FC Bayern made a real statementwith its 6-1 rout of RB Leipzig. The match was a particularly special showdown for Konrad Laimer. The Austrian once played for the Saxons himself, but showed little sympathy for his former club following his current employer’s decisive victory. On the contrary: The 29-year-old made it clear that he would have preferred to beat Leipzig by an even wider margin.
For Laimer, the reunion with his former club was quite emotional. The right back was under contract with RB Leipzig from 2017 to 2023 before transferring to the German record champions on a free transfer.
The Austrian national team player looks back fondly on his time with the Saxons. On the field, however, he has no room for sentimentality.
Laimer: “At the end of the day, you don’t feel any pity there.”
After the final whistle, Laimer was asked in the mixed zone about the decisive victory against his former club.
His answer was unequivocal. “At the end of the day, you don’t feel any pity. I played for that club for a long time and had a lot of fun there. I saw a few familiar faces today, which always makes me happy,” explained the Bayern pro.
Once the game starts, however, the only thing that matters to him is FC Bayern’s interests.
“But then I go out there and want to win. And if we’re leading 3-0, I want to win by an even bigger margin. That’s how I’ve always been. That’s what I live for,” Laimer emphasized.
Particularly noteworthy: During Leipzig’s last Bundesliga away win in Munich in May 2023, the Austrian was still on the opposing team and even scored a goal.
“A few teams have some bad memories of that.”
The fact that Bayern regularly pose major problems for their opponents at the Allianz Arena comes as no surprise to Laimer.
As recently as last season, Munich had thrashed RB Leipzig 6–0. This time, too, the visitors stood little chance against the record champions’ offense. “Everyone who comes here knows it’s no fun playing against us. With the fans behind us, we just feel right at home,” Laimer explained.
The 29-year-old is convinced that these lopsided results also leave a lasting impression on the opposing players. “A few teams certainly have some bad memories when they come here,” he added.
For Bayern, the lopsided victory was particularly important after the two draws against Augsburg and Viking Stavanger.
“In the last two games, things didn’t go our way, and we weren’t playing as smartly as we could have. Today, it was another solid performance from start to finish,” Laimer summed up.
With this convincing performance, the Munich team has regained confidence just in time for the Champions League showdown against Arsenal. On Wednesday, however, a much tougher challenge awaits Vincent Kompany’s team.