More of the same, please! Back at it after the international break, FC Bayern ran out impressive 4-0 home winners over Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Friday night to end a run of four Bundesliga matches without victory.
"It was the first step in the right direction," said CEO Oliver Kahn. For coach Julian Nagelsmann, Bayern's brilliant team performance was "a good reaction after recent results. It was an important win."
Bayern had slipped to fifth in the table following their recent malaise. "The pressure on all of us was huge. The pressure's always on at Bayern, we just have to get on with it. We all want to win and be number one, and we showed that today," explained Jamal Musiala, who dazzled with a goal and two assists. Strike parters Leroy Sané, Sadio Mané and Thomas Müller also grabbed a goal apiece.
But there's no time to bathe in the glory. The Leverkusen game marked the beginning of a punishing autumn schedule. Due to the winter World Cup that kicks off in mid-November, 12 matches - two a week for the next six weeks no less - are on the agenda.
"We know not to get ahead of ourselves. We have to play like this in every game. Then I'm optimistic," said Kahn.
"We can't afford to ease off," added Musiala. "We have to take the same hunger and energy into our upcoming games."
Bayern's next assignment comes as soon as Tuesday (18:45 CEST). The German record champions host Viktoria Plzen, with a 100 percent winning start to their Champions League campaign to uphold.
"We can go into our next games with confidence. How we played today is how we want to play against Plzen. Then we can go to Dortmund next week in good spirits," commented captain Manuel Neuer.
"We hope that we can kick on in the Champions League," concluded Nagelsmann.
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