The Bundesliga home match against VfL Wolfsburg was all about closing one chapter and beginning a new one. On the one hand, the German record champions won the last home game of the season in front of their own fans 2-0. However, showcasing their new jerseys and with several youngsters on the pitch, this game was also about looking forward to the next season. Next Saturday, Bayern play the last match of the season away to TSG Hoffenheim. “The win was never in doubt,” summarised captain Manuel Neuer. With a big smile on his face, Thomas Müller added: “I'm just enjoying the moment.” fcbayern.com brings you more of the post-match reaction.
Reaction to the home win over Wolfsburg
Thomas Tuchel: “Our game was very fluid and fast in the opening minutes and we scored early. Overall, we were very strong for 15, 20, maybe even for 25 minutes. However, we were unable to add anything on top. The second half was tough. Wolfsburg played in a 5-4-1 formation to avoid further damage and we were unable to find any solutions to that. We gave everything we had to win every possible trophy this season but we failed to be successful. We collected a lot of points until February without playing very convincingly and with many players missing. The week during which we lost to Leverkusen and Roma took a great toll. Then we played Bochum and lost after leading 2-0. That was a crazy week. After that, we lacked the spirit and the hunger to keep at it and pull ourselves together.”
Manuel Neuer: “The win was never in doubt. We had control for 90 minutes and were well-organised. We hurt Wolfsburg early on and settled into the game very well. It was important to show up from the start and control the game until the end. Obviously, it was hard to digest Wednesday's game against Real but the fans prepared a great welcome for us in the Allianz Arena today. They did their very best in the Champions League. That wasn't the problem. In the end, small margins were decisive. Next year, the final is at home in Munich. We’ll do everything we can to qualify for that.”
Thomas Müller: “We settled into the game very well today. Wolfsburg changed their system quite quickly. Maybe they wanted to try a fresher, more attacking approach initially but then they reverted to a back five after we scored two goals early on. It's important to capitalise from those chances. In the end, football is about scoring goals. Every goal has an impact. We're happy we were able to give a good performance today. Bryan Zaragoza had several good moves on the left wing and we fielded two more young lads. This was a great family-and-friends-day in the Allianz Arena. I'm just enjoying this moment.”
Reaction from the Wolfsburg camp
Ralph Hasenhüttl (VfL Wolfsburg coach): “After 20 or 30 minutes it could have been 3-0 or 4-0 because we were unable to stop Bayern. We changed our system quite quickly. After that, we were more stable and were able to prevent them from scoring more. We played better in possession. We're not ready for that kind of quality yet. Bayern were very aggressive right from the start. “
Maximilian Arnold (VfL Wolfsburg): “We offered nothing in the first 20, 25 minutes. We just weren't on the pitch. We couldn't get a hold of our opponents and Bayern rotated very well. You can't help but admit that. Thomas Müller understands the game so well. He has a feeling for the game like no other and simply understands football. It's so difficult to contain him. In the second half, we gave a much better performance but as soon as we came close to the box we lacked courage and quality. We deserved to lose.”
The match report:
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