Bayern Munich midfielder, Leon Goretzka has said that it is during the Christmas that the treble won by the Bavarians last season will sink in.
This is following the short break the team had to prepare for another season after having to play behind the closed doors as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Goretzka had found it hard to secure the starting shirt in the team after moving to the Bavarian club from Schalke 04 on a free transfer. But he has now grown into the team to become an important squad member.
Speaking with Sport1 in an interview, The German midfielder said the treble success had a lot to do with the positive spirit in the squad.
Fortunately for him, he began getting his groove and grew into his role at Bayern after the coronavirus break. This was because the break allowed him to put on a considerable amount of muscle. Goretzka, who is also a versatile midfielder is now an important asset for the coach, Hansi Flick. With such an asset, the future looks bright for him alongside Joshua Kimmich in the center of the park.
“I believe that people will only really realize this during the Christmas season. When you look back over the year, Corona and its side effects, the lockdown and the lack of fans, the triple, our donation initiative “We kick Corona”; there have already been too many extraordinary situations this year for us to have been able to properly process the year so far.”
Loen Goretzka: It’s been difficult for Bayern to process the wins
No doubt, the 2019/20 season was over 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic, forcing the Champions League to end at the end of August. According to Goretzka, it still been difficult to fully process all Bayern has achieved this past season:
The pandemic forced the team to celebrate their treble success in a completely isolated environment. This was a change of pace, but Bayern still celebrated properly in Lisbon in their closed-off bubble.
“What happens in Lisbon, stays in Lisbon (laughs). Of course, we celebrated extensively and enjoyed the moment. To win the triple is something historical. The celebration itself was something unique because, due to Corona, it could only take place in a closer and more intimate circle than would otherwise have been the case.
“But I think everyone could see that we have a great atmosphere in the team and in the cabin.”
Bayern became the clear favourite to win the Champions League trophy after mauling Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals. The Bavarians, no doubt, were the team in the best form since the restart after the coronavirus break.
This, Goretzka said gave everyone the belief that the squad could press on and complete the treble, beating whoever was put in front of them.
“After the 8:2 victory against Barcelona, it was clear to all of us that we can achieve great things and win the triple. The double had also given us self-confidence.”
Speaking on the team’s strength, Goretzka said it’s their intense mentality and willingness to work together that is behind their success.
Such willingness sees them pressing team, having off the ball movements, showing commitment, and intense focus throughout each game.
“What stands out most is the mentality. It is very unpleasant to play against us. And even more difficult to win against us. Our intensity in the game and our pressing against the ball have worked very well recently.
“Almost all the teams had a hard time with that, which often led to the ball wins in the opposing half. But what really made us stand out after the re-start was the Mia-San-Mia mentality. That’s what distinguished FC Bayern in the past, and we took it to the next level.
“It really makes you want to play in this team. When you look at the faces in the dressing room before the game, you know It’s about to start.”
There is room for improvement
With the success achieved so far, the midfielder like coach Flick believes that there is always room for improvement, knowing fully well that everyone will want to beat them as European champions.
“What’s good today may not work a week later. From now on we are the hunted in all of Europe. The opponents will deal with us even more intensively and try to decipher our system. But we will do a devil and rest. We will try to make our game even more multi-faceted and to develop ourselves further.”
