The mood in the Bayern camp after the 3-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund was upbeat and positive. That was reflected by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Sunday evening when he appeared on TV show Sky90, where the chairman discussed Mario Götze, Thiago and Pep Guardiola’s philosophy among other things. fcbayern.de summarises Rummenigge’s most significant statements.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on…
…Mario Götze: “After we hired Pep we got together and considered the players he’d need for his philosophy and system. Two players were in the frame, Neymar and Götze. We jointly settled on Mario and I think it was the right decision. He’s young, he’s German and he knows the league. He’s unquestionably talented. And he can develop into a world-class player at Bayern.”
…Götze’s return to his former club: “You could see from his face that he was pleased afterwards. It was an important game for him. He didn’t want to hurt Dortmund. It was obvious beforehand they’d be upset. I think they behaved reasonably. Mario was very happy after the match. The mood in the dressing room was good but not euphoric."
…Thiago: “He played here for the first time in the Audi Cup two years ago. He scored three goals, including two against us. You could see he was talented. We heard from Pep that Thiago wasn’t happy because Xavi and Iniesta play in his position, so he wanted to change club. At the end of the day we reached an agreement, brokered by Pep. But even two years ago, Jupp Heynckes said: ‘We’ll need to concern ourselves with this player.’"
…Manuel Neuer: “I spoke to Sepp Maier recently and he said Manuel is the best thing that could happen to Bayern. We really had to fight to get him. He’s so reliable. He’ll win us five or six points a year. He’s there when you need him at the decisive moments. Manuel prevented us falling behind in the first half of the Champions League final and laid the foundation for us winning it."
…Pep Guardiola’s meticulous approach: “There’s no question he’s obsessed. He’s on a quest for ultimate football. He comes in early in the morning and goes home in the late afternoon or evening. He watched the Dortmund match while we were still on the plane. He analysed it with his people and started preparing to face Moscow. He’s unbelievably meticulous."
…Guardiola’s philosophy: “He was unreservedly pleased with two matches, Man City and Leverkusen. He was completely happy with both games. His philosophy is this: if we play well, we’ll win. If we don’t play well, we’ll still win some of the time, but over the long term there’s a price to be paid at some point. I think he’s not far off the mark there."
…Guardiola’s demands on his players: “He has an exceptionally clear vision of the football he wants to see played here. And he’s incredibly annoyed if the players don’t go out and do it, because he’s not satisfied. Even when we beat Augsburg 3-0, for example. Because he said: it’s not the football I want played here.”
…players who will soon be out of contract: “My colleagues Jan Dreesen and Matthias Sammler are holding the talks. We have the impression all the players would happily stay, so we need to agree the financial basis. I’m optimistic about finding a solution with all of them. They know they’re playing for a fair and good club, and none of them wants to leave."
…Financial Fair Play: “Clubs like Manchester City, Paris St. Germain and Chelsea are driving market prices up, because they’re obviously not yet serious about implementing Financial Fair Play. I can only hope that, as of 1 July, UEFA headed by Michel Platini rigorously insists on Financial Fair Play. If so, I’m hopeful we can stop the trend for prices to spiral upwards all the time. They way they operate can’t be allowed to continue."
…the match in Moscow: “We’ll try and win there for a number of reasons. A win would basically seal first place. That would have the pleasant side-effect of a Round of 16 first leg away from home, and we’d also avoid certain big names for now. Second, we can take two important points in the UEFA Ranking. And there’s a win bonus too."
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