Julian Draxler had thoughts on Bayern Munich vs. Benfica
Ahead of Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League, former Benfica player Julian Draxler came to the defense of his old national team colleague Manuel Neuer, who has been under some heat of late
“Manu is the best goalkeeper of all time. Period. Of course, you can criticize him, but let’s be happy that we can still watch him play. I also think that he’s still at the top level and will make important saves for Bayern this season. This discussion is also very German - I think Gigi Buffon could have come out of his goal five times per game in Italy and the Italians would still have idolized him despite conceding five goals,” Draxler told Ransport’s Philipp Kessler (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
In the lead up to the match, Draxler also gave his breakdown on how things might play out.
“Compared to my time at Benfica, a lot has changed. Many top players have left. But it’s also part of the club’s philosophy to train players and then sell them at a profit. They have been doing this excellently for years. I recently watched a few games and am convinced that they have a very good team again. They still have a good mix of young, hungry players with potential and experienced guys like my old friend Angel di Maria,” said Draxler. “Benfica has a chance against every team in the world – just ask Diego Simeone. Nevertheless, FC Bayern remains the favorites. Bayern will try to press very high - just like Kompany has always done. I think the key is to have calm and class on the ball and not to panic under pressure.
“The spaces that Bayern have offered in recent weeks must be used efficiently. That’s how you can hurt them - but of course that’s easier said than done. Barcelona at least showed very well how that can work.”
The former German national team player was not too far off in his assessment.
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