Lahm: "We need to be more alert against Darmstadt"

Bayern München will top the table at Christmas for the 21st time in their history. However, yesterday’s 2-0 victory over Ingolstadt was anything but easy. DFB.de speaks to Philipp Lahm about the match, his goal, notes and the upcoming DFB Cup tie.

Question: Mr. Lahm did Pep Guardiola tell you to score in the note he sent you?

Philipp Lahm: Exactly. He told me to hit the back of the net and because I’m a top pro, I did that!

Question: Was it in German or Spanish?

Lahm: Spanish.

Question: So did you understand it?

Lahm: I speak perfect Spanish. Did you not know that?

Question: Nope. Prove it:

Lahm: Ah, I’m messing with you. The note said a couple of things that I don’t want to share but everyone knows that we improved afterwards. So clearly the note made all of the difference!

Question: Were you surprised by Ingolstadt’s pressing game?

Lahm: We weren’t surprised because we know they like to pressurise teams. They made life tough for us and deserve complimenting for their performance.

Question: Did a bit of tiredness creep into your performance?

Lahm: I suppose so but these things happen – we’ve played intensely for a long time now, so obviously there will be games when the energy levels are a bit lower. We were lacking a bit of something before the break, which meant we weren’t at our best.

Question: At the break did you think that things would open up as it would be tough for Ingolstadt to play like that for the entire match?

Lahm: No. We changed our system somewhat to counter what they were doing. We dug in deep against an organised side and were eventually rewarded.

Question: You face SV Darmstadt 98 in the Cup this week. What sort of game are you expecting?

Lahm: It’ll be a typical cup tie and we’ll be doing all we can to progress. We’re at home and will want to put in an improved performance. We want to play with our usual energy and alertness. If we manage that, we should be able to reach the next round.

Question: Is it nice to be top of the pile at Christmas?

Lahm: Yes, for sure. It’s always nice to be in such a strong position over the winter break. But the challenge is to stay there.

Source: dfb.de