Ahead of Bayern Munich’s UEFA Champions League last 16 first-leg clash with Arsenal (kick-off 20:45 CET), Manuel Neuer spoke to DFB.de about the driving force behind his team’s success and the impending encounter with Lukas Podolski and Co.
Question: Manuel Neuer, the 4-0 victory over SC Freiburg stretched Bayern’s unbeaten Bundesliga run to 46 matches. Where do you find the motivation to keep this run going?
Manuel Neuer: We know that there’s another game coming up. You don’t want to go into such an important match on the back of a poor result. That’s why it’s important to put in a decent performance and ensure we’re in the right frame of mind. We hope we’ll be able to play to our potential against Arsenal.
Question: Arsenal are a really big opponent. Does this ramp up the excitement levels even further?
Neuer: We’re really looking forward to it. The Champions League is very important for us – the Arsenal fixtures are two finals. We play in London first, but every little detail can be decisive. We’re highly motivated and we’re just looking forward to both games.
Question: Arsenal were regarded as the most difficult opponent following the draw, but they recently suffered a 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the league. Are they really that strong?
Neuer: You can also look at Bayern in Borisov. (ed: Bayern lost 3-1 to the Belarusian side FC BATE Borisov in last season’s competition.)
Question: Isn’t Bayern’s approach ahead of a match with Arsenal different from that adopted against Borisov?
Neuer: Our attitude is the same, but Arsenal’s attitude ahead of a match with Bayern could be different. Both teams are on an equal footing. Arsenal are a fantastic side that have strengthened and are in the mix at the top of the Premier League. We know what to expect and must give 100 per cent.
Question: Arsenal also have your national team colleagues Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Mesut Özil in their ranks. Have you made any bets with each other on the outcome of the match?
Neuer: No, we’re not in touch at the moment.
Question: What do you make of Arsenal’s German contingent?
Neuer: All three are key players who play an important role for the team in their respective positions. They are players who can decide the outcome of a game.
Question: Were you really tested against Freiburg, or was that match a mere training exercise?
Neuer: It wasn’t a training exercise. We led 3-0 at the break, so we didn’t have to do an awful lot after that. We got the fourth in the second half, but Freiburg had two goal-scoring opportunities, which shouldn’t really have happened. Overall, we gave a good performance.
Question: Wouldn’t you rather the opposition put up a bit more of a fight?
Neuer: That’s also down to the way we play. We try to carry out our coach’s instructions on the pitch, which we’ve done well in recent games. Ideally, we wouldn’t have let Freiburg have those opportunities. They did, unfortunately, but we can still be satisfied. We can’t influence what the opposition does.
Question: Xherdan Shaqiri scored two goals. What do you make of his development and what sets him apart from other players?
Neuer: His development is going well. He’s a player who can decide games and he’s unpredictable in attack. We have three or four players who are capable of individual brilliance and he’s one of them. He’s a class player who’s still very young and has a lot of potential. It’s a shame he can’t play in London. (ed: Shaqiri suffered a thigh injury against Freiburg.)
Recorded by DFB.de.
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Ahead of Bayern Munich’s UEFA Champions League last 16 first-leg clash with Arsenal (kick-off 20:45 CET), Manuel Neuer spoke to DFB.de about the driving force behind his team’s success and the impending encounter with Lukas Podolski and Co.
Question: Manuel Neuer, the 4-0 victory over SC Freiburg stretched Bayern’s unbeaten Bundesliga run to 46 matches. Where do you find the motivation to keep this run going?
Manuel Neuer: We know that there’s another game coming up. You don’t want to go into such an important match on the back of a poor result. That’s why it’s important to put in a decent performance and ensure we’re in the right frame of mind. We hope we’ll be able to play to our potential against Arsenal.
Question: Arsenal are a really big opponent. Does this ramp up the excitement levels even further?
Neuer: We’re really looking forward to it. The Champions League is very important for us – the Arsenal fixtures are two finals. We play in London first, but every little detail can be decisive. We’re highly motivated and we’re just looking forward to both games.
Question: Arsenal were regarded as the most difficult opponent following the draw, but they recently suffered a 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the league. Are they really that strong?
Neuer: You can also look at Bayern in Borisov. (ed: Bayern lost 3-1 to the Belarusian side FC BATE Borisov in last season’s competition.)
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Question: Isn’t Bayern’s approach ahead of a match with Arsenal different from that adopted against Borisov?
Neuer: Our attitude is the same, but Arsenal’s attitude ahead of a match with Bayern could be different. Both teams are on an equal footing. Arsenal are a fantastic side that have strengthened and are in the mix at the top of the Premier League. We know what to expect and must give 100 per cent.
Question: Arsenal also have your national team colleagues Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Mesut Özil in their ranks. Have you made any bets with each other on the outcome of the match?
Neuer: No, we’re not in touch at the moment.
Question: What do you make of Arsenal’s German contingent?
Neuer: All three are key players who play an important role for the team in their respective positions. They are players who can decide the outcome of a game.
Question: Were you really tested against Freiburg, or was that match a mere training exercise?
Neuer: It wasn’t a training exercise. We led 3-0 at the break, so we didn’t have to do an awful lot after that. We got the fourth in the second half, but Freiburg had two goal-scoring opportunities, which shouldn’t really have happened. Overall, we gave a good performance.
Question: Wouldn’t you rather the opposition put up a bit more of a fight?
Neuer: That’s also down to the way we play. We try to carry out our coach’s instructions on the pitch, which we’ve done well in recent games. Ideally, we wouldn’t have let Freiburg have those opportunities. They did, unfortunately, but we can still be satisfied. We can’t influence what the opposition does.
Question: Xherdan Shaqiri scored two goals. What do you make of his development and what sets him apart from other players?
Neuer: His development is going well. He’s a player who can decide games and he’s unpredictable in attack. We have three or four players who are capable of individual brilliance and he’s one of them. He’s a class player who’s still very young and has a lot of potential. It’s a shame he can’t play in London. (ed: Shaqiri suffered a thigh injury against Freiburg.)
Recorded by DFB.de.
