Arjen Robben: Bayern Munich must win remainder of games this year
Arjen Roben insists Bayern Munich must win the remainder of their games this year if they want to be back on top in the Bundesliga by the winter break.
It has been an unusual season thus far for Bayern Munich. There was always going to be some transitional pains at the club after appointing the relatively unexperienced Niko Kovac as their new manager. The Croatian has already seen many ups and downs in his initial few months at the club.
Though they’ve broken out of their winless streak, Bayern still need to show some consistency after their wins over Wolfsburg and AEK Athens. In an interview with Sport Bild, Arjen Robben outlined the plans for the Bavarians to regain top spot in the Bundesliga. The Dutchman believes Bayern have very little margin for error and they must win all the remaining games of this year.
"“We can only do one thing: win our games. If you lose, then suddenly everything is bad talked.“Now we win again. Our goal is to win all matches before the winter break.”"
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Bayern suffered heavy defeats against Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach earlier this season, while Augsburg held them for a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena to begin their winless treak. These results have dragged Bayern to fourth position in the league table, trailing leaders Borussia Dortmund by four points.
Bayern face the black-and-yellows in just over two weeks. Robben has a great record against Dortmund and will be hoping to maintain that streak next month.
Robben has been a key player for Niko Kovac, no doubt picking up more minutes than expected thanks to Kingsley Coman’s injury earlier this season. The Dutchman has scored three goals in the Bundesliga this season, which is likely to be his last in a Bayern shirt. The 34-year-old is a fantastic example for younger players to admire, as he still consistently works hard for the club.
One such youngster, Serge Gnabry, has apparently impressed his veteran teammate. In another interview with Bild, Robben asserted that Gnabry has the perfect attitude to become a top player in Munich. He insisted that Gnabry works hard in training to improve his game and has provided him a “workout partner.” Gnabry has endured a slow start to his career at Bayern despite enjoying a brilliant loan spell at Hoffenheim. His performance against AEK Athens earlier this week was promising, however, and he will be looking to build on it in the upcoming games.
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Gnabry is likely to feature in the starting lineup against Mainz on Saturday, as Robben is suspended for this game. Franck Ribery also trained individually on Thursday after missing the midweek game due to a minor injury. Bayern looked rusty in Athens, so Kovac will be hoping his players give a much improved performance at the weekend.