FC Bayern Munchen News

The midfielder is thrilled to be on the brink of reaching 100 caps for his country but is determined to emulate his success at club level by winning the World Cup

Bastian Schweinsteiger admits the pressure to succeed with Germany is spurring the side on ahead of the World Cup next summer.

Victory against Republic of Ireland on Friday will seal Joachim Low’s side’s place in Brazil 2014, with many earmarking the Nationalelf as one of the pre-tournament favourites to lift the prize next summer.

Schweinsteiger, who is on the brink of reaching 100 caps for his side, is determined to end Germany’s 23-year wait for a title and believes his remarkable achievements with Bayern Munich will inspire him at international level.

“The expectations towards the German national team are much higher now compared to my debut year of 2004,” he told a press conference. “But that’s a good sign because it shows we’ve had some success lately. And it spurs you on, it is a challenge.

“You really take a lot out of that [the treble for Bayern last season]. Now you know how you can reach such success.”

Schweinsteiger is delighted to be back in the Germany set-up having missed their previous outings due to injury, but has warned that Republic of Ireland will pose a stern test on Friday.

“It feels perfect to be back. My body feels great, the injuries are behind me now,” said the midfielder.

“It’s not going to be easy. The Irish fight tirelessly for their home country, you don’t often see it to that extent. Football-wise they might not be as strong as Argentina or Spain, but their heart is in the right place and they always give everything.”

The 29-year-old will reach 100 caps for his country should he feature against the Boys In Green and Sweden next Tuesday, and while he admits it will be a special achievement, he is determined to add a trophy to his international legacy.

“Of course it’s something special,” he added. “One hundred international matches, that’s nothing you take for granted. But I do hope there will be a lot more – and hopefully some success.

“[Winning the World Cup] is my goal – and we can surely reach it some day.”

The Netherlands international didn’t feature at the BayArena on Saturday until the 71st minute but the winger insists he has no issue with Pep Guardiola

Arjen Robben has dismissed the suggestion that he was unhappy at being on the bench for Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

The Netherlands international, 29, explained that a minor injury was the reason behind his demotion and rejected claims that he was annoyed with coach Pep Guardiola for not introducing him before the 71st minute.

“Of course I would have liked to have come on earlier,” Robben told TZ. “But that’s normal.

“But I also had slight muscular discomfort during the final training session. That was also the reason why the coach put me on the bench.”

Toni Kroos put Bayern ahead against Leverkusen but the hosts equalised almost immediately through Sidney Sam.

In spite of the draw, the Bavarians still moved a point ahead of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga standings.

The former Borussia Dortmund coach has revealed that the Bayern Munich player had an overly critical attitude during his playing days

Ottmar Hitzfeld has admitted that Matthias Sammer is the most “annoying” player to have ever served under him.

The Switzerland boss worked with the legendary sweeper at Borussia Dortmund and reveals that he grew weary of the current Bayern Munich sporting director’s overly critical attitude.

“The hardest [player to coach] was easily Matthias Sammer,” Hitzfeld told Kicker. “Matthias had to complain after every victory, something I found a bit tiring and annoying.

“You cannot always list all the errors; otherwise you lose confidence.”

Hitzfeld also revealed that he initially intended to become a teacher before going into coaching, confessing that it was some time before he felt as if he had chosen the right vocation.

“Being a coach is a gypsy life and involves much risk,” the 64-year-old mused. “The first 10 years were marked by existential fears.”

Hitzfeld and Sammer won the Champions League together at Dortmund, in 1997.

The Bayern chief feels the 21-year-old playmaker should have been given more time to recover from injury ahead of being rushed back into international duty

Uli Hoeness has criticised Joachim Low’s decision to call up Mario Gotze for Germany’s qualifiers against Ireland and Sweden.

The Bayern Munich starlet suffered a twisted ankle in the Uefa Super Cup final win over Chelsea on August 30 and the Bavarian club’s president is adamant the injury-prone playmaker should have been given more time to recover instead of being immediately drafted back into the international fold.

“It would be better for all the parties involved if he trained for two weeks before being called up, then he would reach the necessary fitness level.” Hoeness told Kicker.

“However, that’s just my personal opinion; I won’t interfere with the decision.”

Germany, who top the table in their group C, need just one win out of the two upcoming fixtures in order to book their ticket for the World Cup in Brazil next year.

The midfielder believes the way he plays the game is a perfect fit for the philosophy introduced by his new coach

Toni Kroos has voiced his delight with Bayern Munich’s playing style under new head coach Pep Guardiola and feels their possession-based tactics suit him well.

The 23-year-old impressed with a fine performance in Bayern’s 1-1 Bundesliga draw against Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend and he is very pleased with the way things are going at the Champions League holders at the moment.

“Our style of play is a lot of fun,” Kroos told Bild.

“It really suits me that we use a lot of short passes through the middle and then quickly move play to the wings.”

Kroos then went on to discuss the draw against Leverkusen and admits that the final result was a big disappointment for Bayern.

“We all feel it when we are in total control on the pitch and dominate play.

“However, you simply have not done enough when the game eventually ends 1-1. We gave away two points against Leverkusen.”

Kroos has made 14 appearances for Bayern in all competitions this term, scoring once in the process.