Konrad Laimer:

“He can really teach me a lot this year”

Will ÖFB international Konrad Laimer get enough minutes at Bayern this year?

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS, GEPA Pictures)

Konrad Laimer starts his second Bundesliga season with FC Bayern Munich on Sunday. Beforehand, the ÖFB international spoke in an APA interview about Bayern's expectations for the 2024/25 season, the fierce competition in midfield and his first impressions of new coach Vincent Kompany ("He can really teach me a lot this year"). Laimer also looked back on the European Championship exit and ahead to the upcoming tasks with the ÖFB national team.

APA: FC Bayern kick off their Bundesliga campaign in Wolfsburg on Sunday. How satisfied are you with the pre-season preparations?
Konrad Laimer: "After a tournament in the summer, everyone arrives a little differently, and of course a lot has changed with the new coach. Basically, it was a very short and intensive preparation. We need to get back to a certain fitness level and understand the coach's ideas. Now we can finally get going again and see where the journey takes us."

What are FC Bayern's expectations for the new Bundesliga season?
I think the expectations are the same every year. There is only one expectation at FC Bayern in all competitions and that is to always win everything. Nothing has changed in that respect, and it never will. Everyone at the club is of the same opinion.

Do you see yourselves in the role of the hunter or still in the role of the hunted? Who is the favorite for the title?
Of course, last season wasn't satisfactory. We're in a bit of a hunter's role because we didn't win the title last year. But ultimately, our ambition is to be at the top again. I personally don't care exactly what role we're in.

Konrad Laimer

(Bild: GEPA)

What specific things need to be done better to knock Leverkusen off the throne again?
There are many things that need to be done differently now. We have a new coach who is pursuing a new approach and a new idea. Of course, we now have to implement these as a team when things get going. In the first few games, you've already seen a certain signature of how the coach wants to play, and I think it's doing us a lot of good. Accordingly, I am very confident that it will work right from the start. It's important to bring in a certain consistency. You have to keep your level high every three or four days when the games come around so that you win the games. If we can do that, I'm convinced that we'll be right up there with our quality.

I'll do everything I can to make sure I'm on the pitch at the end. That's what every footballer wants.

Konrad Laimer

FC Bayern has appointed a young head coach in Vincent Kompany. What are your first impressions of the new coach?
Very good so far. He has a clear idea of how he wants to play. I can identify with that very well. He also communicates very well what he wants from individual players. I can deal with that very well and feel very comfortable here. Now it's all about implementing his instructions as a team and also each individual as well and as quickly as possible. We didn't have much time in the short preparation period. We have to find our feet week by week, game by game, and keep getting a little bit better.

What changes can you see compared to your predecessor Thomas Tuchel?
I think a lot always changes when a new coach comes in. Every coach has a different approach and a different idea of how they want to play soccer. I've had a lot of new coaches in my career, so you notice different approaches every time. The training is a bit different, the approach is different, the playing styles are different. Every coach has their own way of thinking.

Vincent Kompany, like you, was an aggressive defensive player. What do you hope he will do for your personal development?
I hope that he will give me exactly the things that I can do better. I'm the type of player who accepts a lot, who also benefits from being given things and who can simply learn. I think he can teach me a lot this year so that I can take the next steps in my career. Both as a footballer and as a person, just everywhere. The coach leads by example, both on and off the pitch. Every player can learn a lot from that, whether they're a defender, midfielder or striker.

At FC Bayern, you played in defensive midfield but also as a right-back. In the national team even as a right winger. Do you have a preference as far as your position is concerned?
Yes, definitely in midfield.

With Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Leon Goretzka and new signing Joao Palhinha, there's a lot of competition in defensive midfield. How do you assess the competitive situation and how do you see your current role in the squad?
The competitive situation at FC Bayern is always tough. It's the same this year. We have a lot of quality in all positions, and it feels like every position is filled twice. That's also the case with my position in midfield. Ultimately, however, the competition only makes us better. If two players have the privilege of playing, then two others are sitting on the bench and want to be in the first eleven. That's why every player has to push himself to the limit. I'll do everything I can to make sure I'm on the pitch in the end. That's what every footballer wants.

Let's briefly review your first season in Munich. How would you sum it up?
That's difficult. We've had a season of ups and downs - not the ending we'd hoped for, of course, because we didn't win any titles. Ultimately, though, I want to build on my first season. I want to get a little bit better and take the next steps in my development, push myself personally up another level. As a footballer, you can never be anywhere near the limit. At 27, I'm now at an age where I feel I'm at my best. Physically, I also feel really good. That's why I'm ready to go all out this year.

After the review, a brief look ahead: Where do you personally see yourself in a year's time?
That's always difficult to predict, of course. Ultimately, of course, you want to win titles and feel like you're on the pitch for every game. That's what we all play soccer for. You just have to work hard for that. I don't need to look a year ahead and say this is how it has to be and this is how it has to be. I'm just going to continue on my way. In the end, I just want to win. Playing soccer is just so much more fun, whether it's in training or on match day, when you win in the end.

The Champions League final will take place on May 31 in Munich. Even if it's still a while until then, how much are you already thinking about the "Final Dahoam" at FC Bayern, is it already on the agenda?
No, it's still so far away. We're only just at the end of our preparations, so you can't look that far ahead. For now, it's important to be fit and get the season off to a good start. We want to develop a good dynamic together, a good team chemistry and do our thing game after game.

ÖFB international Konrad Laimer

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Austria caused a sensation at the European Championships by winning their group, but it all came to an end in the round of 16. How difficult was it to cope with the exit?
Yes, it was difficult. It's never easy when a tournament like this comes to such an abrupt end. When you go in with expectations of progressing in a game like that (against Turkey, note) and then end up sitting there and losing such a big game. That hurts, of course, and you felt it over the next few days and weeks.

After the first two Bundesliga games, you'll be back with the national team. What is your goal for the Nations League, which starts at the beginning of September?
We want to continue on the path we've started on. There has been a real development in the national team in terms of how we want to play soccer and how we approach games. We now have another two years with the Nations League and the World Cup qualifiers, which are important. We want to go to a World Cup. That would be something really big for all of us.

Slovenia and Norway are probably the toughest opponents away from home at the start. In addition to the long-term injuries to David Alaba and Xaver Schlager, there may also be other prominent absentees. How confident are you nevertheless for the two duels?
We've had some very important absentees before. What has made us stand out in recent months and years is that we now have such a good, large and broad squad that we can absorb certain things and make up for them as a team. Of course, it won't be easy and the missing players would do us a lot of good. But you can't say every time before an international break who is missing and who is missing. I'm very confident that we'll prepare in such a way that we'll be successful in the two games.