Alonso: 'We needed a lot of patience'
Cologne - FC Bayern München eased to victory over 1. FC Köln on Matchday 6, beating the Billy Goats 2-0 at the RheinEnergieStadion to extend their lead at the top of the table to two points.
FC Bayern München
bundesliga.com
rounds up what the players had to say after the final whistle...
: It was a difficult game. Köln defended very deeply and we needed a lot of patience today. We got the opening goal relatively early on, but it was a very tough 90 minutes. Things quietened down a little after the second goal. We really wanted to win away and it was an important victory. Now we'll start focusing on our next game.
: We played well, worked hard and got the three points, which was the most important thing. The Bundesliga is a new league for me, it’s a bit different to the Spanish league and is very competitive. I’m gradually settling into the team and especially the guys from Spain - the ones I’m able to communicate with - are helping me a lot. Xabi Alonso is a spectacular player and I think we can all learn a lot from him.
: We’re happy to have won here. In the last few games Köln have defended very well and made it difficult to score past them, but today we got two. In the first half we missed a few chances but we managed to get the result over the line comfortably and are happy with the scoreline.
: Köln sat very deep and played on the counter-attack. They never really left their own half, which made things very difficult. Compliments to the team, though, we stayed calm and let the ball do the work. We created plenty of chances and deserved to win in the end.
: I thought we played well today. We kept trying to create chances and the only problem was that we didn't manage to score a second earlier than we did. That kept Köln in the game, but we can take plenty of positives from the match.
1. FC Köln
: During games I normally have a bit of time to drink something but today that wasn’t possible because Bayern laid siege to our goal. They’re a world-class team, if not the best in the world at the moment. We had a really good chance to score, but unfortunately we weren’t able to take advantage of that. You don’t get many opportunities against Bayern so you need to use the ones you do get. We didn’t and that’s why we lost.
: I think the result was fair - Bayern clearly dominated the match. We knew beforehand that it would be very difficult and we did our best to defend against them. It was frustrating that we conceded the first goal after we gave away possession, that’s something we could have avoided.
: You’ve just got to accept that it’s very difficult to keep Bayern out for 90 minutes. We put absolutely everything into the game. We were throwing ourselves into challenges and fought right until the end, but we have to play like that every week.
: We knew how the game would pan out. You need a bit of look to beat a team like Bayern and I had a great chance to make it 1-1. Who knows what could have happened after that. We can’t be too harsh on ourselves though.
