You guys think this is legit?

Goal.com: Did Jurgen Klinsman underestimate the difference between being national team coach and Bundesliga coach?

Thomas Strunz: "I think Jurgen Klinsmann underestimated [the Bundesliga] when he was Bayern coach. I do not think that he is a club coach. He works as a visionary and he was involved in many things that Bayern and the DFB do to this day. But I do not think he's a guy whose strengths are in creating a daily training schedule."

Do Bayern now have the right coach?

Thomas Strunz: "Jupp Heynckes is the perfect coach for Bayern. He has a lot of experience and he knows how to deal with stars. A young coach probably would not have worked with such top stars. Heynckes, however, worked in the past with many great players at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid."

Would it have been at all possible to have continued with Louis van Gaal?

Thomas Strunz: "To have continued with Louis van Gaal, they would have needed to replace the entire team. The situation was totally disjointed and Van Gaal was stubbornly clinging to his system. In particularly, he curtailed the freedom of the creative players. But that is necessary to reach the top level. On the other hand, he made the entire success of the team depend on these players. That was a spiral that led into the abyss. It is wonderful now to see the pleasure Franck Ribery takes in playing. His facial expression and body language is completely different now than, says, a year ago."

Was Van Gaal blinded by his success from his first season?

Thomas Strunz: "It was a mistake from the whole club. They were dazzled by reaching the Champions League final in their first season together. In actual analysis, it is forgotten that they had the Arjen Roben factor. That made the difference."

Can Bayern again become one of the best teams in Europe?

Thomas Strunz: "The team is hungry for success. The combination of team, new coach - and the events of last season may provide a lot of momentum. The club will benefit at least from the fact that the team won nothing last year. In the end, luck must also play a role. They can face Barcelona in the quarter-finals and lose.

The Catalans are the epitome of a top team. Would Bayern have a chance against them?

Thomas Strunz: "Of course they can beat Barcelona. In two games, anything is possible. So much can happen. But what is clear is that Barcelona are the favourites."

Do you have a recipe for success? How do you play against Barcelona?

Thomas Strunz: If you look at their tactical formation, they are the only top team that play with no real centre forward. We saw this extremely well in the Champions League final against Manchester United. [Rio] Ferdinand and [Nemanja] Vidic had no real opponents and were completely overwhelmed. They could not be focused on anyone. Maybe a team could try to play with a sweeper. They could operate with three men in front of a central defender. With a back four, the two central defenders are facing a free space. And always, Villa, Iniesta, Messi and Pedro try to get inside. Why should this space be given up?"

Further to the subject: So Bayern use a sweeper vs Barca. Do they need Robben?

Thomas Strunz: "Currently, Bayern do not necessarily need him. At the moment, Arjen Robben is the problem! The team have shown that they can play successfully without him. He's just a great individualist. He must adapt his game. Ribery has done it too and still has complete freedom. But Ribery also helps out on the defensive and has adapted his game to the team. Robben will have to do that too. The question is whether or not he will do so.

Is Robben's standing within the team so great that he can continue to do as he wants? Some even speculate that he is the secret Bayern captain.

Thomas Strunz: "For me, Bastian Schweinsteiger stands at the top of the team hierarchy. Then come a few of the national team players."

Now that we have already talked about Robben, who is the most important player at Bayern?

Thomas Strunz: "Currently, the dependence on Mario Gomez is the greatest. If he is unavailable, then there's [Nils] Petersen and [Ivica] Olic. Mario Gomez is for me an absolute goal machine. He is physically strong, robust, can shoot well with left and right foot and is also fast. He has everything you need to be a top striker. In his position you don't need to be a dribbler. Gomez is one of the top strikers in Europe."

Idrisozet wrote:The best way to win against teams like Barcelona and Madrid is to play the way we know how to play best, instead of changing our entire tactics.

I mean we might need to change 1 or 2 thing against Barcelona and maybe just play cautiously against against Madrid and don't change anything.

che wrote:don't need any of that crap... just watch how valencia play against them and imagine soldado and pablo replaced with players who can finish chances

The xcx wrote:

Idrisozet wrote:The best way to win against teams like Barcelona and Madrid is to play the way we know how to play best, instead of changing our entire tactics.

I mean we might need to change 1 or 2 thing against Barcelona and maybe just play cautiously against against Madrid and don't change anything.

Just like you played against barca in audi cup, despite losing? Lets face it Bayerns style of pressing and calmness is exactly what barca wants.

The xcx wrote:
I agree but, we even gave a better performance than Valencia, in bernabeu. It should have been 6-2.

che wrote:

The xcx wrote:
I agree but, we even gave a better performance than Valencia, in bernabeu. It should have been 6-2.