On Tuesday Thomas Müller extended his contract at FC Bayern until 30 June 2023. The native Bavarian has played for the German record champions since he was ten. In a remote press conference on Thursday, the 30-year-old talked about the current situation regarding the spread of the coronavirus, coach Hansi Flick's contract extension, his role in the team and more. fcbayern.com has compiled the forward's most important statements.
Müller on the current situation
"Of course we all want to play football again, but only under reasonable conditions. We must trust the authorities and be a unit. It's about coming up with scenarios where matches can be played, considerating the of health and safety issues while taking into account our function as role models. We as a team are currently waiting, training for a scenario that isn't really tangible."
Müller on his role in the team
"My personal role has changed after a difficult phase last autumn. After the change of coach I was able to make my mark on the games again. In view of the general situation, including our coach's contract extension, I felt I wanted to remain part of this project. The players, the coach and the club are following the same path, that's important."
All info on Thomas Müller's contract extension:
Müller on Hansi Flick's contract extension
"The coaches have succeeded in setting up the structure that's led to our football and our winning streak. Players like me, who are part of this structure, are feeling at ease because of the sign that the club wants to continue with this structure. It's fun, we let the ball do the work, we're successful. We believe we can build on the current streak."
All info on Hansi Flick's contract extension:
Müller on training
"It's gone very well so far, including the training sessions at home. Of course I miss life in the team, the togetherness, the locker room talk. At least we're on the ball again and working on the turf as of this week. That's very good for how we feel. It's not easy to keep up the motivation, but our coaches are doing a very good job. We don't just complete the same old exercises, there's a lot of variation. For example, ball artists or special guests like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben joined us in training sessions. That eases the situation. The emphasis will surely shift as soon as there are target dates for matches. But we must give the people in charge the time they need to make the right decisions."
Bastian Schweinsteiger and others joined FC Bayern in virtual training sessions:
Müller on the season so far
"The season has been turbulent so far, in many respects. We started with euphoria and confidence, but at some point we didn't achieve the right results. We still had highlights such as the match against Tottenham in London. But taken altogether we didn't play as we wanted. That changed a bit after the change of coach, we liked the way we played more again. We recently had a very good phase, we were in full flow."
Müller on matches behind closed doors
"Of course it's uncharted territory, for me too. I imagine it like completing the final training session in front of empty seats ahead of a Champions League away match. It surely won't affect our ambition. Teams that accept the situation quickly and display higher quality out on the pitch will surely have an advantage. But I can't really imagine how it is when there are no spectators to create an atmosphere. It'll certainly be very strange and completely different."
Coach Hansi Flick talked about the current situation in a video press conference on Tuesday:
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