Son: 'Disappointed to miss'
Munich - On the face of it, FC Bayern München's 2-1 victory over Bayer 04 Leverkusen may seem like yet another routine victory for Pep Guardiola's troops.
However, had Heung-Min Son made the most of a gilt-edged opportunity to give the visitors the lead at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, the Bavarians' unbeaten record may have been under considerable threat. After the game, Son shared his feelings on that early miss, Leverkusen's improving form and their upcoming clash with 1899 Hoffenheim.
Question: Heung-Min Son, had you managed to score that early chance, do you think we would have seen a different game at the Allianz Arena?
Heung-Min Son: I think so. If I had scored and Bayern had gone 1-0 down, they might have taken a few more risks and we may have created a few more chances than we did. It's a big shame.
Question: You must feel a little for your team-mates, as Leverkusen are in desperate need of a morale-boosting win...
Son: I'm part of the team, so of course I feel bad. They've been very supportive though - they told me I always score [those types of chances] in training, and that I have to put [the miss] behind me and move forward. It’s difficult to get it out of your system. It’s pretty frustrating but it's important to move on.
Question: What positives can Leverkusen take from the performance in Munich?
Son: We gave absolutely everything to try to get something from the game. I think everyone could see how passionately we fought. We can take a lot of positives from the game and we now have to focus on Hoffenheim next week.
Question: How do Leverkusen approach that game in Sinsheim?
Son: It's a very important game for us. Not an easy one - Hoffenheim are a dangerous team - but we now have one week to recover and prepare ourselves. We need to give 100 per cent.
Question: How important was it that Stefan Kießling ended his goal drought at the Allianz Arena?
Son: It's vital he scored again. We need to support him so he can rediscover his scoring touch for us. It was important for us today, but also important for him that he was able to score against such a big team. I'm happy for him, but we have to continue to support him.
Question: Leverkusen have suffered a fair few defeats in recent weeks, but you played well in Paris and put in another decent display against Bayern. Would you say the team is heading in the right direction?
Son: I think so. It's true we've lost too many games recently, but we can take a lot of positives from our last two games. Now let's see how we do next weekend.
Gregor Nentwig reporting from Munich
