Xinhua Interview Philipp LAHM (Captain FC Bayern Munich)(1)

Interview: Philipp Lahm, captain of FC Bayern Munich

By Oliver Trust

"Real last year was just a defeat"

Xinhua: Let' s start with the hard stuff to come?

Lahm: (laughing) "You don' t want to talk about Real, Chelsea, Barcelona and the other top Champions League teams?"

Xinhua: How do you know?

Lahm: "Everybody around us seems to be only talking about Real. But we play Schachtjor Donezk next Tuesday, right?"

Xinhua: Right. But after the semifinal of last year' s campaign, people are thinking about what Bayern is up to change things regarding Real. So what is the team' s aim this year - some are saying only the Champions League and Real are what really counts?

Lahm: (laughing) "I see a lot of other teams that will be a hard nut to crack. Bayern' s aim is always to win every possible title. That' s the clause you agree to when signing for the club. And the German title might be the most honest as it' s a season-long race. But right after that - we are looking to win the Champions League."

Xinhua: Frustration has been mountain high after the defeat in Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid last April. Some even say to win the Champions League in 2014/2015 is something that will ultimately decide the future of Pep Guardiola as Bayern' s coach - he too was extremely frustrated being beaten by Real 0-5 on aggregate.

Lahm: "You' re talking about Real again?"

Xinhua: How about Chelsea and Jose Mourinho this time?

Lahm: "Nice topic as well, but let me say something about the Real game. People on the outside may get the impression that Bayern is strong enough to win the Champions League. But thinking that means they have forgotten, it' s quite normal that every team loses every now and again. We try to see the defeat as unemotionally as possible - therefore it was just a defeat."

Xinhua: Does that mean having positive feelings to get over a defeat?

Lahm: "Not at all, nobody is happy about that. But let' s take a look at the facts: We managed to be successful after we won the treble even though many expected us to be less successful. Look at the post World Cup period. Many predicted the team' s performance would decline due to the energy sapping World Cup with seven Bayern players winning the title. On top of everything I' d just like to say, the team has developed in these periods, meaning we have improved. It is an out and out positive thing to be aware, you can pick up speed again soon after crossing the finishing line first. If you lose something like a semifinal, it is good to think about your next chance to do better."

Xinhua: Chelsea and Jose Mourinho vs Pep Guardiola?

Lahm: "Everybody knows that we lost the final in Munich in 2012 - with Roberto di Matteo as their coach. It was not a happy night for us, though we sort of make up for it the year after by winning the Champions League. I can tell you, players don' t think about a possible duel between coaches."

Xinhua: Talking about doing things better. After Bayern lost 1-4 to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga after the winter break, many said Pep Guardiola' s systems contain too many risks as the team operates high up the field and therefore opponents can easily get into the space between goalkeeper and back row or midfield.

Lahm: "17 match days in the first part of the Bundesliga season and most of the previous season people clapped when watching our game. But what happened after the winter break in the Bundesliga is a clear message: The one telling us every system is as good as long players do what they are supposed to do. When we don' t follow the must dos we will experience games like Wolfsburg. If a system worked well over one and a half years - there can' t be wrong with it."

Xinhua: Let' s look at it from a different perspective then: Is Bayern' s risky game especially attractive for fans and spectators?

Lahm: "I don' t see too much risk in our game. We could play much more defensively and park the bus, but hey, is that something you' ll have fun with? I think it' s better to have the ball and run the game than desperately chase the ball all around the park. We have even improved our campaign when it comes to regaining the ball after losing it.

Xinhua: Back to Donzek

Lahm: "Thank you."

Xinhua: What do you expect?

Lahm: "A fast, highly skilled team - it is always hard in the last 16 - there' s no easy team. The aim must be to come away with a good result in the first leg. The round of the last 16 is a dangerous one."

Xinhua: Are you worried about playing in a country which is more or less on war?

Lahm: "It' s not a nice thought that people are suffering, but that' s something you see in many places on earth. Being a sportsman, one comes across such topics - and all of us hope there will be a solution for the people soon."

Xinhua: Let' s keep talking about hard stuff. Can a captain influence his team while he is injured?

Philipp Lahm: "I' m with the team every day. I attend all the meetings, I talk to my teammates and the coaches. But - and at that point you are right - I' m not on the pitch. You watch the games and I' m in our dressing room when we play at home. To be in the middle during a game is something important. But at least I can talk about my general impression."

Xinhua: Before the winter break a lot of people said this might be Bayern Munich' s best ever squad - do you agree?

Lahm: "You can' t compare different decades, but the team' s reaction after the treble and after a long sapping World Cup was impressive. There was the feeling we can handle success and it' s fun to go on and get more. The team' s feeling was and is, it' s great to try different tactical systems and to get ready for the next team we play. It' s a quality of this team that it is able to operate with different tactics and face opponents with different tactical systems."

Xinhua: You were a right and left back for over ten years and then you played in defensive midfield....

Lahm: "... well you must know I was originally a midfielder and on top of everything you can say football has changed meaning. If you look at a tactically highly skilful team like ours, right and left backs are now no longer less skilled defenders or only on the pitch to support the creative midfielders. You still have some positions that are, let' s say special like central defenders and center forwards, but all the rest is more or less at the same level. They must be good on the ball and are able to initiate attacks. So David Alaba can play in midfield, Juan Bernat, Rafinha are great midfielders - I don' t see right and left backs as players that are just run up and down the flanks."

(mo