Vincent Kompany has given Bayern its DNA back: Lothar Matthaus

Lothar Matthaus started playing two years after Pele retired and hung up his boots two years before Cristiano Ronaldo made his international debut. In between, the only German to win the FIFA Player of the Year award, Matthaus won everything for club and country, including the World Cup in 1990 as the captain of Die Mannschaft. A Bayern Munich legend, Matthaus talked to TOI exclusively about the Bavarian giants’ impending Champions League clash against Barcelona, Leverkusen’s rise and his memories of his greatest rival Diego Maradona.

Excerpts from a video interview...

Lothar, can you share your thoughts on Bayern Munich’s impending clash with Hansi Flick’s Barcelona in the Champions League?

You know, I am going for the match tomorrow (Wednesday) to work for my TV channel! I was watching Barcelona play Sevilla, and I saw both teams playing the same style, very high line, attacking early and playing with the fourth defenders on the middle line. They leave a lot of space between the defence and the goalkeeper. This can be the space for the striker. And I am happy for my friend Hansi Flick who is doing a fantastic job in Barcelona. I think it's similar in Bayern Munich with Vincent Kompany who has given Bayern its DNA back. I was missing it for the last two years. It will be a nice game, especially for football fans.

I think it's a special game for Hansi because he will not forget his time with Bayern as a coach and as a player. He played four years in Bayern Munich and got good results as a coach when he won seven titles in twelve months. I think it's a fantastic story for him and for Bayern Munich. I think he found in Barcelona a place where he can impart the style he wants. Hansi likes to work the same with the young players and Barcelona has a lot of young, talented players.

Will you be happy if Barcelona tops Bayern Munich?

For me it’s a football game. I’m a fan of Bayern Munich. Because I played twelve years for this club. I’m friends with Hansi. And for this, the best will be if nobody wins (with a cheeky smile). But both teams have lost one game each already. And this means when you lose now, you can have a maximum of 18 points if you win the next five. But nobody can give you the guarantee. You go with 18 points straight into the next round. Or, one must go through a playoff game. No team likes that. The team that loses tomorrow will find it very difficult to qualify straight to the second round. Both Bayern and Barca are leading in their domestic leagues. And both teams have played in the offensive mode. Both have players with similar styles. Two experienced strikers, Harry Kane (Bayern) and Robert Lewandowski (Barca), are in fine goal-scoring form. Both have fast wingers. I think Bayern has the edge because of Manuel Neuer, their goalkeeper who is far more experienced than Pena Sotores, the Barca goalkeeper who is filling in place of injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Last season Bayer Leverkusen got the better of Bayern. Your thoughts on how this season will unfold…

Last year Bayer Leverkusen were almost perfect. Last year they were playing with a positive energy. They were under no pressure. Now the fans and journalists expect similar standards from Leverkusen. That is not possible this season. And Bayern Munich will not play like the last two years. They will be better. Bayern Munich’s curve in on the rise. Leverkusen’s graph has somewhat plateaued. Now they have to fight 95 minutes to win every game. Last year things were looking much easier. They were moving the ball around at will and were controlling the game. Now when they played Bayern, they had 30% possession. Last year they enjoyed 60% possession against them. There is more surround sound that Leverkusen is dealing with this season regarding transfers. You have a lot of stories now around the team in Leverkusen than last season. It creates pressure.

You just said that Bayern Munich is fun to watch again…

Yes.

So, tell us a bit more about how Kompany is bringing fun to Bayern’s game…

Kompany has understood the pulse of the players. Thomas Tuchel never could do that. Kompany had a good conversation with the players. He allows the players to express themselves, go for attack and score. That’s what players like to do. He has given the players confidence to show their quality. See how Musiala (Yamal) is playing freely. Kompany has been a great defender but if he tries to teach Musiala how to dribble, then it will be a mistake. Tuchel tried to change players. Tried to make them do things that didn’t come naturally to them. Tuchel tried to give the team a style that’s not in their DNA. And I think this was the problem between Tuchel and the team. Tuchel is a good trainer but was not the right coach for Bayern Munich.

How do you see the German national team shaping up?

We cannot be happy with Germany’s results in the last two World Cups where we could not escape from the group. But now we are very happy with our current national coach Julian Nagelsmann. He gives them happiness on the field. They come to the national team with a smile. There was too much disturbance in the German federation, and it affected the national team. Now, director Rudi Voeller is acting as the wall to keep the disturbance away from the team. The teams in Russia and Qatar had quality, no doubt. But outside problems affected the team. Now Voeller is cleaning things up before it reaches the team. Voeller and Nagelsmann's relationship is good for the national team. And we must remember that the fate of the German team and Bayern Munich are intertwined. When Bayern performs well, the national team does well too.

You played two World Cup finals with Maradona. He admired you as his best rival. Which one did you enjoy the most, Mexico 1986 or Italy 1990?

I enjoyed Italy 1990 more not only because we won the World Cup. I was playing for Inter Milan at that time. I won the World Cup in my ‘home’ country. I am a German who was living in Italy, and I felt like I was at home. It was a home World Cup. And we had a fantastic team. We were the team to beat. When somebody will win this World Cup, they must first win against Germany. This was not the feeling in Mexico, when we lost the final to Diego Maradona’s Argentina. We lost our third game against Denmark. We played a draw against Uruguay. The feeling was not the same. In Italy, we got tremendous support too. The final in Rome was a ‘home’ game for us. In Mexico City, it was a ‘home’ game for Argentina. We had 65,000 supporters for Germany in Rome. Italian fans also supported us. because most of our national team players then were playing in Serie A. For me, 1990 was better. For Diego, it was 1986.

(Watch Bayern Munich in action in Bundesliga on October 27,2024 against VfL Bochum Live on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD from 8:00 PM IST)