Bayern Munich's Magda Eriksson virtual preview of Women's Champions League quarter against Lyon
17/03/2025
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17/03/2025
uefa25
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00:00Perfect. Let's start with David Meneo from Markham.
00:07Hi to all. Hi Marta. I will ask you about, for you, who was the most dangerous player
00:17in Olympique de Lyon? Thank you.
00:20Well, that's a good question because there's so many. This is what it feels like. Obviously,
00:29we had Xiaoying, our PSG, in our group last year. So we played against Xiaoying two times
00:36and we could feel the threat that she poses. She's just a fantastic player and I think
00:42she's settled really well into this Lyon side. So she will be a threat. Diani, always a threat.
00:52Really strong, one-on-one players. I also think, I mean, we all know Wendy Renard as
00:57well from corners, from set-pieces. She's extremely strong too. So I think there's
01:03enough threats in Lyon, but I hope that we can stop them.
01:09Does it bother you that the people put the name favourite to Lyon in this tie?
01:17No, I think it's natural. I think they have a history in the competition. That is something
01:23that we respect a lot. I don't know how many times they have won this competition, but
01:30they definitely have a fantastic history in this tournament. Unfortunately, we don't have
01:36the same, but we know our qualities and we know that we are right there to compete against
01:42these big clubs. We are also a strong team, but we accept that they get this favourite
01:51stamp.
01:53Thank you very much.
01:57We've got Nagore from Relevo, please.
01:59Hi Magda, here, Nagore from Relevo. I have one question for you. We have seen that recently
02:09Alara has renewed her contract with Bayern. You as a captain, have you given her any advice
02:17when you are going to play matches like this against Lyon? Thank you.
02:22I think, first of all, Alara for her age is incredibly mature. She is someone who has
02:30her head in the right place already. She is not one of those young players that I feel
02:36that I need to help a lot because she is just very focused and very mature, even though
02:42she is so young. But we are always there for her to help her with what she needs. I mean,
02:49sometimes we forget even that she is so young because she's been with us now for one and
02:54a half years and she feels like any other player really. So it's fantastic that she
02:59has signed a new contract. I'm very happy about this. I think her future is extremely
03:05bright and even now it's not only about the future, like now she is also contributing
03:10to our game. So I'm very happy about this signing and I'm excited to see where she comes.
03:22Super, thank you. Do you have any more? Are we okay to move on?
03:27Yeah, we can keep going.
03:28Fantastic. Thank you so much. Very quickly. Let's go to Claire Watkins,
03:33please, from Just Women Sports.
03:36Hi, Magda. Thank you so much for taking the time. I guess I just wanted to ask about,
03:39you have such experience in this competition. What is the mental shift going from the group
03:44stage into the knockout rounds for you?
03:48Yeah, I think it is a big difference. It is a mental shift because in the group stage,
03:54you kind of always have, or you know that you have time to fix things. If you slip up in one
04:00game, you have time to fix it in the next games because the group stage is long and there's time.
04:06But here now, it's crunch time. It's really important to get that first good result. We
04:12have to be ready. We don't have time for slip ups. And I think that is the biggest difference.
04:20For us, we're extremely hungry about reaching this knockout stage because last year,
04:25unfortunately, we missed out on it. So I think we have to be aware of the difference.
04:30It's about being switched on on the day. But we are also looking forward to it so much.
04:36You mentioned Lyon being possibly the favorites going into this. Is it helpful at all,
04:41even to take on that underdog mentality, knowing that they are the ones that maybe
04:46have a little bit more pressure?
04:48I think that's the way we should spin it in the team. I think we make it a positive thing for us
04:54because we know within ourselves that the difference is not that big. You look at all the
05:00quarterfinals and the difference is marginal between all the teams. And I think obviously,
05:06the ones who ended up first in their groups maybe go in as favorites just because of that.
05:12But we know and Lyon knows that it's going to be a really tight game. But we also respect Lyon
05:18a lot. And we understand the amount of qualities that they have from back to front, really.
05:25Wonderful. Thank you.
05:28Awesome. Let's go to Rachel from Girls on the Ball, please.
05:31Hi, Magda. I just wanted to ask you about, obviously,
05:35Bayern are still in a number of competitions and have some pretty big games coming up in
05:38the next couple of weeks. I know you have experience juggling that kind of number of
05:43games in a short period of time. Do you relish that? And I guess, how difficult is it to really
05:49focus on one game at a time and not get too far ahead?
05:53Yeah, I mean, if it is something that my experience has taught me, it is that to just be
05:59in the moment, in the present, one game at a time. It is like the biggest cliche in football,
06:04maybe. But it is a cliche for a reason, because it is the only way you can do it.
06:09Now it's even hard for me to talk about the Lyon game because I'm so focused on the game
06:14Friday against Wolfsburg. So that's the only mindset that you can have in these tough moments,
06:20because also every game poses a different challenge. You cannot look too far ahead.
06:26But I'm extremely excited going into this period. I've been really looking forward to
06:31exactly this period of the season, because this is when it all happens. This is when you have to
06:36be at your best all the time, especially as a defender. Coming up against amazing strikers
06:42is what I love to do. So I'm really looking forward to this period.
06:46And obviously you've played in different leagues and different clubs in Europe. How do you feel
06:50that's shaped you as a footballer and also, I guess, prepared you for big moments like this
06:54in your career?
06:56Yeah, I definitely think that moving to different countries, playing against
07:01different kinds of styles of play, different cultures, it's extremely rewarding as a player.
07:09I think it makes me grow so much. And yeah, I feel it also gives me confidence knowing that
07:16I have come up against these teams before. I have come up against the best players in the world
07:21many times. And yeah, it gives you one kind of confidence, but also just,
07:27yeah, it just opens your world to football and opens your thinking and
07:32understanding of the game as well.
07:35Great, thank you. Best of luck.
07:42Hi Magda, hope you're well. I'm going to give my colleague Alexia to take over the
07:47question in place.
07:51Hi Magda, good morning everyone. So I just wanted to ask you, you will be facing Lyon
07:57again now in different colours, as we all know. So how is the preparation and the mental
08:01preparation going to go against them once again?
08:06Yeah, I think for me personally, I'm happy that I have played them in this kind of a game before.
08:13I know that, yeah, they gave us an extremely tough task when I was playing for Chelsea.
08:20Yeah, it went all the way to penalties. And I know what a powerhouse they are. I know that
08:26you can never rule them out because we won the first game and then they came to London and they
08:32made it really difficult for us there. So I think that experience is something that I take with me
08:38for sure. I know that it's not just one game. It's a game of four halves, really, where you
08:44have to be switched on for the whole period and not just peak in a certain time. And I think
08:50that's something that Lyon definitely knows because they're so experienced in this tournament.
08:54And it's something that we will talk a lot about in the team before we play them.
08:59It's over two games. It's important to not slip up, to be ready from the start, but also to
09:05be patient because you have 180 minutes to play for.
09:12And how is the team feeling coming back to the Champions League,
09:15Puerto Rico finals after such a great start of the Bundesliga?
09:19Yeah, we are super excited. I mean, we were gutted that we missed out on this last season.
09:24It was a huge disappointment for us. This is exactly where we want to be. I think this is
09:29where we should be as a team. Like you say, we've had a good start domestically and we've been
09:34strong domestically over time. And I think now it's time to prove ourselves in Europe,
09:39to show that we want to compete on all fronts. And yeah, the Champions League is so fun to play
09:46as well. So we are really looking forward to the knockout stages.
09:56Hi Magda, thank you. So as mentioned, Bayern has been very successful so far
10:04in both the Champions League, but also in the German League. But what do you think has been
10:11the key to the team's success so far? I think the key for us this season has been
10:18our consistency. We've worked under Alex, the coach, now for some time. It's his third season
10:25and I think things are really starting to click. Things are really starting to work and it doesn't
10:29really matter who is playing on the pitch. I think no matter what, the team looks the same.
10:35We are playing the same way, the same principles and we are really hard to beat. We're really
10:40strong. So I think what we've been working on with Alex for many years now is really coming
10:47to place. And I think now we are, yeah, the relationships within the team is really good
10:51and it's a good mood. And yeah, it's just, I feel like we are coming into this period now
10:57really, really well prepared and ready to just give everything and see how far it can take us.
11:04Thank you. And you also mentioned that you will be switched on for the full
11:09180 minutes. But how important do you think that the first leg at home in Munich is going to be
11:16for you? I mean, it is crucial. It's a different thing starting at home to starting away.
11:25So we know that we're going to have to use this home advantage in the first game, but also know
11:31that, okay, if we don't, we can absolutely go to Lyon away and get a result there too. But
11:38obviously getting off to a good start is our main target. And we know we are strong at the campus,
11:43so we will do everything we can to get a really good result there. Thank you. Thank you.
11:49And then finally, Drew Diamond, obviously we've rattled through quite quickly. So I would suggest
11:54if anyone's got some final questions after Drew, if you just kind of raise your hand
11:57in Zoom and we can probably rattle through another couple.
12:01Yeah, perfect. Thank you. So more of a personal one to start off with,
12:06you're very experienced in the Champions League. You've won it, you know, times before,
12:11but it is currently the only available trophy that Bayern are still yet to win.
12:16What would it mean to you on a personal level to be part of that part of history in the club?
12:22I mean, I almost get goosebumps thinking about how much it would mean. So it's hard to express
12:29how much it would mean. It is a trophy that I also haven't won yet. And if it would be my first time
12:37to do it together with this team, this group of girls that I'm with at the moment, it would mean
12:42it would mean so much because it's a fantastic group of girls. It's yeah, it's really a team
12:50environment. There are no egos. No one is above anyone else. There's no superstars. Everyone is
12:56working together against this common goal, which is winning as many trophies as we can. And
13:02we are feeling really good in each other's company. And then I think
13:05winning means even more when you're in a group like that.
13:08Yeah, of course. And it's been touched on slightly by the previous speakers,
13:12but obviously you've beaten teams like Juventus and Arsenal throughout the campaign so far,
13:17finishing second in the group. Would you say that that Leon kind of represent the biggest
13:22challenge so far and the largest hurdle? Definitely. I think they are showing
13:29domestically in their league also throughout the group stage what a strong team that they have.
13:35They still are a powerhouse in women's football. They have that history. They have those players
13:40who have played also played in these games, so many of these kind of games. So they're definitely
13:45going to be our biggest test so far of the season. But I also think timing wise, it's a really good
13:51time for us to play them because we feel really strong at the moment. I think we are ready for
13:55this challenge. Perfect. Thank you. It's great to speak to you again, Magda. Thanks for your time.
14:00Thanks. Rachel, I see your hand up. Just one more, if that's all right. I wanted to ask about
14:08what you learned from the group stage because obviously difficult last year, but this year
14:13you kind of had everything. You had dominant wins, surprising draw, perhaps a lot. It feels like you
14:20were able to take a huge amount from just a few games. Yeah, I think we learned a lot. We probably
14:26learned the most last year when we actually didn't go through in the group and that those
14:31learnings we brought into this group stage and we didn't allow ourselves to slip up this time.
14:36And I think, yes, like you mentioned, we had that draw away to VÃ¥lerengna, but I think that was the
14:42only one and we all knew that it was going to be a one-off. And I think obviously we were also
14:48really close to getting a good result in London and finishing top of the group, but it didn't
14:54happen this time. But I think we were really strong throughout the period of the group stage.
14:59It was a really tough group. So that experience gives us a lot of confidence going into the
15:06knockout stages. Great, thank you. Thank you. And then just Alexia, your hand up. Yeah, thank you.
15:14Just also one more. For you, what's the difference about this year's tournament in terms of
15:21competition from the last year and also from the last time you faced Lyon when you were
15:26in your other team? Thank you. Sorry, say the question again. For you, what's the difference
15:34between this year's competition against the last year's competition
15:40regarding the level and everything, and also the last time you faced Lyon in this
15:47stage of the tournament? I think this year, like I said before, every quarterfinal is
15:55so tight in terms of the quality and comparing the teams. I think last year it always felt like
16:01there was a clear favorite in all the ties, but this year the quarterfinals seems really exciting
16:08and I think it's really good for the tournament that it will be really close games. It's very hard
16:13to predict which team will go through from these quarterfinals, so I think that's really exciting.
16:19And I think Lyon as a team, they have a core of players who are still there from the time when I
16:25played them, but then they've added a few spices of, yeah, Xiaoying, Diani and Dumonet, who are
16:33players who are extremely sharp, extremely quick, extremely like x-factor players who will,
16:40yeah, who can make a difference for them.
16:46Thank you. Excellent. Well, I don't see any other hands up, so I guess that just leaves me to say
16:52thank you so much Magda for your time, and thank you to everyone attending this press
16:56conference today, and I hope you all enjoy the game next week, and Magda, wishing you better luck.