Special envoy to Lisbon
How do you explain this great adventure?
Juninho: We are first proud of the results, of the qualification, the second in the history of the club in the semi-finals of the Champions League. A lot of pride. The group has matured a lot for a while. The fact of not being able to finish the championship gave them a blow, with this 7th place which is not European ... We know that we could do much better. The preparation after the interruption was different. I felt that the players came back with a lot more maturity, the desire to work and play for each other. To build, it takes a long time. To destroy it, if you are not careful, it can be the story of a week ... You have to keep the state of mind, calm, humility. To get through this kind of match, of course you also need success. We had some. But we saw a team that releases a lot of energy. For me, talent comes later. I say this often. First, the daily work. Afterwards, it's this collective state of mind that wants you to get high for the partner. Then the talent comes. This is how the team is today. We live well together. There is one more thing that should not be forgotten. During the whole season, the substitutes rarely made a difference. There, it is the substitutes who qualify PSG and Leipzig. For us, those who come back to each match are good, Moussa Dembélé scored twice (against City), Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, Thiago Mendes, Kenny Tete ... Everyone. All teams dream of having this desire to work. But we must continue. We are in semis. Knowing that it's on a match makes mental preparation easier. On a match, the favorites see their margin decrease a little. Even if we know that the opponents are seen as stronger than us, if we play like that, we can play against any team.
Bayern, are they stronger than Juventus and Manchester City?
I would say that Bayern gave us a lesson in football against Barça, in all areas: high pressing, possession of the ball, working without the ball ... Bayern has been an example for a long time. It’s an inspiration. But I think, even if you are Barca, you can't afford not to defend all together. If we look at the match, Barça has chances before it goes. But there were differences, as both teams have talent with the ball. Barça lacked aggressiveness and humility, to say that in front, it was Bayern and that we had to get high to get the ball back together. I think we can and should do more in this area. But obviously, like everyone in football, I was surprised by the result, the domination in all areas. It starts with the keeper. Manuel Neuer is one of the best in the world, he is very comfortable with the foot. A fantastic right-back / midfielder, a fantastic midfielder, the fastest left-back in the world (Alphonso Davies). And after, having a player like Thiago Alcantara on your team is huge. You add Lewandowski, Müller, it goes very quickly on the sides ... There is quality everywhere. But you never lose before the game. So we must continue to work, with this humility. Between now and Wednesday, I think we will be very well physically. And after, we'll see on the ground ...
More info to follow ...
Interview at a press point
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