Tuchel on Guardiola: “Not a fanboy”
Tuchel confident: “It’s relatively clear what City is playing”
Before the Champions League quarter-finals at Manchester City, Thomas Tuchel once again showed his respect for his colleague Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard once gave the Bayern coach special insights.
“I learn from his teams. That makes me a better coach. It’s fascinating and unique in a way,” said Tuchel about the Spaniard before the first leg on Tuesday (from 9 p.m. in LIVETICKER).
Years ago, Tuchel and Guardiola met in a Munich bar to exchange tactics.
“I was very grateful for this great opportunity. I was a very unknown coach back then. Pep gave me a glimpse of how he sees football. That was very formative,” said Tuchel on Monday, but also made it clear: “I’m not a fanboy. We will do everything we can to put our stamp on the game.”
Tuchel sure: “There will be moments when we suffer”
Tuchel’s record against Guardiola is positive in four games, including deciding the premier class final against City with Chelsea in 2021.
“I don’t draw any conclusions from the last duels. Pep manages to create his own style every time,” said Tuchel. It is “relatively clear what City is playing. There are six or seven years of pep in this team. There will be moments when we suffer.”
But the anticipation is “huge. City is the benchmark. We want to survive. The team has every right to be self-confident,” said the Bayern coach, referring to Bayern’s eight wins in eight Champions League games this season .
“His creativity”: Guardiola ennobles Tuchel
City top scorer Erling Haaland attested to Tuchel “incredibly impressive numbers, this athleticism, the hunger for goals. But he’s not alone. We’ll only solve that as a team. We have to assert ourselves in direct duels.”
FC Bayern will miss goalscorer Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (knee problems). In return, Mathys Tel returns to the squad after a muscle injury.
