FC Bayern underlined their rich vein of form and closed the gap on Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin to a single point - for 24 hours at least - with a routine 2-0 win at Hoffenheim on Saturday. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann described his team's performance in the first 35 minutes as "world-class", Matthijs de Ligt and Sven Ulreich stressed the importance of the clean sheet, and Serge Gnabry praised strike partner Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. fcbayern.com rounds up the reaction...
Reaction to the Hoffenheim game
Julian Nagelsmann: "I'm very happy with the performance. The first 35 minutes were world-class - we played some exceptionally good football, had plenty of chances to score and put them under intense pressure. We gave very little away, but then dropped off for 10 minutes. That's when they had two good chances, and Ulle [Sven Ulreich] made two superb saves."
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: "We're all training well and giving it our all. I'm delighted it all went so well out on the pitch again. I have faith in my abilities and the abilities of the team. We all do, and you're seeing the results."
Matthijs de Ligt: "It was an important win, even though it wasn't our best performance. We dominated, but didn't take all of our chances. That said, a clean sheet is always important. Our intensity levels in the second half weren't what they were in the first. We were more aggressive in the first half, but hats off to the team for not conceding."
Serge Gnabry: "We were a bit better in the first half than the second. That's when we scored our goals and, after opening the scoring, controlled the game. Since Choupo's come in, we've been playing very well together in attack. He scored, which is important for his self-confidence, and helps us a lot. It's his week - he's been superb."
Sven Ulreich: "We were brilliant in the first 35 minutes. We moved the ball well, counter-pressed effectively and barely let up. Then we dozed off for 10 minutes. In the second half, we gave precious little away. It's important we press high up to limit the opposition's attacks. We did a fantastic job of that. In Matthijs [De Ligt] and Upa [Dayot Upamecano] we have two central defenders who are great man-to-man and, right now, are rock-solid.
Reaction from the Hoffenheim camp
André Breitenreiter (Hoffenheim coach): "You need luck in these kind of games, and to score goals. Bayern were dominant in the first half. We wanted to defend high up the pitch and with aggression, but you can't keep everything out. Unfortunately, we couldn't score. It was a relatively balanced game, but we couldn't deliver in front of goal. It's a shame, but Bayern fully deserved to win."
Grischa Prömel (Hoffenheim): "We had great expectations, but we were up against Bayern today. Our passing was off, and we gave the ball away too often. In the first half, we combined well and had some decent transitions - but the end product, efficiency and final ball were all lacking. We didn't do enough."
Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim): "It's not a terrible result. It doesn't feel like a defeat. It's not like there's nothing for us to take from the game. We played well, gave it everything we had, attacked with courage and tried to get balls into the box."
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