Bayern Munich vs 1. FC Köln: Pep Guardiola Press Conference Roundup

After a disappointing, and not entirely deserved loss in the Champions League, it's back to the Bundesliga where FC Bayern Munich are looking to extend their record start to ten consecutive wins.  1. FC Köln is up on Saturday at the Allianz Arena, and they're probably hoping to find a distracted and tired Bayern team (good luck with that).

Anything else interesting going on?  Well, I guess the chance to win the 1000th game in the club's Bundesliga history might be considered a big deal.  Rumor has it that there will be free beer at the stadium if that happens, so you know the fans are extra motivated.

Pep Guardiola and media director Markus Hörwick sat down for the customary press conference with the sports media representatives.

FC Bayern Press Conference, October 23^rd, 2015

Here are the highlights of today's questions and answers (my interjections in italics):

On how well the team has processed the loss to Arsenal - The trip back was longer than the discussion about the game.  Whether we win or we lose, we need to forget what happened.  Tomorrow is a new opportunity, and different competition, a big opponent.  Weiter, immer weiter! (a famous quote by Oliver Kahn, meaning, always keep moving forward).

On the status of Arjen Robben - He hasn't practiced with the team in two weeks, today might be the first time (it was), we'll see and talk to him.  If he's fit, he'll be on the roster.

On what makes Köln such an uncomfortable opponent - (Köln has beaten Gladbach and Schalke, and tied Wolfsburg so far, and sits in sixth place) They've had the same coach for the last three or four years, both in the second division and in the Bundesliga.  They've done a good job.  They play strong and fast with Anthony Modeste and Leonardo Bittencourt (news after the press conference came in that Bittencourt will miss this game with a broken arm).  OK, new test, new opportunity.

On rumors that Holger Badstuber will go out on loan to VfB Stuttgart - I've said it before, the club decides on who to buy, sell or loan.  But if they're asking my opinion, there is no chance.  No chance, he's staying.  I need Badstu (I still can't get used to that nickname), I like to work with him.  He's still a young player, was starting at center back in the national team at 20 or 21 years old, he's a top player.  He needs time, he's been hurt for two years.  We only have one central defender, Jerome Boateng.  And we have Medhi Benatia, Javi Martinez and Badstuber, we need him.  I like working with him, I trust him, he has a special quality for building up play, intelligent player, great person.  We've talked with Matthias Sammer, and there's no chance (Hörwick clarifies that there is no truth to the rumors of a loan).

On what the 1000^th all-time Bundesliga win would mean to Pep - (The next BL win would be number 1000 for the club, and, not surprisingly, nobody else is even close) One thousand wins shows you how big this club is.  It's an anecdote that I happen to be here for this situation.  I think, sooner or later, it will happen, I hope it happens tomorrow, but it will happen eventually.

On how Pep expects Köln to line up - The same as Arsenal and Bremen.  I don't know right now, I didn't see Köln's practice.  Maybe they'll do attacking pressing.  We will have to adapt.

On whether Pep gets annoyed when teams put everyone in defense against Bayern - No.  We have to be able to deal with it.  That's how we play, and we cause that with our build up and our pressure.  Maybe some teams would like to attack more, but they can't.  In other cases, they just decide to defend deep.  Ok.  We have to adapt, and be able to attack.

On whether the wing players will be available - It's important.  When you have ten players in the penalty box, and you don't have the one-on-one skill, it's almost impossible.  Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski have problems when we don't have that, so we need them.  Today and in the future, one-on-one skill players are the most important.  They're hard to find, but the quality of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Kingsley Coman, Mario Götze, Douglas Costa makes a huge difference.  We play better with these players.

On the importance of Robben coming back - Of course, Arjen is important for us, not just now, or the last two years, but in the last six, seven, eight years that he's been here.  He's great in one-on-one, great mentality, but he's been hurt for a while, and he was hurt for the last three months last season.

On whether Pep is already thinking about Wolfsburg - (Bayern is playing VfL Wolfsburg next Tuesday in the DFB Pokal) I don't have that ability.  Women have the ability to handle two things at once, I don't.  Only Köln, please.  After Olympiakos (in the Champions League), we had a game against Darmstadt, I said that we would rotate, because we had 17 or 18 incredible players.  Right now, we have 12, maybe 13 players, so I can't really do that.

On who is definitely missing tomorrow - Coman may return, maybe Arjen too, I don't know.  The information from the doctors yesterday was good, but they still need to practice with the team.  But, that's it.  Sebastian Rode and Javi Martinez aren't available.

On what is ailing Javi Martinez - Javi has a minor issue, but that is what happens when you've been injured for 14 months.  After 14 months off, you need six months to get back to perfect.  In his case, he has a little tweak here and there, and that's normal.

On Robert Lewandowski winning Tor des Monats (goal of the month) for his fifth score against Wolfsburg - Robert did great against Arsenal as well, fighting hard.  Of course, I am happy and he is happy when he's scoring goals, but my opinion of him doesn't depend only on goals.

On whether Pep prefers a pretty goal, or any old goal will do - Every player I've ever met or trained, they don't care, as long as the ball is in the goal.

On Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's criticism of the South American national teams' medical staffs - (Rummenigge called them out this week in Bayern's magazine, specifically Brazil's medical staff, for not sufficiently taking care of injuries to Douglas Costa's foot) Douglas is doing better, and so is Arturo Vidal.  I think all the doctors are doing their best for the players, both here and with the national teams, I have no doubt.  Maybe they should have treated [Costa] before his flight, but they didn't (Rummenigge mentioned that, at the very least, Costa should have had a compression bandage on his foot before flying back), but that can happen here too.

On whether talks about his successor are affecting his work - Next question, please (delivered with a smile this time).

Disclaimer - Due to the nature of having a coach whose native language is not German, the translation of the quotes is not exactly word for word, but includes some interpretation on the part of the author of this article, in order to more accurately portray what the coach is intending to say. There is some necessary guesswork involved.