Manuel Neuer says Bayern Munich are working to avoid another Paris Saint-Germain setback

Manuel Neuer says Bayern Munich are determined to address last season’s shortcomings in major knockout matches after beginning their new Bundesliga campaign with a 5-1 victory over Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena on Friday.

The Bayern captain praised his team-mates after a dominant performance, which gave Vincent Kompany’s side an ideal start to the league season.

“Stuttgart are a good team, with good players and a strong attack, but from the beginning we were determined to give everything we had for a perfect start to the season. I think we showed that today,” Neuer told reporters after the match.

The result followed Bayern’s 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup last Saturday, giving the club two wins from their opening competitive fixtures of the campaign.

Neuer was also asked whether Bayern should regard the current season as “the treble or nothing”, but the goalkeeper rejected that suggestion at this early stage.

“You can’t say that now. We are working hard, and this is the third season with Vinnie,” said Neuer, referring to Kompany.

The 39-year-old added that Bayern’s focus was on learning from the previous campaign and making progress gradually rather than setting premature targets.

“We will try to work on the things that did not go well last season, in order to take that final step in the big knockout matches, such as the game against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final. But now we have to do our job and move forward step by step,” he said.

Bayern were beaten 5-4 away by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their semi-final, before drawing 1-1 at home in the return match. The result sent the German side out of the competition, which Paris Saint-Germain later won by beating Arsenal in the final.

Neuer’s comments underline Bayern’s desire to improve in decisive European matches under Kompany, who is now beginning his third season with the club. However, the captain insisted that immediate attention should remain on domestic responsibilities and the next challenge in front of them.

The victory over Stuttgart was Bayern’s first Bundesliga match of the new season and came in front of their home supporters at the Allianz Arena. The comprehensive scoreline also ensured that the club’s campaign began with confidence after their success against Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup.

Separate video reports accompanying the original coverage featured the referee from Barcelona’s match against Athletic Club showing admiration for Raphinha’s moustache, while another report covered Barcelona supporters’ anger at an incident involving Elche at Camp Nou.