In the first few weeks at Bayern, things didn’t always go according to plan for Mathijs de Ligt. After his Champions League debut for the German record champions, the Dutchman revealed why he thought that was the case.
Even before Mathijs de Ligt had even really arrived in Munich, the Dutchman had to listen to the first slight criticism due to his lack of fitness. Now the problem is no more. Thanks to extra shifts, the 80 million man has worked his way up to the team.
Nagelsmann’s confidence in him is growing, and the defender repaid this with a strong performance in the important Champions League group game at Inter Milan (2-0). After the game, he spoke to “Sky Italia” about his adjustment problems and did not hide the fact that he actually found the change difficult in the first few weeks.
De Ligt: Intensity at Bayern higher than at Juve
“I’m playing against some of the best strikers in the world in training. It was a bit complicated at first, but I’m learning day by day and I’m getting better and better. That’s very important for me,” said the Dutchman.
Training at Juventus Turin was also tough, said de Ligt, “but in Italy it’s more about tactics and systems. It’s not that intense and above all there’s less sprinting,” joked de Ligt, who after his first training session in Munich spoke of the “toughest of the last four years”.
“I had my problems at the beginning because I wasn’t used to the intensity of Bayern training, but now I’m in good shape,” said de Ligt, who was one of the strongest Bayern players in Munich’s 2-0 win over Inter Milan -Belonged to professionals and has now overcome his fitness problems thanks to hard work.