Bayern beat Victoria Plzen by the only goal of the game in the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, qualifying for the Champions League Round of 16 with two games to spare and equalling yet another record, but the personalities and players were happy only with the result. “It wasn’t a festival of football,” Toni Kroos commented after 90 minutes of toil. Captain Philipp Lahm issued an appeal: “As quickly as possible, we have to make sure we don’t sleep through the early stages like we’ve been doing recently.” Pep Guardiola reflected: “We knew it wouldn’t be possible for the game to go as well as it did in Munich.”
Reaction to Viktoria Plzen v Bayern
Pep Guardiola: “We knew it wouldn’t be possible for the game to go as well as it did in Munich. All matches in the Champions League are dangerous. Plzen are a very, very good team. And if you lose 5-0 like Plzen did, you’re even more focused in the next match because you’re determined to do better. We spoke about all this beforehand. We played very well in the second half and created plenty of chances. I’m very, very happy we’ve equalled this record, and I hope we can extend it in Moscow. I’m grateful to Jupp. He’s made a bigger contribution to the record than I have.“
Philipp Lahm: “As quickly as possible, we have to make sure we don’t sleep through the early stages like we’ve been doing recently. We keep letting our opponents believe they can take something from the match. We beat Plzen 5-0 at the Allianz Arena, so it’s possible we were a bit more relaxed about tonight’s match, but we can’t be letting that happen! This is the Champions League! That aside, we can be pleased because we have a perfect record of 12 points from four matches.“
Manuel Neuer: “We didn’t start well. Against opponents like these, it’s important to get the ball out wide, let the ball do the work, camp out in their half, and then get behind the defence and put in our crosses. The goal came from a good cross, and it was a great finish by Mandzu. The record is great, but we were looking for a better performance.“
Toni Kroos: “It wasn’t a festival of football. We had a relatively hard time of it. We had more chances towards the end and it became easier, but it was tough at the start. We gave away possession far too cheaply. We then started passing well in midfield at times, but we didn’t make the most of it. We hardly created anything in the first half, which made it tough going. But we’ve taken 12 points from four matches, and that’s never guaranteed, so we can be proud of that. But we have a few areas for improvement.“
Thomas Müller: “We’ve not covered ourselves in glory, but we’ve won it, and that’s the most important thing. We’re not about to sit down in the dressing room and crack open the champagne. We simply made too many errors, and gave away possession far too easily in the build-up. Nor did we make the most of our chances. Plzen here at home are a completely different proposition compared to when they came to Munich.“
Topics of this article