BayernForum.com

11.02.2007

Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld praised his team after the 1-0 home success against Arminia Bielefeld for "shutting out our opponents in defence," and for a handful of good attacking moves. However, the coach felt his side were still lacking confidence, although the win was a vital boost ahead of next Saturday's trip to Aachen.

<b> Reaction to Bayern v Arminia Bielefeld:</b>

<b>Ottmar Hitzfeld:</b> "We've successfully taken all three points and were achieved our target of shutting out our opponents in defence. Lucio and Van Buyten were outstanding. We also started well in attack. If we'd not had a second goal ruled out for an alleged offside, the weight might have come off our shoulders. But the team doesn't yet have the belief you normally associate with Bayern Munich. We still have work to do in that area. Still, winning is a vital boost for our next match in Aachen. It'll contribute to restoring our mental strength. Our first priority is to maintain a solid defensive line. I'm convinced we'll see step-by-step improvement."

<b>Lukas Podolski:</b> "It was nice to make a start, it didn't happen very often in the first half of the season. It'll take a while for us to find our rhythm. We kept it tight at the back today, and we made life difficult for our opponents. It wasn't a great game, but it was perfectly OK. What mattered today was taking three points. You can't expect us to thrash Bielefeld by four or five goals after we've not won for three games. They're a good footballing team too."

<b> Thomas von Heesen (Bielefeld coach):</b> "We fell behind to a stupid mistake in central defence. It was never going to be easy after that, but we held our own. Later we showed plenty of courage, but we lacked the utter determination to go out and secure a draw. That was the decisive factor at the end of the day."

<b> Matthias Hain (Bielefeld keeper):</b> "We wanted to give a good account of ourselves and build on our better performances before Christmas. I think we achieved that. We played well, and Bayern scored witht heir only chance of the first half. But at the end of the day, we have no points to show for our efforts, and points are all that counts. We need to build on today's display at home to Bochum next week."