FC Bayern lost 3-0 away at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the top of the table Bundesliga clash on Saturday evening. “I’m really annoyed. Congratulations to Leverkusen, it’s an absolutely deserved win,” said Thomas Müller after the game. “We’ll do our utmost not to throw in the towel. Our approach won’t change. We have to keep going and get better if we’re going to fulfil our ambitions,” said coach Thomas Tuchel. fcbayern.com has complied the post-match reaction.
Reaction to the game in Leverkusen
Jan-Christian Dreesen (CEO): “We deserved to lose. Leverkusen were simply better. We have to accept that. We started well, but then we lost our grip on the game a little. Fortunately, we still have 13 matchdays left and have to hope for one or two slip-ups from Leverkusen. Even if it was difficult today, we won’t give up. We have to regroup and keep looking forward. Wednesday against Lazio is our next opportunity to make up for this game.”
Christoph Freund (sporting director): “We created almost no chances and ultimately deserved to lost. Of course, that’s bitter in such an important match. It’s difficult to explain. We made too many mistakes and allowed Leverkusen to dominate. It wasn’t enough and we conceded the goals far too easily. It’s not something typical of this team, which has always been up for it in the big games. But we didn’t manage to get going. We now have to make sure we win our games. It’s no longer in our hands, that’s a fact.”
Thomas Tuchel: “We dominated the early exchanges without being dangerous. We let the momentum and the energy slip by making our own mistakes. You really can’t go 1-0 down the way we did with a five-man defence. Because then the momentum shifts. It didn’t feel like a 3-0. The second goal was also given away too cheaply. We lacked the penetration in the final third to win. We wanted to defend very aggressively to prevent Leverkusen from getting into their rhythm. We made very poor decisions, even after winning the ball back. It happens to us too often, that we lose the ball again immediately after winning possession. We’ll do our utmost not to throw in the towel. Leverkusen have created a gap. Our approach won’t change. We have to keep going and get better if we’re going to fulfil our ambitions.”
Manuel Neuer: "It was one of our worst performances on one of the most important days. We wanted to defend aggressively high up the pitch and didn't expect Leverkusen to play with the line-up they did. Each and every one of us has to take a good look at ourselves and reflect on our performance."
Thomas Müller: "I'm really annoyed. Congratulations to Leverkusen, it's an absolutely deserved win. In training we show much better approaches because we're more courageous and play football more freely. Sometimes we lack freedom in games, we can overthink our play. Leverkusen simply gamble, they look for solutions. We players expect to feel the pressure on the pitch, but that has to motivate us. When things get tough, we have to get the ball into the opposition's half more often. None of us had the freedom to start playing today. We weren't there, we lost 3-0. It has to do with our independence on the pitch as players, making decisions, what path we take, how aggressively we go out and how we recognise situations as they develop. These areas are where we urgently need to improve and that's what we're going to do."
Reaction from the Bayer Leverkusen camp
Simon Rolfes (managing director for sport): “We got a grip on the game after ten minutes and kept finding space. We showed a lot of courage and confidence with the ball. We knew our qualities. That’s how we went into the game. We all work hard to be successful. It’s not just a unit on the pitch, but off it as well."
Xabi Alonso (head coach): "The win is deserved. You have to be strong defensively against Bayern. We did a great job, played in a disciplined and compact manner and allowed hardly any chances. The first goal was very important but the performance and commitment overall were fantastic."
Robert Andrich (midfielder): "We had our foot on the accelerator from the first minute up until the last. We were focused and aggressive. We did some good things in possession and were really strong in front of goal. It's a very well-deserved win. Huge compliments to the team, the three up front also did a great job leading the press from the front."
Read more about the game in our report:
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