David Alaba still undecided about his future with Bayern Munich (kicker)
David Alaba is not about to make life easier for the myriad Bayern Munich fans distressed at the thought of his potential departure from the club. Toward the end of their interview, kicker asked Alaba where things stood for or against extending with Munich.
Alaba replied, “Good question, about which I’m not thinking at the moment. In the last few weeks, my focus has been on my competitive responsibilities. That will not change in the coming weeks.”
How long will it be until he makes his decision, kicker followed up: “I don’t know,” he said. “But I will have to make it eventually.” Alaba added, “No,” the uncertainty of his future is not a burden.
Alaba’s future will presumably depend at least in part on the position he wants to play. Under Hansi Flick at Bayern, that has been center-back, and Alaba appears to be happy to stay there. “I felt good as a fullback,” he said, “but the same is true for central defense. It wasn’t a secret that I’m a very flexible player who can play several positions. I played inside now and then under Pep Guardiola. It’s working well.”
Alaba feels his style as a center-back fits Bayern’s “philosophy.” He said, “I like the position because I have the ball a lot and I can lead the team from the back and can open up the game.” He feels he interprets the position “completely differently from other center-backs.”
Playing center-back is not a compromise between his former success at left-back and his ambition of being a central midfielder. “I feel good back there, as a person on the pitch I’ve taken a step forward,” he said, “because I can lead the team differently. It was always my ambition to take responsibility on and off the pitch. It’s worked out very well.”
Alaba also touched on the quality of Jerome Boateng, who has been his partner in the central defense for most of this season. He said, “His enormous quality was never a secret to me; he’s proven it often enough in his career. He’s also showing now what he can do. To my mind, that’s world class; we work together very well.”
Hoeness happy about Sané, reticent about Havertz, pleased about Boateng (SPORT1)
In an exclusive interview with SPORT1, former Bayern Munich club president Uli Hoeness responded to several questions touching on various players and Bayern’s newly promoted executive board member Hasan Salihamidzic.
Hoeness notably advised Jerome Boateng “to leave the club” at the end of last season. SPORT1 asked whether Hoeness was “astonished” by Boateng’s “performance explosion” this season. Hoeness replied, “I’d rather not talk about individual players. That’s up to the club leadership and the coach. I’m very happy that the team and obviously also Jerome are playing so outstandingly.
Hoeness was also asked for his thoughts on Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz. Hoeness said:
“Kai Havertz is an outstanding soccer player,” Hoeness said, “who is delivering extraordinary performances at his young age. With him, Leverkusen can beat almost any team on a good day. Therefore our team must be very careful and go to work with great concentration.”
Hoeness declined to indulge the press in any transfer thoughts, especially before Bayern’s clash with Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal final: “I’d prefer not to kick off any personnel discussion before such a game. If I discuss this personnel matter, we’ll have a discussion all week that I’d prefer not to have.”
Hoeness was more candid about Bayern’s latest soon-to-be-official signing, Leroy Sané: “I’m very glad that Leroy is coming to FC Bayern. This transfer will strengthen the attractiveness of this team still more. The front office has done well.”
Hoeness praised Hasan Salihamidzic for his hard work and congratulated him on his promotion to the board. “He has really earned this promotion from sporting director to the board because he worked hard for it. I credit him greatly for the fact that he has never let himself be diverted off his path, even when he has suffered setbacks in public.”
Hoeness said he does not measure the work of a sporting director by one or two transfers, but rather “by the whole package.” Hoeness praised Salihamidzic for his work with FC Bayern Campus director Jochen Sauer, as well as with Hermann Gerland and Hansi Flick.
“The fact that the structure of FC Bayern is being constructively developed is more important to me than a transfer that works out or not. It is also more important that our youth team is top of the table in the 3.Liga and that the one or other from this pool of youth players is already getting a taste of the first team. Because that is the club’s capital.”
Servus, Nianzou!
Hendrich joins Wolfsburg, Weimar joins Sand
A day after Bayern Frauen announced the departure of eight players, we now know the final destination of two of the four who didn’t have new clubs announced. Kathrin Hendrich has signed a two year contract with Wolfsburg, and Jacintha Weimar has joined SC Sand with a shot at being the number one.