Müller: Obviously I wasn't happy about that, but there's no time to be disappointed when you want to be successful as a team. We have to keep our emotions in check. It doesn't help anyone if those on the sidelines bemoan their situation. That was the case yesterday.
Question: Some people criticised the fact that the pitch wasn't watered before the game. Do you think it made a difference?
Müller: The pitch takes some pace off the ball, particularly when you head the ball down into the ground. When it comes back up, you have to make sure it doesn't bounce up and hit you in the face. The pitch in Munich will certainly play to our advantage. We'll be able to move the ball around faster. Atlético's long balls in behind the defence won't be so effective when the grass is wet.
Question: Do you see Atlético as a classic counter-attacking team?
Müller: They're not a particularly special counter-attacking team. They play with a lot of long balls. They don't have so many quick players who thrive on the counter such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale. In any case, they're still dangerous.
Question: How dangerous is the situation going into the return leg?
Müller: We've got a bigger challenge ahead of us than we would have liked. I'm still a bit annoyed that we didn't score. We'll handle our emotions well and really go for it on Tuesday. We'll see if it's enough.
Question: Could it be an advantage for you that you can win the league on Saturday?
Bayern failed in their quest for an away win or at least an away goal, losing 1-0 to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final. They still have a decent chance of progressing to the final as they look to turn the tie around in front of their own fans next Tuesday. World Cup winner Thomas Müller, who was brought on in the 70th minute at the Vicente Calderón, is hopeful of a positive result. The 26-year-old spoke to DFB.de about the lack of an away goal, his role as a substitute last night and Bayern's chances in the return leg.
Question: Thomas Müller, why didn't you manage an away goal last night?
Thomas Müller: We had a lot of good chances. We deserved a goal in the second half as a result of the intensity with which we played. We could perhaps be blamed for not playing so well in the opening period, but we'd expected that a bit.
Question: What makes you optimistic that unlike in the past two seasons, you can progress through to the final?
Müller: I'm confident because we're always capable of winning, even when we're more than one goal behind. We always give our all to be able to turn things around. We certainly need to avoid conceding as that would make things very tricky.
Question: How do Bayern need to approach the second leg?
Müller: We need to be purposeful going forward but we can't be naïve. We have to remain cool and respond to the way Atlético play. We have to play with the intensity of yesterday's second-half performance.
Question: It was surprising that you weren't playing from the start. What did you think of that?
Müller: Obviously I wasn't happy about that, but there's no time to be disappointed when you want to be successful as a team. We have to keep our emotions in check. It doesn't help anyone if those on the sidelines bemoan their situation. That was the case yesterday.
Question: Some people criticised the fact that the pitch wasn't watered before the game. Do you think it made a difference?
Müller: The pitch takes some pace off the ball, particularly when you head the ball down into the ground. When it comes back up, you have to make sure it doesn't bounce up and hit you in the face. The pitch in Munich will certainly play to our advantage. We'll be able to move the ball around faster. Atlético's long balls in behind the defence won't be so effective when the grass is wet.
Question: Do you see Atlético as a classic counter-attacking team?
Müller: They're not a particularly special counter-attacking team. They play with a lot of long balls. They don't have so many quick players who thrive on the counter such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale. In any case, they're still dangerous.
Question: How dangerous is the situation going into the return leg?
Müller: We've got a bigger challenge ahead of us than we would have liked. I'm still a bit annoyed that we didn't score. We'll handle our emotions well and really go for it on Tuesday. We'll see if it's enough.
Question: Could it be an advantage for you that you can win the league on Saturday?
Müller: Maybe, maybe not.
