duty against Nuremberg on Saturday. Could yesterday's defeat have an impact on the team?

Rummenigge: "I'm afraid it could have an impact on Nuremberg. Obviously we never underestimate our opponents, but every single one of our players will go out there wanting to be top of the table by Saturday evening."

fcbayern.de: Thank you for talking to us, and enjoy the flight.