The international duo hung up their boots at the end of last season having made more than 1,200 senior club appearances between them, won 277 caps for their country, lifted 12 league titles, two World Cups and two European Championships.
Such experience and know-how will be a huge miss for the German giants, who will be seeking a sixth successive Bundesliga title in 2017/18. But Alaba is confident that Die Roten’s current crop, which includes Joshua Kimmich, Kingsley Coman plus new signings Sebastian Rudy and Niklas Sule, can keep the club on top.
We have the players who are able to play in more than one position, so everyone has to help fill the holes left by Philipp and Xabi. We have a lot of good players who can lead, and when you put that together with Bayern’s winning mentality we have the chance to be great
Speaking exclusively in the September 2017 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, the Austrian star says: “Of course, losing Philipp and Xabi will affect the team – they are world-class players and they were so important for us.
“You’re wondering, ‘How will we replace them?’ But we have a great team and we are determined to still be successful.
“We have the players who are able to play in more than one position, so everyone has to help fill the holes left by Philipp and Xabi.
“We have a lot of good players here who can lead the team, and when you put that together with Bayern Munich’s winning mentality we have the chance to be great.”
Becoming truly great means adding a third Champions League success to Bayern’s honours list; in the four seasons since they last won the trophy in 2013, the German giants have been eliminated by either Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.
And Alaba, who already has one European Cup winner’s medal on his mantelpiece, says it would be a dream to add another to his collection in May's Kiev showpiece.
This is a big dream for me. Reaching the final of the Champions League is something the whole team wants. It is not easy, but we want to make our dreams come true
“This is a big dream for me,” he reveals. “Reaching the final of the Champions League is something the whole team wants to achieve.
“We’ll have to perform very well throughout the competition to achieve this target. If you want to win this competition then you have to beat the best teams – it is not easy, but we want to make our dreams come true.”
Read the full interview from David Alaba in the September 2017 issue of FourFourTwo.
Accompanied by our 100-page Season Preview – rating 104 teams – the magazine features the 99 things we want from the new campaign, including interviews with Christian Eriksen, Ilkay Gundogan and Yannick Bolasie. Plus, we go One-on-One with William Gallas, hit the Lake District to watch Football League players get put through a gruelling pre-season boot camp, reflect on Brighton’s 20-year rise from the brink of non-league to the top flight, remember the gaffes, garish kits and cheerleaders from the Premier League’s inaugural season and ask 'Where have all the goalmouth scrambles gone?' Order your copy today here and then become a subscriber here.
