Arjen Robben on Bayern's impressive form: 'Virtually unbeatable'

Arjen Robben enters Säbener Straße with his unmistakable aura. It's the morning after FC Bayern's convincing Champions League performance against Brugge, but for Robben the visit feels like coming home - even more than six years after his last game in the red jersey. Why now of all days? "It's the autumn mid-term holidays in the Netherlands and my son only had one wish: to experience the atmosphere in the Allianz Arena again," says Robben and smiles. "I didn't think twice about it - we left straight away."

You can see his father is also enjoying this family outing: For Robben, Munich remains more than just one more stop in his career - it's remained a piece of home. The connection between the legendary winger and FC Bayern is still palpable today. Anyone listening to him realises that this is not just an icon speaking, but part of the Bayern family.

In the interview with fcbayern.com, the 41-year-old chats about the current shape of FC Bayern, his successors in the German record champions' attack and working with young talent.

The final minutes of the home game against Brugge are ticking away when a familiar song can be heard coming from the Südkurve. ‘We won the cup, ascended the throne, Arjen did it!’ The Munich fans know exactly who is sitting in the stands; the club's media channels had already published a selfie of Robben in the Allianz Arena ahead of kick-off. The day after another convincing 4-0 victory, Mr Wembley, as he is affectionately known by the fans, thanked them on the same channels: "This song will stay with me forever, it always makes me proud. Thank you very much for it." London, Dortmund, Ribéry, Robben, CL trophy - a sequence for the FCB history books.

What Robben appreciates about Olise and Luis Díaz

After the game, Robben doesn't miss the opportunity to visit his former teammates in the dressing room. Players such as Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise pose for selfies with the Dutchman, as Robben has already achieved what the two Frenchmen and their teammates are dreaming of this season: to ascend the throne of Europe's premier club competition. "Things are going great at Bayern. I particularly like the teamwork. The team just works and is in harmony - and everyone gets back to defend very well," said Robben, praising the current FCB team. "If they continue to play so solidly, guys like Michael Olise or Luis Díaz can make the difference. Both are in good form at the moment, they're very quick and strong in one-on-one situations."

When talking to the former world-class winger, it's noticeable that he still talks about ‘we’ when it comes to his FC Bayern. According to Robben, Vincent Kompany's current FCB squad doesn't need to hide from any team in Europe. "If we as FC Bayern are playing well - and that's the case at the moment - we can beat any opponent. Bayern are among the favourites to get to the Champions League final," said Robben, who himself played in three finals for the Munich side (2010, 2012 & 2013). "But the final is still a long way off, of course. Nevertheless, I think FC Bayern are virtually unbeatable at the moment."

Robben: These teams could be dangerous for Bayern

In Europe's premier club competition, the men from Munich, who are currently second in the league table after three wins from three games face two high-calibre opponents next. First, they travel to league leaders and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (4 November) and then to Premier League leaders Arsenal (26 November). "Of course there are some good teams in Europe. PSG are definitely a force to be reckoned with. I also think we'll see another surprise team," says Robben about the favourites for the title.

In the clashes with the top teams, he's banking in particular on Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, who recently extended his contract until 2029. "You always have to keep composed and focus on your own team. The coach does that very, very well."

Robben’s advice for Karl, Mike & Co.

In recent weeks, Kompany has also repeatedly called up young players to the squad who have progressed through the FC Bayern Campus. On Wednesday, Wisdom Mike celebrated his Champions League debut against Brugge, and Lennart Karl even scored to give the team a 1-0 lead.

Both youngsters play in positions Robben's familiar with. "Lennart Karl deserves the praise he received, he was superb. The lad should also enjoy it. The most important thing at that age is to keep focusing on the next game. You have to work on yourself every day and you can't think: 'I've played a great game now, everything's great'. You have to keep pushing yourself in training and not be satisfied with yourself. That's the difference in the really good players staying at the top for a long time. Getting to that point is one thing, but staying at the top is something else," explains Robben, who currently coaches the U14s at his boyhood club, FC Groningen.

Impressive FC Bayern Campus

So Robben, who was named Footballer of the Year in Germany in 2010, is not only broadening his expertise in the Dutch youth system, he's also following what's happening at the German record champions and a few years ago also took a look at the FC Bayern Campus, which was inaugurated in 2017. "The facilities they have there are impressive. It's important that the talents utilise the opportunities on site - every day. That they make something of it and always give their all. It's important for the club that players make it to senior level"

During his ten years of success in Munich, Robben had teammates such as Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, David Alaba and Holger Badstuber, who progressed through the club's youth setup. "Of course, it's ideal if you have five or six players in the squad who come from your own youth programme. But they also have to be good enough and, above all, be able to keep up physically at the start. They then convey the Bayern gene and a Mia san mia feeling."

Arjen Robben lives by this guiding principle even beyond his playing career - be it on the touchline as a youth coach in Groningen, on the padel court in his second career, as a spectator at ice hockey matches in Munich on Thursday evenings and in the Allianz Arena on Wednesdays: a sheer winner’s mentality.

The Dutchman bids farewell to fcbayern.com with a broad grin, and in the coming weeks he'll be watching FC Bayern's performance in the Champions League, the Bundesliga and the cup on TV again - before planning another family trip or two to Munich in the next few months.

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