A third of the way into his debut season with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, Corentin Tolisso has more than just found his feet in the German top flight.
bundesliga.com sat down with the Frenchman to discuss the title race in the wake of the Bavarians’ Klassiker victory over Borussia Dortmund, as well as his time so far in Munich and working under treble-winning coach Jupp Heynckes.
bundesliga.com: A month ago, Bayern were five points adrift of leaders Borussia Dortmund - now you're back on top and six points ahead of BVB. Could you have imagined turning things around in such a short space of time?
Corentin Tolisso: Not necessarily, even if we know that things can go very quickly in football. But since Jupp Heynckes took over as our coach everything has been going very well. Since he returned to Munich we've won every game in all competitions. We're enjoying a good run of form and we did a good job in Dortmund. Now it's about keeping it up.
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's impressive 3-1 win at Dortmund in Der Klassiker
bundesliga.com: Bayern are looking in a strong position to defend their Bundesliga title. Do you think you will run away with it again this season?
Tolisso: The end of the season is still a long way off, we've only played 11 games. Anything is still possible, and we've already talked about how things can go quickly in football. We simply need to keep working hard in order to do what is expected of us.
bundesliga.com: Are Dortmund and RB Leipzig still your main rivals?
Tolisso: Yes, I think so. Leipzig made life hard for us in the DFB Cup, they're a team who will be battling up at the top of the table. And Borussia will bounce back, because they have a squad bursting with quality.
bundesliga.com: What is the objective between now and Christmas?
Tolisso: We want to be crowned autumn champions, that's our goal heading up to the winter break. We will try to win all of our games and keep our excellent run going for as long as possible. It's an exciting challenge.
Watch: Corentin Tolisso up close
bundesliga.com: What can you tell us about the work that you do with Jupp Heynckes on a daily basis?
Tolisso: The coach puts a lot of emphasis on discipline and solidarity. We've been working hard on our defending, which makes us more compact during games. We have greater balance, which is very important when you're trying to find the happy medium between attack and defence. We're definitely on the right track.
bundesliga.com: What differences have you noticed between the Bundesliga and Ligue 1?
Tolisso: The first thing that struck me was how the fans behave when they see me in the street. I often get asked for an autograph or a selfie, but they are always very polite and respectful and never insist, which I appreciate. Training in Germany is very different to what I was used to in France, the sessions are much more intense. In the Bundesliga, teams go on the attack as soon as they win possession back. I'm also impressed by how teams get organised when they lose the ball.
Debut ✅
Goal ✅
Three points ✅A dream start to life in the #Bundesliga for @FCBayernEN's @CorentinTolisso