Neuer: I don’t see any comparison as to how many yards the wall used to have to be. I can only say that the taker will come up with something and maybe they also change their technique. I believe that David Alaba is a great free kick taker.
Question: Is it now harder for you as a goalkeeper to keep out free kicks?
Neuer: The most important thing for me is to be able to see the ball as then I can react better. You also have to know who’s in the wall.
Question: Does Alaba score them in training against you?
Neuer: We don’t really do any free kick training but we get rid of the wall and then he shoots.
Question: You have your next knockout game next week. Is the second leg in the Champions League against Donetsk in the back of your mind?
Neuer: It’s an important game for us. We know that we have to win. We’re excited for the game. We want to beat Donetsk in every respect and get through. I think that it’s also important that we go into the game against Hannover on the back of a good performance.
Question: Is the game against Donetsk an all or nothing game in terms of your season?
The defending champions overcame the second division side but in a rather lacklustre fashion. The 2-0 win against Eintracht Braunschweig, their 15th cup victory in a row, means FC Bayern München have now advanced to the quarter-finals. Manuel Neuer didn’t have a lot to do against the Niedersachsen club and afterwards the 28-year-old took time to talk about the cup and their upcoming games.
Question: Mr Neuer, 2-0 against Eintracht Braunschweig- was it what you expected?
Manuel Neuer: Exactly. I think it’s important that we’re through to the next round. We’ll have to see who we’ll play. It’s always the case in the cup that you can’t make any mistakes. We played against a committed side, who used the space well and made it compact so therefore it wasn’t very easy for us. But we were the better side in every department.
Question: Should you have scored more goals?
Neuer: You don’t always have to play exceptionally well. In the cup what’s important is getting through to the next round. And we did that in 90 minutes which was also important. We’re happy with the result. Now we can concentrate on our next Bundesliga games.
Question: Is there anyone you’d like to play in the quarter-finals?
Neuer: No there’s not.
Question: You’ve scored more and more goals from direct free kicks in the Bundesliga but now it’s happened in the cup too through David Alaba. Is it an advantage for the taker that the wall has to be 10 yards back due to the free kick spray?
Neuer: I don’t see any comparison as to how many yards the wall used to have to be. I can only say that the taker will come up with something and maybe they also change their technique. I believe that David Alaba is a great free kick taker.
Question: Is it now harder for you as a goalkeeper to keep out free kicks?
Neuer: The most important thing for me is to be able to see the ball as then I can react better. You also have to know who’s in the wall.
Question: Does Alaba score them in training against you?
Neuer: We don’t really do any free kick training but we get rid of the wall and then he shoots.
Question: You have your next knockout game next week. Is the second leg in the Champions League against Donetsk in the back of your mind?
Neuer: It’s an important game for us. We know that we have to win. We’re excited for the game. We want to beat Donetsk in every respect and get through. I think that it’s also important that we go into the game against Hannover on the back of a good performance.
Question: Is the game against Donetsk an all or nothing game in terms of your season?
Neuer: We’re in the same situation in the DFB Cup. The Champions League is just another competition and we want to get through to the next round. Every game in the competition is an all or nothing game.
Question: Does the Champions League have even greater importance?
Neuer: Every competition has huge importance for us. The league more than any other.
