Treble winners Bayern Munich have opened up a 13-point lead in the league after beating VfB Stuttgart 2-1 last weekend. After Thiago wrapped up the three points with a spectacular injury-time strike, German international goalkeeper Manuel Neuer gave an interview to DFB.de about Bayern’s form and team spirit.
Question: What did you make of Thiago’s spectacular injury-time goal in the 2-1 win over Stuttgart?
Manuel Neuer: I practised something like that once and we made a little competition out of it, but Thiago wasn’t at the club at that point. I don’t know whether he saw any clips of that training. It really was beautiful; he did a fantastic job. Everything clicked perfectly, and it looked great from a distance, too. The build-up was excellent, particularly Rafinha’s cross. It showed that Thiago can do anything with a ball.
Question: At that point, did you still believe Bayern could seal the win?
Neuer: It’s easy to say that now, but I think we did still believe we could turn the match around. That goal didn’t just come from nowhere, in any case. You could see earlier in the match that we wanted to turn the match in our favour; despite being 1-0 down, we believed we could do it and were prepared to give our all. We simply continued to play our football. Granted, there was an element of luck in scoring in the final minute as we did, but unless you believe you can achieve something, you won’t manage it.
Question: Did Stuttgart’s strong performance surprise you?
Neuer: Given the strength of their squad, no. Taking the lead also enabled Stuttgart to stick to their gameplan.
Question: What did you think of the team’s performance, particularly when compared to the assured 2-0 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the last match?
Neuer: Of course, we missed several chances to score, even in the first half. Falling behind to an offside goal so early in the game was a real setback, and we needed a while to get back to into game. But our first five minutes in Gladbach weren’t particularly convincing either.
Question: At the end of January, you have a 13-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen in second place and still managed to win the Stuttgart match despite those difficulties. Is there any argument against the idea that Bayern are unbeatable?
Neuer: The Salzburg game, for one. (Bayern were beaten 3-0 during the winter break – Editor’s note)
Question: Is there more satisfaction in sealing a narrow win like the one in Stuttgart than in winning comprehensively?
Neuer: It’s always special to be able to turn a match around, especially for us because we don’t often find ourselves in that position. We know every match starts at 0-0. We have to work hard every time, and this time we had to work a little harder than normal. But it definitely gives us a morale boost, too.
Question: What does that say about Bayern’s team spirit?
Neuer: It’s clear that we want to win matches; the will is certainly there. We haven’t been behind in very many games either. But we simply enjoy playing football, and our belief doesn’t go away once we fall 1-0 behind. The chemistry in the team simply works. In situations like that, it’s important to keep that belief and keep going until the final whistle. Even in the 88th minute, I still believed we could win the match. The fact that we did it – well, you couldn’t have scripted the match any better.
Question: Is that kind of match helpful even for a team as dominant as Bayern? Does it bind the team even closer together in future?
Neuer: You could see the pleasure it gave us, even without the fact that Thiago’s goal was incredible. It was very special for us, because we have rarely been in that situation this season. In a 3-0 win, you can start to feel pleased with a match as early as the 70th minute. You don’t brace yourself for the final whistle as much, because you know there isn’t much at stake. So to win like we did this weekend, by scoring a goal in the final minute, makes the joy of winning last a little longer. It was just great.
As told to DFB.de.
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Treble winners Bayern Munich have opened up a 13-point lead in the league after beating VfB Stuttgart 2-1 last weekend. After Thiago wrapped up the three points with a spectacular injury-time strike, German international goalkeeper Manuel Neuer gave an interview to DFB.de about Bayern’s form and team spirit.
Question: What did you make of Thiago’s spectacular injury-time goal in the 2-1 win over Stuttgart?
Manuel Neuer: I practised something like that once and we made a little competition out of it, but Thiago wasn’t at the club at that point. I don’t know whether he saw any clips of that training. It really was beautiful; he did a fantastic job. Everything clicked perfectly, and it looked great from a distance, too. The build-up was excellent, particularly Rafinha’s cross. It showed that Thiago can do anything with a ball.
Question: At that point, did you still believe Bayern could seal the win?
Neuer: It’s easy to say that now, but I think we did still believe we could turn the match around. That goal didn’t just come from nowhere, in any case. You could see earlier in the match that we wanted to turn the match in our favour; despite being 1-0 down, we believed we could do it and were prepared to give our all. We simply continued to play our football. Granted, there was an element of luck in scoring in the final minute as we did, but unless you believe you can achieve something, you won’t manage it.
Question: Did Stuttgart’s strong performance surprise you?
Neuer: Given the strength of their squad, no. Taking the lead also enabled Stuttgart to stick to their gameplan.
Question: What did you think of the team’s performance, particularly when compared to the assured 2-0 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the last match?
Neuer: Of course, we missed several chances to score, even in the first half. Falling behind to an offside goal so early in the game was a real setback, and we needed a while to get back to into game. But our first five minutes in Gladbach weren’t particularly convincing either.
Question: At the end of January, you have a 13-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen in second place and still managed to win the Stuttgart match despite those difficulties. Is there any argument against the idea that Bayern are unbeatable?
Neuer: The Salzburg game, for one. (Bayern were beaten 3-0 during the winter break – Editor’s note)
Question: Is there more satisfaction in sealing a narrow win like the one in Stuttgart than in winning comprehensively?
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Neuer: It’s always special to be able to turn a match around, especially for us because we don’t often find ourselves in that position. We know every match starts at 0-0. We have to work hard every time, and this time we had to work a little harder than normal. But it definitely gives us a morale boost, too.
Question: What does that say about Bayern’s team spirit?
Neuer: It’s clear that we want to win matches; the will is certainly there. We haven’t been behind in very many games either. But we simply enjoy playing football, and our belief doesn’t go away once we fall 1-0 behind. The chemistry in the team simply works. In situations like that, it’s important to keep that belief and keep going until the final whistle. Even in the 88th minute, I still believed we could win the match. The fact that we did it – well, you couldn’t have scripted the match any better.
Question: Is that kind of match helpful even for a team as dominant as Bayern? Does it bind the team even closer together in future?
Neuer: You could see the pleasure it gave us, even without the fact that Thiago’s goal was incredible. It was very special for us, because we have rarely been in that situation this season. In a 3-0 win, you can start to feel pleased with a match as early as the 70th minute. You don’t brace yourself for the final whistle as much, because you know there isn’t much at stake. So to win like we did this weekend, by scoring a goal in the final minute, makes the joy of winning last a little longer. It was just great.
As told to DFB.de.
