Manuel Neuer: "It won't be easy"

Hello, Manuel. Have you made contact with Kevin Volland this week?

Manuel Neuer: Hello. I saw him on Monday at the marketing day in Munich.

Thanks to the TSG striker you’re a big part of Bundesliga history …

Neuer: That’s true, unfortunately (laughs). We did though end up winning in the end, so I still have overridingly positive memories of the day and the early goal from Kevin.

You have the opportunity to write history with FC Bayern this season should you win four titles back-to-back. Is that more important to you than the Champions League trophy?

Neuer: They’re too different competitions, and you have to see them differently. No team has ever won four championships in a row, so we are very determined to be the first one. Success in the Champions league is dependent upon many factors, for example whether you are able to beat the best teams on the day. That was our problem last season against Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola is leaving at the end of the season. How has he helped you develop?

Neuer: Pep likes to defend high and have a high line, so I have been called upon even more as a sort of last man. That means I am more involved in the game and have to be 100% alert at all times, even when the ball is in the opposition’s half.

You have recently been voted Goalkeeper of the Year for the third time in a row. What does that mean to you?

Neuer: Primarily it confirms my good performances, and so in that sense it means a lot. I am a real team player, and so I’m pleased because it means also that Bayern and Germany must have both played well.

You play alongside a lot of special players. Are there any that have impressed you particularly?

Neuer: I don’t think it would be fair to single any one player out. It’s good motivation for me to face players of this quality, and to have as hard a shooting practice as possible.

TSG are quite far down in the table. What do you expect in the Allianz Arena on Sunday?

Neuer: It won’t be easy for us, regardless of their position in the table. Huub Stevens' teams are always well organised defensively. We will need to find the right solutions, and if we do so then we have a good chance of leaving the pitch with all three points.

 

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