MY ACCOUNT
Bayern Munich new boy Matthijs de Ligt is quickly adapting to life in Germany, as he hailed the mentality of the Bundesliga giants.
De Ligt, signed from Juventus in a €67million transfer prior to the season, started on Wednesday as Bayern went on to thrash lower-league Viktoria Koln 5-0.
Maiden Bayern goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Mathys Tel gave Julian Nagelsmann’s team a 2-0 lead, before second-half strikes from Sadio Mane, Jamal Musiala and Leon Goretzka finished the rout.
And De Ligt believes a defining characteristic he has noticed since arriving in Munich is Bayern’s ability to maintain focus in matches they could comfortably cruise through.
“Every game is difficult, even if you play against Viktoria Koln today with a lot of fans here,” he said.
“It’s always difficult, you have to be concentrated every minute, because you know if you’re not concentrated you can get a goal against.
“You feel immediately when you come here – it was the same with Ajax and Juventus – you feel that they want to win, and they want to win big.
“They want to be concentrated at every second, and that for me is really important, and can make me a better player.”
When asked why he believes Bayern’s new recruits have hit the ground running, De Ligt said: “Yeah, because I think we have a lot of good players, and it’s really clear for everybody, also the new guys, how to play.
“You see the new guys today – Mathys scored a goal, I think Ryan made a goal, and Sadio has already scored a lot of goals.
“I think we’re all adapting well, and obviously the help of the team-mates is really important.”
