Claudio Pizarro’s words about the South American Qualifiers explain why the teams suffer with the classification

Find below the interview with Claudio Pizarro talking about the Bundesliga, his career as a soccer player, the Peru team and more.

What made you choose Bremen when you decided to trade South America for Europe?

It is a difficult question to answer! It was a really important decision, really. My father and I analyzed both the option of Bremen and that of going to Betis in Seville. The latter would have been the most comfortable option because of the language and because Spain was a country better known to me as Latin American. But I ended up choosing Bremen because both my parents and my representatives noticed the discipline with which Werder worked in that process, it was super disciplined and finally it was for the Werder that we opted for.

Your first impression of Germany

My first impression was the cleanliness and organization. It really caught my eye because I guess I wasn’t used to it. It caught my eye from the beginning. Obviously there were issues like the weather and the language that were very hard for me. But I was learning it little by little. Those situations helped me to adapt to the culture and the country.

The advice you would give to a young talent arriving in Germany

What advice would you give him? I would say that he tries to adapt as quickly as possible to the culture and, obviously, to the language, since it is very important to be able to communicate. I think that is really important. And in a way, the locals appreciate the effort you make in this regard.

You came to Bremen from Peru in 1999 and played your last game for them 21 years later …

I’ve said it many times: it’s like my second home. I will always be very grateful for the opportunity they gave me to come to Europe. It was the club where I played for the first time in Europe and obviously to a club to which I have returned a lot, because of the affection that people have. I have always felt very comfortable and I have always had an incredible relationship with the club and with the fans.

On facing Werder Bremen or Bayern Munich

Of course, it was a very special match. But I am the type of person who has to leave everything on the field for my team, whoever the opponent is. If I have friends or special memories there, professionalism always prevails. I always tried to win for my team! Somehow I loved them very much, and out of respect for that I think I did everything possible to achieve a victory and a moment of happiness for the club where I was playing at the time.

Claudio Pizarro, started his Bundesliga career with Bremen before winning six league titles with Bayern. Who will you support on Saturday, November 21 (Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen; matchday 8)?

It is a very special match because I played for both teams. I have many friends and many good memories. Obviously I’m at Bayern Munich right now [fue nombrado embajador del club el 15 de septiembre de 2020]So I hope they play well and win the game. But as I have said many times, I have a lot of love for Werder, and as long as they play elsewhere I hope they do well.

Josh Sargent is the man leading the Werder line today. You played with him for the last few seasons. How do you rate their progress?

Great, I got to know him well. I think he is a very talented boy. Very intelligent, very capable of analyzing situations and seeing moments in games to take advantage of them. I think in time you will learn a lot more, of course. But I hope he scores a lot of goals for Werder and I hope he has a good season.

There were many champions on that team. Who was your favorite player to play?

I’ve said it many times: for me, one of the best players I met was Ze Roberto, a Brazilian with whom I played for many years at Bayern. It was one of the most important for me, because he was always giving me the ball to convert! He was always one of those players who surprised me a lot.

Bayern Munich won their second continental treble last season. You had the privilege of experiencing this, in 2013. How important is the achievement?

Of course, it is very special for the club. Obviously for us fans, for the people who follow Bayern Munich, we know how competitive the main leagues in Europe are and Bayern in recent years has been very important for the Bundesliga, reaching the last stages of the European competition , to the finals. I think that is very good for the Bundesliga. And of course Bayern are always in the top four teams and I think what they did this year was special. The team underwent many changes, and in the end they managed to win a title, or rather a treble, which for the club and the players is very special.

Which Bayern Munich players from this current group impressed you the most?

I think definitely the players they had from the 2012-2013 season, who won the treble. With the experience they have and the years they have spent at the club, they would have been a great support for the new players and for the younger players. They are Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba and Javi Martinez. For me, those were the most important players for Bayern to win the treble again.

Were you sure that Hansi Flick could recreate the success you enjoyed with Jupp Heynckes at Bayern?

To tell you the truth, no. I did not expect it. It was a very pleasant surprise, and maybe I was wrong not to have expected this to happen, because usually when there is a big change you need time to adjust, you talk a lot about past coaches, he came in not as well-known as other potential candidates, or at least without the name that others had – and there were many necessary replacements in the team, there were many players that left like Ribery, Robben. Finally Hansi’s work, the way he brought the group together, the way they adapted to difficult situations in the league, the Bundesliga, the Pokal, I have to say, I was very surprised and I am very happy about it. I think for everyone who belongs to the Bayern family it was very special.

Why are Bayern so powerful?

Bayern have always had the conviction that they can win trophies every year. I think it is fundamental for them. And obviously when a club and a group of players are so used to winning, things become a lot easier. Losing is unacceptable and you learn to fight to the end to adapt to different situations. And I think those little details help them to continue reaching the finals, they are the decisive ones. I think most Bayern players have the experience to analyze those kinds of details and deal with whatever situation or rival they face, however difficult it may have been.

Did Bayern Munich handle the pandemic better than others?

I think so, yes. I’ve said it a lot. A typical German person is always looking ahead, always looking for a solution to be able to reorganize again! It has to do with not thinking about the difficulty of a situation and always looking ahead, and finding a solution so that things go well as soon as possible. And I think that in general it is a cultural issue, and the club, being as big as it is, has done it in the best way in a situation that has been so difficult for many.

On the position of Bayern Munich in Europe

They are number one, without a doubt. At the moment, I think they are ahead of everyone. They’ve shown it last season, and the games they’re playing right now, not just because of individual talents. I think some teams sometimes have players with better characteristics or maybe with better style. But I think because of the system that Hansi Flick has put in place, the overall team is on top of everyone at the moment.

Does anyone stand out among the younger players?

I played… well, I never played him, I played him, but I had the opportunity to talk to Joshua Kimmich several times. He is a very professional player. And when you are like this, you are always learning, trying to learn new things, observing other players, analyzing situations, always looking ahead and trying to improve. I think that is what made him such an important player at the club and obviously also on the national team. He is taking on a bigger role and becoming an increasingly important player at Bayern.

Pizarro at Bayern Munich this season (7 games played, 6 wins and 1 loss against Hoffenheim; leader with 18 points, 2 ahead of RB Leipzig and 3 ahead of Borussia Dortmund)

Right now, the team is on a roll. It is very difficult to say what they have to do to be able to do it again, because right now I would say that they have to do the same as last season. But the seasons are long and situations can change. Soccer is a dynamic sport, nobody knows what is going to happen, you have injuries, changes, doubts about your style. All of that can vary a lot on a team. So while it would be nice to stay where they are, I think they will see some small details change for the team to continue to grow or to maintain the high level that they are at.

Pizarro on his advice to Bayern Munich players

I think it is quite difficult to offer any advice at the moment because they are doing things in the best possible way right now! But I would say continue to maintain that level, do not neglect anything, do not think that you are going to win everything just because you wear the Bayern München crest on your shirt. You have to keep working, keep trying to improve.

What Peruvian talents could play in the Bundesliga?

At the moment, I am a little out of the way. Obviously, with the COVID19 situation and my current job, I haven’t been able to watch a lot of football, but it’s something I want to do: meet the boys, see what possibilities there are. So right now I feel a bit far from everything, but I have said it a lot: while I was playing in Peru, I was with the national team and I saw players with incredible talent. Maybe they don’t even see them there, and the way they bring us into the game isn’t good enough, or maybe they haven’t had the right frame of mind to develop enough as footballers. But I think so, there are important players, but you have to learn to move them forward so that they can develop and play the best football in the world, which is football in Europe.

Could Peru qualify for the next World Cup?

Yes I think so. It is hard, very hard. I think at the moment they are in a transition period in the national team. This is a new stage, there have been some experiments with the team during qualifying. It is going to be complicated. But we’ll see. Ranking in South America is something else. It will be difficult, but I am always hopeful and confident that they will be able to do it.

Pizarro on his future plans

I always want to be close to football, of that I am sure. One of the things I always wanted to do, in this role as an ambassador for Bayern Munich, and somehow I have a little more time to myself at the moment, was to analyze the environment off the pitch a little more. But in a football sense. It is something new for me, but I have started to get involved in it. I’m still not 100% sure what exactly I want to do, but in the next few years or months I will have a clearer idea of ​​what exactly I want to do. But what I do know is that I always want to be involved in football.

SEE HERE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COLOMBIA AND THE WORLD.

Follow here to Publimetro in Google News.