Bayern had a bad start in the 3-1 home victory over Leverkusen, conceding an early goal. But the Bavarians left the visitors without a chance then and turned the tide. "Our counterpressing was very good, we didn't let Leverkusen's quick players get a grip," Niko Kovac analysed his team's dominant play. His counterpart Heiko Herrlich too was full of praise for the German record champions: "They gave us a lesson to some extent today."
Reaction to Bayern v Leverkusen
Niko Kovac: "I'd like to congratulate my team on the way they played over 90 minutes. We cancelled out an early goal very quickly, then we dominated the game. Our counterpressing was very good, we didn't let Leverkusen's quick players get a grip, so we stifled many things up front. I wish we had made it 3-1 a bit earlier and not only shortly before the final whistle. But I'm satisfied with the team performance."
Arjen Robben: "It was a difficult match against difficult opponents. They're highly dangerous on the break. If you turn the tide so quickly you're not so worried, but there's still room for improvement. We're on the right track. The coach knows what he wants."
Heiko Herrlich (Bayer Leverkusen coach): "You could see every player at FC Bayern has incredible quality, and not only in attack. They're very venomous when they lose the ball, they counterpress immediately and go for every one-on-one. They gave us a lesson to some extent today."
Dominik Kohr (Bayer Leverkusen): "The team's display wasn't bad at the beginning, and we took the lead. But then we conceded the goals too easily. We must keep a clean sheet for longer, perhaps even until half-time. Then Bayern would have had to work more. This way it was difficult. Bayern are a strong team and deservedly won."
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