Philipp Lahm believes Bayern Munich improved since final defeat

Bayern Munich skipper Philipp Lahm revealed his side has significantly improved since last season’s Champions League defeat to Chelsea at the Allianz Arena.

Chelsea lifted the Champions League trophy after overcoming the German giants in the penalty shootout, as extra time ended in a 1-1 draw. Bayern are determined to try and bounce back from their last season’s unexpected and frustrating defeat to claim the major European title this season.

However at first they have to outplay mighty Barcelona in the semi-finals. The first leg of the tie takes place at the Allianz Arena and with Bayern having secured the victory in 26 of their last 30 home games the team is beaming with confidence ahead of Barca’s visit.
Arsenal proved Bayern Munich are not invulnerable at home by battling to an unlikely 2-0 victory at Allianz Arena, even though they were eliminated on away goals.

Lahm said: “It was a huge disappointment to lose the final at home, but we see we have learnt from that and come back much better, especially in this season’s Champions League. We have just developed further and strengthened our squad over the summer. Everyone in the squad can come in and give a performance. I think that is what has helped us.”

Despite giving credit to Barcelona superstar Messi’s huge talent, Lahm insists Bayern Munich will respect the Spanish side irrespectively, notwithstanding whether he plays or not. He said: “Messi is the best player in the world, with him Barcelona play better and we saw that when he came on against PSG, you could see his involvement. When he’s on, the standard goes up, but Barcelona aren’t just about Messi. I don’t really care who we face, they are all top players. We have to prove ourselves and show what we can do, we want to win here and go on the attack. We have the right types of players who can take on Barcelona and hurt them.”