Bayern Munich prepare to face reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen in what is set to be the match of the week. As the clash between the two giants nears, Thomas Müller gave some insight into the game from Bayern’s perspective in an interview with the official Bundesliga website.
Talking about the magnitude of the clash, Müller was full of praise for the champions: “Both teams are amongst the most exciting in the Bundesliga. Internationally, Bayern have been the biggest German team for many years, yet Leverkusen were able to topple us [last season]. You have to tip the hat to them. They broke records, but it is less about the records and more about the way they surpassed them. Given how Leverkusen play, the individual players they have and how they operate as a team, you know that every meeting with them will be really tough.”
When asked whether Leverkusen’s recent success and Bayern’s failure last season would act as additional motivation, Müller replied affirmatively.
“Yes, we are more motivated this year. The last years, when it wasn’t working, we were not bothered. You can interpret that as there being less motivation, but we always had enough. Honestly, there has never been a season in recent years – other than the sextuple campaign under Hansi Flick – where we were really satisfied with our overall performance. Still, the motivation was always there, just on a different level.”
Müller wasn’t oblivious to surreal number of late goals Leverkusen have scored to salvage points — even hinting that this upcoming clash could meet a similar fate: “Not only can they play good football, but they can also suffer. They never give up – the amount of late goals they score is crazy. Whenever they need something, they knock at the door until someone opens it, and there always seems to be someone who can provide the crucial moment. That’s why I think this match will be exciting until the very end.”
When asked about how Bayern plan to win, Müller presented a variety of options for Bayern’s success: “We can approach this game in many ways. For example, should we concentrate on stopping their key players? Or should we focus on ourselves and our own tactics as we instead look to dominate the opponent? As a team, we will use the remaining hours and days to work on our strategy. With there being no midweek game, both teams have no excuses, and we therefore have plenty of time to prepare. The two teams are in good form and have already scored many goals – from a neutral’s perspective, that is what we want to see. Of course, I would be down for us finding the back of the net more often [than them]”
Müller’s no excuses mentality will be important for Bayern if they want to come out victorious this game. Fans will hope that if Müller gets game time, he will put on another brilliant display as he has multiple times this season.
What do you think about Müller’s thoughts on the game? Do you agree with him? What are your predictions for the game? Tell us everything in the comments below!
