Reaction to FC Bayern v RB Leipzig - Manuel Neuer: 'We turned in a good performance'

One week before the first competitive match of the season, FC Bayern beat RB Leipzig 3-1 in the Telekom Cup, a real acid test in front of a full house on Saturday afternoon. “We deservedly won the match and turned in a good display today,” Manuel Neuer commented after the match. fcbayern.com rounds up the rest of the post-match reaction for you.

Reaction to the Telekom Cup against RB Leipzig

Board member for sport Max Eberl (before kick-off): “First we must get back into the rhythm we built up last year. Our first Bundesliga match at home to Leipzig was a 6-0 victory last year, that’s when the rhythm started. We need to build it up again, which is anything but a matter of course. We must work hard for it, believe in it and approach all opponents like that. We’ve set the bar high, and I know we’ll always be measured against that now. It’s our own fault, but we want to achieve it again.”

Sporting director Christoph Freund (before kick-off): “Pre-season was a bit fragmented because our players returned little by little. Now everyone’s back. It was also a chance for young players to show what’s in them. We had a very young squad for the first friendly against Wehen Wiesbaden – they did a good job. The tour to Asia went well, we got through it without injuries. We turned in a really good display against Aston Villa. We’ve had a good pre-season so far.”

Vincent Kompany (before kick-off): "Pre-season has gone well so far, even though we still have a lot of players who need to get back into rhythm first. Still, we’ve weathered a few tough tests. We want to approach the first competitive match with full confidence. The young players for example brought a lot of intensity to the match in Hong Kong. We pushed them and they did well. It’s a good first step. With our young players, it’s about performance and earning one’s place. Sometimes it’s the best way for us to broaden the squad a little. We invest a lot of time in the development of these players. Now they’re getting minutes out on the pitch, perhaps it won’t always be like that during a season, but they’ll get their chance again at some point. I hope they’ll be able to help us then – and not just be there but contribute something positive to the team.”

Manuel Neuer: “First of all I must say it feels good. We have to take every friendly seriously, regardless of our opponents. We took on Aston Villa in Asia and turned in a really convincing display, and again today. Of course there were lots of substitutions. The coach tried to give the players time out on the pitch and manage the workload. We deservedly won the match and turned in a good display today.”

Aleksandar Pavlović: “We’re delighted we sealed a victory. It wasn’t an easy match, Leipzig turned in a good display, they pressed well. But we showed what’s in us and won deservedly. Personally, I’m very happy with my performance, I got off to a good start to pre-season. I’m also very happy with the team, we have great team spirit, we’ve trained hard, prepared well and shown what’s in us in the matches. We have a great mentality and great players – and a few more are still to return. Ismael Saibari and Nene Brown are great footballers and great persons, and both showed what they’ve got today. It’s fun to play with them. Now we have to regenerate well, look ahead and take it one match at a time, one training session at a time.”

Reaction from RB Leipzig

Martín Demichelis (head coach): “It’s always difficult at this stadium, especially against Bayern. I think our positioning was good at the start. We lost our rhythm a bit after conceding the goal, but I’m very satisfied because we had some good spells too. You could see a lot of our principles in action. We want to score goals, attack and be solid at the back. We conceded three goals today, but Bayern’s players have such high quality – they just turn very little into goals. Still, our positioning was good again and again, we had our chances, so we return satisfied.”

Rocco Reitz: “I think we definitely did a lot of things better than in the last few friendlies. We were better at triggering the press, calmer on the ball and perhaps played fewer long balls. Our counter-pressing too was a little better. Of course there’s some room for improvement, but compared to last week, we’re headed in the right direction.”

The match report: