“We are very lucky to be able to make history.” Like Joshua Kimmich, the Bayern Munich players want to add a sixth trophy to their five-title Grand Slam in 2020: the Club World Cup in Qatar.
On Monday (18h00 GMT) in Rayán, very close to Doha, the European champions face their semifinal against the Egyptian club Al-Ahly, winner of the African Champions League.
“It is a team that has the ambition to play football and that has many offensive solutions. Its lateral defenses are also very offensive,” Bavarian coach Hansi Flick analyzed this Sunday, asking his players not to underestimate the rival.
If they win, the Germans will play the final on Thursday (18h00 GMT) against Tigres de México, which defeated the Brazilian Palmeiras 1-0 this Sunday.
“We are going to the Club World Cup with the very clear objective of bringing the trophy to Munich. Six trophies from the same season, so far only FC Barcelona has done it,” launched Bayern skipper Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, full of enthusiasm .
– Ambitious players –
Bayern won the Bundesliga and the German Cup, the Champions League and the German and European Super Cups in 2020.
In 2013, the ‘Rekordmeister’ had won five trophies out of six, including the Club World Cup, but did not take the German Super Cup, which yielded to his great rival of the time, Borussia Dortmund.
“Always wanting to win everything, has long been inscribed in the DNA of this club,” recalled Rummenigge, revealing an episode in the club’s life that illustrates this mentality.
When a few months ago there was talk of canceling the World Cup due to the coronavirus, Rummenigge, Hansi Flick and a delegation of team players went to see him to ask him to speak to their friend Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, to convince him that it was disputed the tournament at all costs.
Rummenigge assures that this gesture impressed him: “They won everything in 2020, they have a hellish calendar, but they want even more,” he explained.
“We absolutely wanted to play this tournament,” confirmed Flick. “We know we have to face fatigue, but we arrived motivated, and to crown an extraordinary season with a sixth title is a great motivation,” added the coach.
– Bayern tired –
A mishap at the Berlin airport on Friday added even more pressure. When it was due to take off at the end of the night to arrive in Doha around 07:00 a.m. the next day, the team’s plane was grounded in the German capital and they were only able to leave on Saturday.
On a sporting level, Bayern are tired, but their offensive potential (3 goals per game on average this season) continues to make the difference: they have five consecutive Bundesliga victories.
“Our game is always analyzed by saying that Bayern is not as dominant as last season. But we must not forget that last year was absolutely exceptional for us,” Thomas Müller recently noted.
“We had a short winter break to regain strength. We have an excellent squad. It is important to have this reserve of players and that we can make changes,” midfielder Joshua Kimmich said on Sunday.
“To say that we have too many games is not really a valid excuse. The conditions are in place for us to have a good tournament,” added the player.
The champions of Germany arrive almost completely in Qatar. Only Leon Goretzka and Javi Martínez, who tested positive for the coronavirus, stayed in Munich.
Since 2013, the Club World Cup has always been won by the European representative and Bayern wants to prolong that dominance.
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