Holger Badstuber criticizes Matthijs de Ligt

Former Bayern professional and German international Holger Badstuber has criticized FCB central defender Matthijs de Ligt.

“I have a hard time calling him the new defensive boss, it’s been too unstable all season for that,” Badstuber told the news portal Watson.

The 33-year-old, who has now ended his career, also feels it is inappropriate to give De Ligt too much adjustment time at Bayern. “When you bring in a man like that, it’s always difficult for me to say that he needs time and has to adapt first,” emphasized Badstuber, who played a total of 177 competitive games for the German record champions from 2009 to 2017.

“He says he wants to be the boss but I don’t see that. At 23 he doesn’t have to make it into professional football and there was certainly some pressure at Juventus.”

De Ligt switched from Juventus to Bayern last summer for 67 million euros. After a few mixed performances in the first half of the year, the 23-year-old Dutchman has recently presented himself in strong form.

Badstuber has an explanation for De Ligt’s upswing: “He’s benefiting from the current system. You’re currently playing with a five-man chain when the opponents have possession of the ball. From my point of view as a defender, it’s easier to defend because the spaces are narrower than with a four-man chain.”

De Ligt has played 29 competitive games for Bayern so far. Since the restart after the World Cup break, the defender has been in coach Julian Nagelsmann’s starting eleven in ten of eleven games.