Manuel Neuer believes Bayern Munich made a statement with their 7-1 victory over RB Salzburg on Tuesday in the Champions League round of 16.
The goalkeeper, who returned from injury absence to start, said the Bavarians' defence was much stronger than it has been of late.
Bayern Munich's back-line has come under scrutiny since last season, but they managed to contain RB Salzburg while creating abundant chances at the other end.
What has been said?
"That was a statement win," Neuer told reporters. "I think we started well and had the penalties and from there it just took off. We're very happy with the performance today.
"I think we showed a different side of ourselves today and didn't concede as many chances on the break.
"We were also more stable in defence, which obviously gives us hope that things can continue in that vein."
Fast start
Robert Lewandowski notched the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history, while Bayern Munich became the quickest side to reach a 4-0 scoreline (31 minutes) in a Champions League game since they did so themselves vs Dinamo Zagreb in September 2015 (28 minutes).
From there, the German giants coasted to a comprehensive victory as Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane also added goals.
The bigger picture
Last year Bayern Munich surrendered 44 goals in the Bundesliga, their worst defensive showing since 1995-96, and they subsequently let their two most experienced centre-backs (Jerome Boateng and David Alaba) depart on free transfers.
Their defensive record has actually been slightly better this term, but they have kept only one clean sheet since January 15.
So, holding a talented young RB Salzburg squad in check on Tuesday marked an important step forward for Julian Nagelsmann's group.
"It was a very, very good match - football-wise from our part, wanting to win, full of energy," Nagelsmann told SID. "When we have this kind of energy, we are hard to stop. If we play like this in the Bundesliga, things would be even clearer than they are right now."
Further reading
- Lightning Lewandowski sets new Champions League record
- Arsenal fans plead with Gnabry after retro shirt post
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