The disappointment in the FC Bayern camp following the 1-0 defeat at Rome giants Lazio in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 was naturally huge. "We expected it to be different today, there's no getting away from that," summarised CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. But letting heads drop is out of the question for the German record champions.
Quite the opposite in fact: the men from Munich were looking directly to the future. "We just have to turn it around at home. Our team has the quality and the will to progress. We want to win the second leg in front of 75,000 fans in our arena and then go through," said Dreesen.
CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen speaking at the banquet after the Champions League match away to Lazio.
At the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday evening, Bayern initially gave a good reaction to the 3-0 defeat in the top of the table Bundesliga clash at Bayer 04 Leverkusen four days earlier. "We had very good chances in the first half and had the game under control," said coach Thomas Tuchel. What was missing were the goals. "When you get chances like that in the Champions League round of 16 at Lazio, you have to take them," said Thomas Müller, succinctly summarising the situation.
After the break, however, the game slipped from Munich's grasp. "In the second half, we suffered a massive drop in performance levels. We completely turned the game against ourselves," said Tuchel, reviewing the course of the match. A penalty from Ciro Immobile following a red card for FCB defender Dayot Upamecano ultimately ensured Bayern's defeat.
Analysing, digesting, correcting mistakes and getting back on the road to success as quickly as possible - that is the motto at FC Bayern now. "We have to stand together and help each other. Then this ease will return. It's all about hard work," said captain Manuel Neuer.
The next away game in the Bundesliga awaits on Sunday (kick-off 17:30 CET). After the two recent defeats, a win at VfL Bochum is a must. "We're not in a situation at the moment where everything is coming easily to us. But we're going to keep going and are consciously looking positively towards the Bundesliga. We'll give our all in all competitions right up to the last second," said Müller. The aim is to regain self-confidence through hard-earned successes, including for the second leg against Lazio on 5 March. "I'm convinced that we'll turn it around in the second leg in Munich," said sporting director Christoph Freund.
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