Philipp Lahm Quotes

Playing in midfield is a different ball game. You have to be on the half-turn all the time, have a different picture in your head of what is behind you and in front of you. Playing at right-back is different again.

I like to be in contact with the ball, have possession, to play.

In my time at Milan, the club played with a 4-3-1-2 formation, and I was the player behind the two strikers. At Real, I play behind three. There is a greater defensive obligation, but I try to work around the area.

That's the intelligence of football: to see when to be compact, when to counter-attack, or, if you see that you're in the opposite half, you try and win the ball.

Always, even with the U17s in Spain, U19s, we play from the back, and we try to improve on that a lot. So I always enjoy having the ball at my feet.

If I don't get the service or if I don't the ball in the box, where I want it, I start drifting into midfield. I go and look for the ball. I try to be important for the team in other areas.

You pressure, you want possession, you want to attack. Some teams can't or don't pass the ball. What are you playing for? What's the point? That's not football. Combine, pass, play. That's football - for me, at least.

For United, I'm more likely to be left wing of a four-man midfield with only two centre-mids, so it's a bit more difficult for me to maybe make those runs to get in and score those goals when I've got to think about my defensive duties as well.

Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people to get you the ball.

As a holding midfield player, you want movement and to play between the lines.

I've always said it, and the whole football world knows that Cavani is a centre-forward and that he has proven his worth in that position. Having said that, Cavani has shown other characteristics that can help the team, like winning the ball back, helping out defensively.

Firstly, I am somebody who plays in a defensive role, and we need to start with that, but then I need to bring the ball forward and help the attack.

Cruyff defined a philosophy and a style of how we had to play: positional play, type of players, the profile of the coaches, even.

The most important thing is to help the team to come in front of the goal with one-two passes, I drop down, or I give them space, because for defenders, it's always difficult to have a false nine because they don't have a direct player against them, so they don't know exactly what to do.

Pastore has so many qualities. Every pass he makes puts our forwards into position and we create a lot of opportunities thanks to him.

It is an important part of the role of a centre-back to focus on building up the game and initiating moves.

Busquets is a great player. I have many things to learn from him: how he shapes the game from the back, his positioning, the balance he provided in the midfielder.

Statistically, the chance of creating a goal is higher within 10 seconds of winning the ball.

Arsenal wanted me to be a controller in the midfield, an Emmanuel Petit-type.

When you have a lot of ball possession, you have a lot of ball possession to create chances, not to play the ball around and not score.

Casemiro has to cover the gaps left by everyone. That's balance for me; to make sure the game doesn't go mad.

I'd say I was an attacking midfielder, and if you are going to be one of the best, you have to score goals and create them.

I stay in the middle and my team-mates can go to attack.

You need two or three players who can do that - play behind the striker, on the right wing, the left wing... striker, maybe. If we have those, it's good for the team.

I get a lot of front ball in a position that, normally, the opponent's defense is making the move outwards, and our attackers are getting in.