The weekend defeat to Hamburg is history, as Bayern’s next mouth-watering clash comes up on Wednesday, when Munich face Turin giants Juventus in Champions League Group A. Between the Bundesliga showdown and the visit of Italy’s most successful club, boss Louis van Gaal spoke exclusively to fcbayern.de. The Dutch supremo discussed the weekend and midweek opponents, the club’s injury roster, and the Oktoberfest.
Interview: Louis van Gaal
How disappointed are you by the unlucky defeat to Hamburg?
Louis van Gaal: Very disappointed. I reckon we could have won – in fact, I’m sure of it. We had a big chance and didn’t take it, so instead of drawing level with Hamburg, we’re six points behind them. The players and I are very disappointed indeed.
How do you think your team performed? What did you like, and what wasn’t so good?
The negative thing was missing our chances. I think we made more chances than Hamburg, but failed to use them. We had a number of chances on the break, but didn’t exploit them. We kept trying to go through the middle and not use the flanks, where there’s more space. That was a mistake, so I don’t think we attacked very well. I think we played very well in defence.
Could this defeat influence the Champions League meeting with Juve?
It’s always the case. Defeat always has a negative influence. We’d won five games in a row and our confidence had grown. We thought we’d be level with Hamburg by now, but instead, we’re six points behind. But life goes on, and fortunately we have Juventus on Wednesday, when we can start winning again.
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