Bayern Munich midfield talent Tom Bischof talks about his DFB Cup hopes, winning the Bundesliga title and which teammate is the best at Uno
Bayern Munich midfielder Tom Bischof, 20, has spoken about the upcoming DFB Cup final against VfB Stuttgart and reviewed his first season at the club, including his debut title win, in an interview with the Bundesliga.
Bundesliga: Bayern have a chance to take their first double since 2020 in Saturday's DFB Cup final - how do you feel ahead of the tie?
Bischof: "I think it will become more special the closer it gets. For now, it is just a normal week for us. Starting to think about this game too early won’t help. It’s just about delivering the basics until the end of the week and then delivering them again in the game. I hope that the anticipation will start to kick in, and I get some positive nerves, because that’s all part of it, and I think it will help.”
Watch: EA FC26 recreate Bischof's stunner against Freiburg
Bundesliga: Have you considered how to stop Stuttgart's impressive attack in the final?
Bischof: “The analysis is as comprehensive as it is for every other opponent. Our coaching team doesn’t differentiate, whoever we are playing. Stuttgart play good football because they are calm on the ball and they don’t try to play forward too quickly. They always pick the right moments to play forward, so it will not be an easy game. They are in the final for a reason - and we will see what happens.”
Watch: Bayern and Stuttgart gear up for cup final
Bundesliga: What was it like to lift the Bundesliga trophy aloft in your first season?
Bischof: “I didn’t think it would be so heavy! I had to briefly hold it up on the balcony at Marienplatz because the coach gave it to me while we were singing. I tried to give it to somebody else after a minute, and even though everybody knew how heavy it was, I was able to pass it on. It was a cool feeling that I will remember.”
Bundesliga: How would you rate your first season at Bayern?
Bischof: "I am happy that I was able to learn two new positions. They are fun to play because we maybe don’t play with left and right backs in the way other club do. On the ball, the full-backs play more as a number 8. I still have the opportunity to get involved in attack, and was able to have a few shots from there. This suits my game, and it is fun for me, so I am very happy.”
Watch: Bayern's celebrations at Marienplatz
Bundesliga: Were you expecting ahead of your move to Bayern to try playing at full-back?
Bischof: "No, not at all. I was seen as a number 6, but then the full-backs got injured, so there was always someone missing, either on the left or right. I was able to fill in, and this gave me confidence, because I was able to take the opportunity.”
Bundesliga: Did it take long to settle at Bayern?
Bischof: "I had never experienced a transfer like this, so I did question whether it would be easy or hard to find my way into the team. Luckily, it was very easy for me and the club helped me a lot. Although I didn’t play too much at the start, I was together with the lads, and we hung out together. After my appendix operation, I started to feel like I had grown into the team and they recognised what I was capable of."
Bundesliga: You seem to have struck up a good relationship with another talented youngster at Bayern, Lennart Karl. How did that happen?
Bischof: “We are both open guys. When you put in good performances at Bayern, then you are seen in a different way. We are all performance-driven, and we want to win - we started to have more conversations because we are both so open. We just clicked, and we are both a bit crazy, which helps!”
Bundesliga: Then there are so many experienced players to learn from at Bayern, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich to name a couple. What is that like?
Bischof: "You learn something from everyone here because there is a reason they are playing here. I always say to Joshua that we are a little similar in how we play, so of course, I’m going to learn a bit from him. When I play against Michael at left-back, then I'm certainly put through my paces, but that is how you learn. There is no better right winger at the moment, maybe even worldwide, so it is clear that he might get the better of you in training, but it ultimately helps to get me ready for games. If you can defend against Michael, you know you can probably manage it against anybody else.”
Bundesliga: We know you are keen on card games like Wizard and Uno - do you get much of a chance to play those at Bayern?
Bischof: "Unfortunately, I don’t play Wizard as much here, but I do play it with friends and family. Uno is a bit easier than Wizard, which is probably why we play it quite a bit here. Lennart [Karl] is not very good, but Pavlo [Aleksandar Pavlović] is very good, so we are often fighting it out for the win.”
