Matthijs de Ligt, after his brief appearance for Bayern Munich on Friday against Bayer Leverkusen, discussed his new role at Der Rekordmeister. The Dutch international came on as a midfielder for the second consecutive match.
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De Ligt came on five minutes before the end against Leverkusen, replacing Konrad Laimer, and played as a defensive midfielder in the closing stages. Shortly after the Dutchman's introduction, Leon Goretzka scored for Bayern, but deep into stoppage time, the home team relinquished their lead.
After the draw against Leverkusen, De Ligt was asked why he's not assured of a starting position under coach Thomas Tuchel. 'I have no idea, you should ask the coach. I do what the coach wants, and in the last two matches, I've played about ten minutes as a No. 6 (defensive midfielder),' the former Ajax player told Sport1. Tuchel had previously explained his decision to use De Ligt in midfield.
'All I can do is continue to do my best on the field. The rest is up to the coach,' said De Ligt, who played as a defensive midfielder for many years in the Ajax youth academy. 'Coming on as a midfielder is a bit different from coming on as a defender. As a defender, coming off the bench is more challenging because you have to play even more focused in that position.'
Updated: 12:11, 17 Sep 2023
