Football Talk - Bayern can beat anyone - Van Gaal - 28/04/10
Louis van Gaal has demanded caution but insists Bayern Munich 'can beat any team' after reaching the Champions League Final.
Bayern will face either Barcelona or Internazionale in next month's European final in Madrid after a hat-trick from Ivica Olic secured a 3-0 second leg and 4-0 semi-final aggregate victory over Lyon.
"Bayern can beat any team. That's why we are here," said the Dutch coach. "We've done a great job. They played very well. It's great that we are in the final. Things are looking good, but we haven't won anything yet."
Club captain Mark van Bommel supported his coach's assessment of the character in the Bundesliga outfit. He added: "I am proud of this team and what we have achieved tonight. That was a super performance. We have a really good team and we believe in ourselves. We are all very hungry."
Arjen Robben, who has been an impressive performer throughout the competition, admitted he wants a reunion with former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, the man currently in charge at Inter. "I want to play Inter, definitely,'' he said. "It's better for us as a team. We can have difficulties against Barca. But it's also because I want to play against Mourinho and (Wesley) Sneijder.''
Lyon coach Claude Puel admitted Bayern simply outplayed his team. "We have to realise that they were stronger,'' he told TF1. "It's a shame we didn't equalise. We had opportunities in front of goal which would have put us back in the match. It was more difficult after Cris' sending off. We had already worked a lot physically. The score is heavy compared to what the players put in. There's not really much to reproach them for. It leaves the feeling of emptiness.''