"It gave us a little bit more belief" - Thomas Muller says moment when teammate hunted Arsenal star 'like a dog' gave Bayern Munich renewed hope
Bayern Munich superstar Thomas Muller has claimed that Konrad Laimer's performance in their UCL win against Arsenal helped give his side a massive boost of confidence.
The Bavarians haven't had a very successful season to date, despite signing the likes of Harry Kane. They conceded the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen and were unable to clinch any domestic trophy.
However, Thomas Tuchel and Co. were able to stick together as a unit to defeat Arsenal 1-0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on April 17, winning 3-2 on aggregate. Konrad Laimer had a phenomenal outing in the Bayern midfield, neutralizing Martin Odegaard's threat level on the night.
Muller spoke to CBS Sports following Bayern's 2-2 draw against Real Madrid in the first leg of the UCL semi-finals. When asked what gave Bayern the belief to reach the final, he replied (via METRO):
"The games and the win over Arsenal gave us a little bit of self-confidence. Not the team spirit where you go out and drink a beer together but it gave us this belief, this kind of… this Konni Laimer feeling when he is hunting Odegaard like a dog, maybe you know this story."
He added:
"This winning feeling, it gave us a little bit more belief in ourselves to be a bit more aggressive in the last few weeks. We’re in a good mood, we are not playing perfect but we are playing better."
Bayern will face Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-finals at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, May 8.
Bayern Munich play out thrilling 2-2 draw against Real Madrid following Arsenal UCL Q/F win
Bayern Munich showed no signs of regressing after their Champions League quarter-final win against Arsenal as they played out an entertaining 2-2 draw against Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena (April 30).
The hosts had a dominant start but conceded against the run of play in the 24th minute. Toni Kroos threaded a near-perfect pass from the middle of the pitch, allowing Vinicius Junior to make a good run and finish past Manuel Neuer.
Bayern emphatically answered back at the start of the second half after Leroy Sane (53') and a Harry Kane penalty (57') gave them the lead. The Bundesliga giants weren't able to get the win though as Vinicius leveled the scores from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute following a poor foul by Kim Min-jae.