The biggest differences are clearly the physicality and intensity; the training is much more strenuous than in youth football. I can't compare dribbling against a 17-year-old to dribbling against [Bayern teammate] Dayot Upamecano.
Bayern Munich had a bye through the Champions League playoff round, Atalanta completed an improbable and insane comeback in its tie vs. Borussia Dortmund by winning 4-3 on aggregate. All things considered, many experts are looking at this as an advantageous draw for the Bavarians.
Marcel Desailly. You probably know him from a legend card on FIFA or something. He was my idol, a very strong defender. He won the World Cup with France. He was a good example.
I think I'm one of the best. But there are also many other great defenders, like William Saliba, Ibrahima Konaté. I think I'm surrounded by the best, whether it's with France or with Bayern.
From 1954 to 2014, Germany was a powerhouse in the World Cup. Die Mannschaft won four titles, lost four finals, and advanced to the knockout stages in every tournament. Inexplicably, Germany failed to make it out of the group stage in both 2018 and 2022, under 2014 winner Joachim Löw and Bayern Munich's 2020 sextuple manager Hansi Flick, respectively. Since winning the World Cup in 1966, England has consistently underperformed compared to lofty expectations.
"I'm responsible for the plan and the positioning, but ultimately the players are the most important thing. At halftime, I told the lads that we were 2-0 down due to two set pieces and that we didn't need to hide. We only made minor adjustments at halftime and did much better in the second half."
