Uli Hoeneß has a full schedule during the Audi Summer Tour 2017, however the FC Bayern President took time for the media after the team’s arrival in Singapore to talk about his impressions of the tour so far and the aims for the season ahead. Hoeneß also expressed his desire for a solution to the club’s sporting director situation. fcbayern.com brings you the most important statements from the FCB President.
Uli Hoeneß on…
… his most impressive moment so far of the Audi Summer Tour 2017: “The opening of the school in Shenzhen really blew me away. The mayor gave us a great reception together with the government. They’re spending millions to promote the FC Bayern Football School, and at that moment it was clear to me how important these trips are. The people here are genuinely interested in our cooperation and friendship. Sometimes that’s more important than money.”
… the tour itself: “As ever, it’s been fantastically organised and we will continue to go on such tours in the future. Whether playing four matches in twelve days, including a journey to another country, is the right idea will be up for discussion internally afterwards.”
… the defeat to AC Milan: “I wasn’t nervous after the game. These things can happen during pre-season. You can come across opponents who are highly motivated against you and are further along in their preparations because they have Europa League qualifiers starting next Thursday. The advantage for us is that we still have three more weeks of pre-season when we get home on Friday. So I’m not concerned at all.”
… the upcoming match against Chelsea: “No one likes losing 4-0 so there’s a bit of pressure there to play well tomorrow. The players will have a bit more peace and quiet before the game with fewer marketing activities planned. I hope we play better tomorrow than against Milan. The result of the game is still not important though as it will be no indication of the season to come.”
… the vacant sporting director position: “We will announce a sporting director within the next six weeks. I’ve already said that Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and I have been looking around, and there have been some talks taking place.”
… the particular love for Thomas Müller in Asia: “It’s no surprise that he’s so popular here. He’s a massive character and has achieved so much on the pitch with both FC Bayern and Germany despite still being so young. He’s a super guy with the gift of the gab. He’s never short of something to day, even in the middle of the night. He is a wonderful representative of FC Bayern.”
… Corentin Tolisso: “My first impressions are good. He’s a perfect fit for the team, has a really good character and is willing to give his all. Those are the players you can build around. It’s still early but that’s my impression so far.”
… James Rodriguez: “He’s a reserved but nice young man who’s an excellent footballer. That’s why he’s here at Bayern. As for the rest, we’ll soon see."
… the biggest competitors for the new Bundesliga campaign: “Leipzig will have another good season but the biggest competitor will definitely be Dortmund.”
… the season objective: “To be champions. We’ll have to wait and see in the other competitions. Preferably we’d be champions and DFB Cup winners and have a good Champions League campaign. We want the team to progress throughout the season and create positive headlines in the coming years. That’s the art to it: You have to win titles whilst also managing to change.”
… the new Footballer of the Year Philipp Lahm: “It’s a real surprise that he’s won it now. Philipp deserved to win it much earlier.”
… the development of the club since losing the Champions League final in 2012: “FC Bayern is in great shape. The club is healthy and its image is okay. We’re well equipped for the future and always in the position to make financial decisions when needed.”
… youth development: “The new development centre gives us the chance to finally improve our work in youth development. We were poor in that area for a long time, but now we’ve just won the U17 title and only lost the U19 final on penalties. From what I hear, we’re in good shape from U9 to U15. We now have the infrastructure and the staff to make sure FC Bayern is fit and ready for the future. I’m very pleased with things at the moment.”
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