In the 1-1 friendly draw against FC Basel, FC Bayern certainly didn’t cover themselves with glory. Statements from the Munich team after the end of the game, however, suggest that the grass in St. Jakob Park was partly to blame for the dull performance.
“It was a good start, but we can certainly play better. The pitch wasn’t that easy to play on either. That has to be said,” said Bayern’s sports director Christoph Freund after the dress rehearsal for the restart of the Bundesliga.
On Friday evening (8:30 p.m.) the German record champions welcome TSG Hoffenheim to their Allianz Arena. Captain Manuel Neuer longs for the “living room” of FC Bayern.
“In the Allianz Arena we will be in a better position again,” the goalkeeper said in an interview with “20min.ch” about the track in Basel.
Neuer knows from his own experience how difficult it can be to play for FC Basel in winter. In February 2012, he played with FC Bayern in the round of 16 of the Champions League at the traditional Swiss club – and lost 1-0 on a completely broken pitch.
“We already know the place. The game ended differently back then,” said the 37-year-old, remembering the bitter defeat at St. Jakob-Park. After all: the second leg ended 7-0 for the Bundesliga club, who ultimately made it to the final.
Neuer emphasized: “There are currently places like this in some stadiums because of the temperatures. You just have to take the places as they are.”
FC Bayern receives a blow from Basel
Meanwhile, Basel coach Fabio Celestini couldn’t resist a small counterattack towards his friendly opponent.
“It’s a great place for Switzerland and Switzerland is my reality. My players told me that it was great today. And they also want to play football,” emphasized the trainer and added: “The Bayern players are apparently “Used to be different.”