Heynckes happy after Bayern victory

Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes described his side as ‘confident and smart’ after their 3-0 win over Greuther Furth on Saturday.

The Bundesliga giants registered an easy win at Trolli Arena, as a first-half Thomas Mueller strike was added upon by debutant Mario Mandzukic and an own goal by Thomas Kleine in the second half.

Following the final whistle, the 67-year-old was quick to lavish praise on his players.

“We have played confident, smart and very clever football,” he said.

“We started slowly, but that of course is normal (so early on in the season). To play against a newly-promoted side is not simple. But after we scored, we dictated the rhythm of the game and won deservedly.

“We have high expectations of this season; the team are highly motivated. We have worked very well, so the result is not a surprise for me today.”

Mueller echoed his coach’s sentiments, praising the opposition for putting up a fight in the Bundesliga opener.

“The first half was tough, as expected,” he said.

“Greuther Furth sit deep, and that caused us problems. After we went into the lead, the game went well. We are happy that we won our first game.”

Team-mate Toni Kroos was equally pleased to get through unscathed.

“I think the first day of the Bundesliga is always a bit hard,” he said. “To my mind, Fuerth defended themselves pretty well in the beginning and we didn’t play fluidly enough. But we improved during the first half and Fuerth were tired.

“In the second half we had more room on the pitch which we used in a good way. So in the end we could have scored even more goals.”

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer added: “Yes, we are very satisfied. It was our target that we take three points out of this game.”