One goal, one assist - Thomas Müller more than played his part in FC Bayern München’s 3-1 victory away FC Augsburg on Bundesliga matchday 21. After the game, the World Cup winner spoke to us at DFB.de about his performance in the derby, the new centre-back pairing, Holger Badstuber’s injury and the coming Champions League clash with Juventus Turin.
Question: Mr. Müller, Matthias Sammer spoke about the best performance this half of the season so far. Do you think otherwise?
Thomas Müller: We don’t like to argue with him at all, especially not when he is praising us. It was a focused performance, a solid performance in what was a difficult away game. We knew it wasn’t easy coming to Augsburg. We’ve had enough experiences to tell us that. For this reason we really went for it today. It was certainly an enjoyable game. It was intense, the rain suited the game very well. I’m going home a happy man.
Question: What do you have to say on Robert Lewandowski’s goal tally?
Müller: Please keep going like this, is what I’d say to him. That will do us no harm. I hope he manages to. It will be huge for the club and will keep us on the right track.
Question: We could see you giving Joshua Kimmich helpful instructions throughout the game. How do you think the unfamiliar centre-back partnership of Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba worked? A defensive midfielder and a fullback by trade, of course.
Müller: I am more than happy with the defenders and the team’s performance as a whole. I expected nothing less from them anyway. The lads are strong in the tackle, quick, good at reading the game - they've got everything you need really. Perhaps all they are lacking is the size of your classic centre half. Making my voice heard on the pitch is actually just to help me.
Question: It was enough to beat Augsburg, but will it be enough to beat Juventus in the Last 16 of the Champions League?
One goal, one assist - Thomas Müller more than played his part in FC Bayern München’s 3-1 victory away FC Augsburg on Bundesliga matchday 21. After the game, the World Cup winner spoke to us at DFB.de about his performance in the derby, the new centre-back pairing, Holger Badstuber’s injury and the coming Champions League clash with Juventus Turin.
Question: Mr. Müller, Matthias Sammer spoke about the best performance this half of the season so far. Do you think otherwise?
Thomas Müller: We don’t like to argue with him at all, especially not when he is praising us. It was a focused performance, a solid performance in what was a difficult away game. We knew it wasn’t easy coming to Augsburg. We’ve had enough experiences to tell us that. For this reason we really went for it today. It was certainly an enjoyable game. It was intense, the rain suited the game very well. I’m going home a happy man.
Question: What do you have to say on Robert Lewandowski’s goal tally?
Müller: Please keep going like this, is what I’d say to him. That will do us no harm. I hope he manages to. It will be huge for the club and will keep us on the right track.
Question: We could see you giving Joshua Kimmich helpful instructions throughout the game. How do you think the unfamiliar centre-back partnership of Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba worked? A defensive midfielder and a fullback by trade, of course.
Müller: I am more than happy with the defenders and the team’s performance as a whole. I expected nothing less from them anyway. The lads are strong in the tackle, quick, good at reading the game - they've got everything you need really. Perhaps all they are lacking is the size of your classic centre half. Making my voice heard on the pitch is actually just to help me.
Question: It was enough to beat Augsburg, but will it be enough to beat Juventus in the Last 16 of the Champions League?
Müller: We can’t do anything other than play our strongest side. With that team we will take on the opposition and know exactly what we have to do. We’ll see what happens. We can’t do anymore than that. But we’re not afraid.
Question: A huge blow for both DFB and Bayern ahead of the Augsburg game was Holger Badstuber’s untimely, serious injury. How many setbacks can one man cope with?
Müller: You only ever see these things in hindsight. It’s quite remarkable how Holger returned to the team after his last injury. I don’t think many people are capable of that. He showed not only himself, but the whole of German football that he didn’t lose any quality while out with injury. He was injured, yes, but he developed along with everyone else as a player. He took on great responsibility, put in top performances and taught our youngsters at the club a lot. This obviously makes it even more gutting when you pick up an injury to keep you out for a long time. The way it happened as well. But he won’t let this get him down. We have no reason to write him off and worry for him. We will keep pushing him as a team. So I have no doubt that he will return once again.
Question: How did the idea to wear t-shirts with ‘Get well soon, Badstuber’ on them come about?
Müller: That was just supposed to be a message to let everyone know that we are sticking together, even in difficult times or personal setbacks. That defines us as a club and as a team.
