“It wasn’t easy. The mentality was good, we’re pleased on the whole,” summarised head coach Vincent Kompany after the narrow but deserved 1-0 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. The winning start to 2025 means that FC Bayern have already claimed the title of ‘winter champions’ in the Bundesliga after Matchday 16. “We didn’t concede anything in the first half, the second was more open, but in the end it’s about winning – and that’s what we did,” said Joshua Kimmich. fcbayern.com has compiled the post-match reaction.
The reaction to the match at Gladbach
Max Eberl (board member for sport): “It was a very good, very mature performance. Gladbach didn’t have a single chance in the first half, we had two or three very promising ones. In the second half, Gladbach had the header from Tim Kleindienst. If we take the whole game, the balance of play, the dominance and all the statistics, then the win is fully deserved. No one can now catch us as halfway leaders, which is a great interim result, but we want to keep picking up points.”
Vincent Kompany: “It was a very difficult away game. The mentality was good, we’re pleased on the whole. We had the chances in the first half, we were on top, but the chances were even bigger in the second half. We didn’t manage to put the game to bed. At the end of the day you have to score the goals, which we didn’t do. Then you just have to keep a clean sheet. Credit to the team, they kept going.”
Manuel Neuer: “I’d say we deserved to win. We certainly missed a lot of chances – my opposite number really had a blinder. We can be very pleased with this win, it was just deserved. We could’ve gone behind, no question, but we missed a lot of good chances. With all the chances we created, it was only a matter of time until we got our goal.”
Joshua Kimmich: “We made it a bit tense towards the end. We had a lot of very good chances – in the first half with Thomas Müller, in the second half we had several good opportunities. But Gladbach also had a good chance with the Tim Kleindienst header at 0-0. Overall, the way we played was fine. We didn’t concede anything in the first half, the second was more open, but in the end it’s about winning – and that’s what we did.”
Harry Kane: “It’s very important to start the year with a win. The performance was very good, we created a lot of chances. We showed a good attitude and mentality. We have some important matches and want to carry on the momentum.”
The reaction from the Gladbach camp
Gerardo Seoane (coach): "The team left everything on the pitch. Credit for their solidarity and particularly the defensive work. They fought with everything they have. We're not entirely satisfied because we lost. We didn't manage to relieve the pressure when we won the ball. We switched to a double pivot in the second half. I don't think we allowed much up until the penalty. After that you just saw the quality of Bayern."
Tim Kleindienst (striker): "It's clear you're going to have to defend against Bayern. We wanted to be secure at the back, at times man-for-man. While they weren't taking the chances, it was everything to play for. I had to score the header. You don't get many chances like that against Bayern. We won the ball more in the second half, which we didn't manage as well in the first half. From that we played a lot of long balls. In the end, we can be satisfied despite the defeat. You're allowed to lose against Bayern. We can build on the second half in particular for the next game against Wolfsburg."
Julian Weigl (midfielder): "We battled valiantly today. We pretty much only defended in the first half, we barely managed to relieve the pressure with the ball. We didn't have any shots on goal either, but we only really allowed one big chance, where Moritz Nicolas made an extremely good save. In the second half we came out differently, a bit more aggressive, a bit more biting in the tackles. The headed chance for Tim Kleindienst was the moment. If we score that, perhaps that puts us right in the game. Bayern had more chances in transition at the end because we obviously took more risk. Without Moritz it would've been a higher scoreline. He had a very good game."
The match report:
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