Thomas Müller was almost too tired to lead FC Bayern München's title-celebrations after they had secured Cup glory with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win over Borussia Dortmund! The World Champion spoke with DFB.de after the game about the dramatic penalty shoot-out, Pep Guardiola's emotions and his sympathy for the defeated rivals.
Question: Mr. Müller, congratulations on winning the domestic double! Nerves always play a huge role in penalty shoot-outs, right?
Thomas Müller: It was a very intense game. You could tell that we have had a long season - it was a tiring game. Penalty shoot-outs are always cruel, but Bayern deserved to win today. If we hadn't won this match, we would've been very upset as we missed a lot of good chances today.
Question: Dortmund delivered a great fight over the 120 minutes…
Müller: Everyone on the pitch fought hard for the full 120 minutes. We were constantly one step too slow in attack, despite playing really well at times. Dortmund have a very good team and they are excellent when in possession, but today we didn't allow them to unfold. They are always dangerous from counterattacks, but we didn't allow them to find their rhythm.
Question: What did you think about the penalty shoot-out?
Müller: Although you didn't see it today, Joshua (Kimmich) is great at taking penalties. I obviously thought about my last penalty, which was an important one and I missed it as well (in the Champions League semi-final return leg with Atletico Madrid). Two possibilities present themselves to you at that point: Either you say that you trust in your abilities and want to take the shot. You need to have balls for that - á la Oliver Kahn. My colleagues also encouraged me to take a penalty, since I've been practicing them all year.
Question: Were you surprised with Pep Guardiola's emotional reaction after the game?
Müller: No, not surprised. I'm happy for Pep. When the last game is over it's perfectly normal to just let your emotions go and not act like a machine. The pressure was lifted. The outcome of this final was important for him. He is leaving the club and now get's a great send-off. If we had lost, his work would be interpreted differently from outsiders and he knew that. That's why he showed such an emotional reaction afterwards and I can fully understand that.
Question: The team felt that and included Guardiola in their midst when the trophy was raised...
Müller: You don’t have to be a romantic in order to realise what's going at that point. He invested a lot during these three years. I don't think it's a lot of fun to watch DVDs featuring four opposition games in the build up to a match - especially if you already know the result. You have to think about the grand scale of things in order to imagine how much work is involved. You simply have to appreciate the work he performed on the pitch.
Question: Did Guardiola improve every player at FC Bayern?
Müller: He made us better individually and as a team. But that doesn't mean that we will win every game.
Question: What was your take on the scene with Gonzalo Castro and Franck Ribéry, where your team mate appeared to have his hand in Castro's face.
Müller: I didn't see what Castro did. Obviously Franck's hand shouldn't be there in the first place. But having won the Cup it's not something I care about at the moment.
Question: Did you console any of the Dortmund players for having lost the final?
Müller: I can sympathise with them, since we haven't won every final we've played either. But the relationships are all very good. It's always a great occasion and a lot of fun to compete against the best.
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Thomas Müller was almost too tired to lead FC Bayern München's title-celebrations after they had secured Cup glory with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win over Borussia Dortmund! The World Champion spoke with DFB.de after the game about the dramatic penalty shoot-out, Pep Guardiola's emotions and his sympathy for the defeated rivals.
Question: Mr. Müller, congratulations on winning the domestic double! Nerves always play a huge role in penalty shoot-outs, right?
Thomas Müller: It was a very intense game. You could tell that we have had a long season - it was a tiring game. Penalty shoot-outs are always cruel, but Bayern deserved to win today. If we hadn't won this match, we would've been very upset as we missed a lot of good chances today.
Question: Dortmund delivered a great fight over the 120 minutes…
Müller: Everyone on the pitch fought hard for the full 120 minutes. We were constantly one step too slow in attack, despite playing really well at times. Dortmund have a very good team and they are excellent when in possession, but today we didn't allow them to unfold. They are always dangerous from counterattacks, but we didn't allow them to find their rhythm.
Question: What did you think about the penalty shoot-out?
Müller: Although you didn't see it today, Joshua (Kimmich) is great at taking penalties. I obviously thought about my last penalty, which was an important one and I missed it as well (in the Champions League semi-final return leg with Atletico Madrid). Two possibilities present themselves to you at that point: Either you say that you trust in your abilities and want to take the shot. You need to have balls for that - á la Oliver Kahn. My colleagues also encouraged me to take a penalty, since I've been practicing them all year.
Question: Were you surprised with Pep Guardiola's emotional reaction after the game?
Müller: No, not surprised. I'm happy for Pep. When the last game is over it's perfectly normal to just let your emotions go and not act like a machine. The pressure was lifted. The outcome of this final was important for him. He is leaving the club and now get's a great send-off. If we had lost, his work would be interpreted differently from outsiders and he knew that. That's why he showed such an emotional reaction afterwards and I can fully understand that.
Question: The team felt that and included Guardiola in their midst when the trophy was raised...
Müller: You don’t have to be a romantic in order to realise what's going at that point. He invested a lot during these three years. I don't think it's a lot of fun to watch DVDs featuring four opposition games in the build up to a match - especially if you already know the result. You have to think about the grand scale of things in order to imagine how much work is involved. You simply have to appreciate the work he performed on the pitch.
Question: Did Guardiola improve every player at FC Bayern?
Müller: He made us better individually and as a team. But that doesn't mean that we will win every game.
Question: What was your take on the scene with Gonzalo Castro and Franck Ribéry, where your team mate appeared to have his hand in Castro's face.
Müller: I didn't see what Castro did. Obviously Franck's hand shouldn't be there in the first place. But having won the Cup it's not something I care about at the moment.
Question: Did you console any of the Dortmund players for having lost the final?
Müller: I can sympathise with them, since we haven't won every final we've played either. But the relationships are all very good. It's always a great occasion and a lot of fun to compete against the best.
