The 2022-23 Bundesliga is set to resume after an extended Winterpause on the back of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but German juggernaut Bayern Munich is set to return to action while sitting in their self-proclaimed rightful place atop the table after a six-match winning run in the wake of a poor start to the campaign.
One of many Bayern players eager to get back into the thick of the club calendar is French international center-back Dayot Upamecano after the 24-year-old Les Bleus starlet was one of Didier Deschamps’ most outstanding performers during tournament play.
According to the player himself, in quotes sourced by iMiaSanMia via TZ München’s Philipp Kessler, the Évreux native opened up about his tournament experience during France’s run to the final before losing on penalties to Lionel Messi’s Argentina, while Upamecano also is keen to look forward regarding a number of key talking points that are set to dominate Bayern’s Rückrunde.
Dayot Upamecano: “The World Cup is over and done. We lost, it happens. But I gained a lot of experience at the tournament” [@kessler_philipp, @tzmuenchen] pic.twitter.com/KwWZbUMu41
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) January 12, 2023
“The World Cup is over and done. We lost, it happens. But I gained a lot of experience at the tournament” Upamecano stated. “The training camp was very good. The atmosphere was great, the team did a great job. Everyone was focused. I’m happy to be back. Now I’m back with Bayern. I’m fully focused. I want to play and win many games again”
Bayern already added another big name into the senior ranks under Julian Nagelsmann when they secured Dutch veteran defender Daley Blind on a free transfer after his contract was terminated by Eredivisie giants AFC Ajax, but Upamecano is excited by the arrival of the 32-year-old Amsterdam native when he claimed “He’s a great player with a lot of experience. I’m glad he’s at Bayern.”
But one of the biggest concerns for the Bavarian juggernaut surrounds club star Manuel Neuer after the Germany number one suffered a serious leg fracture during a skiing accident while on holiday in the aftermath of Die Mannschaft crashing out of the group stage. Upamecano, however, remains confident in the club’s ability to kick on without the iconic shot-stopper.
Last but not least, another return to Saxony for Upamecano as the Frenchman prepares to lineup in Nagelsmann’s preferred XI when Bayern head to Red Bull Arena to clash with former club RB Leipzig as both manager and player will no doubt think back on fond memories across their time at the club. But for Upa, it is business as usual.
“I played with Leipzig for five years. I’m happy to play against my ex-club. It’s a great team with great fans. But we will do everything to win the game. That’s our attitude against every opponent.”
With Bayern sitting four points clear over Christian Streich’s high-flying SC Freiburg while already at the 50-goal mark for the season, what could have been the first season since 2011-12 that did not see Bayern crowned champion has divulged into the expected sight of the Allianz Arena once again being the position of power in the country, with Upamecano playing a key role in the return to “normalcy.”
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