“Our team doesn’t trust themselves anymore”
After losing the Champions League and the DFB Cup, Bayern no longer have the championship in their own hands. Thomas Tuchel therefore demands 15 points in the title race. But the record champions need a clear increase in performance for this.
Was there something? Before FC Bayern’s duel against Hertha BSC, Munich’s coach Tuchel does not ignore the seriousness of the situation with the record champions. Nevertheless, he seems remarkably relaxed. He has to cope with new bad news due to the loss of a regular player.
Krise? It can no longer be denied, but Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel was remarkably relaxed on this Friday afternoon. The 49-year-old answered the question about the visit of Honorary President Uli Hoeneß to the training of the Munich star ensemble with a joke. “He just wanted to tell me who’s playing at the weekend,” said Tuchel at the record champions’ press conference: “I saw it straight away.”
On Wednesday, Hoeneß attended the practice session to prepare Munich for the duel against Hertha BSC on Sunday (3.30 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker) and discussed it with Tuchel before the start. “When two emotional people talk to each other on the football field, it can sometimes get emotional,” said Tuchel, explaining the scene and making it clear: “I won’t say anything about the content.” Hoeneß wanted to say hello to him, Tuchel reported. Normally he was still upstairs in the office at the time. But because he wanted to help with the construction, he was already on the pitch.
When asked whether he saw Hoeneß more in the front row of the club again, Tuchel had another humorous answer ready. “Maybe he’ll sit on the bench with me at the weekend, then I’d say he’s really in the front row now.” Bayern welcome the bottom team from Berlin after a series of four competitive games without a win.
Dardai: “FC Bayern is a hungry lion”
When Hoeneß is in the building, he comes to his coach’s office, reported Tuchel, and “we chat for a quarter of an hour and exchange ideas because the club is important to him. It’s his club.” He knows how to interpret that, now Uli Hoeneß is coming and now there is real pressure on it. “I think it’s the other way around,” said Tuchel. Since taking over the post from Julian Nagelsmann, he has had to cope with being eliminated from the DFB Cup and the Champions League and slipping from first place in the championship.
Things were less relaxed on the training ground after the Mainz shock (1:3). In the fight for the Munich championship series, Tuchel increased the pressure on his recently disappointing stars in the Bundesliga against Hoffenheim (1-1) and Mainz. “If there is any advantage from the two results, it’s that the situation is as clear as day,” said Tuchel: “The goal now has to be to get 15 points. If we continue to play like this, so unstable, then we won’t succeed.” After the weekend, Bremen (away game), Schalke (home game), Leipzig (home game) and Cologne (away game) are the other tasks. The eleventh championship title in a row is only possible if Borussia Dortmund makes a mistake on the home straight.
However, Bayern’s opponent Hertha BSC travels to Munich with a long list of absentees. Berlin coach Pal Dardai is missing eight players. This is one of the reasons why the coach keeps expectations low. “I never won in Munich, either as a player or as a coach. Everything would have to fit for a point,” said the 47-year-old on Friday.
In addition to the suspended Suat Serdar and Marc Oliver Kempf, the ailing Stevan Jovetic, Marton Dardai, Marco Richter as well as the long-term injured Kelian Nsona and the suspended Ivan Sunjic are missing. New on the list of absentees is Kevin-Prince Boateng with adductor problems. According to Dardai, the team senior could have skipped the second training session on Thursday. “But he really wanted to and then it happened towards the end of the session,” said Dardai.
Even if he doesn’t set his expectations too high for a possible point win, the Hungarian demands maximum damage limitation from his team. “It’s a difficult game, every goal counts, so we have to give everything,” said Dardai, looking at the goal difference, which could be the deciding factor for or against relegation in the final count: “We’re trying to do it as well as possible make. But Bayern is a hungry lion.”
Bayern have to do without Dayot Upamecano in the game against Hertha for the time being. The 24-year-old central defender from France has suffered a torn fibre. “He will be out for around two weeks,” said Tuchel. Attacker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will also fail against Hertha due to knee problems. On the other hand, midfielder Leon Goretzka should be fine despite a bruised knee, reports Tuchel. Striker Kingsley Coman did not train on Friday and has a blockage. But he expects a possible use of Coman, outlined Tuchel.
Yann Sommer will be in goal, confirmed the Bayern coach, after the Swiss had recently been criticized for Bayern’s elimination from the DFB Cup and the Champions League and for losing the lead in the table. “He is a top professional and an incredibly good person, friendly, polite, open-minded. It’s not always easy to be in goal at Bayern. Yann is going through a phase where he might be playing a bit unhappily. It’s part of goalkeeping that you also have a bit of luck,” said Tuchel: “He still has our trust.” to the squad planning” for the next season, as revealed by Tuchel. It is very likely that filling the goalkeeping position and thus the future of Sommer will be one of the points.
It is already clear where the preparation for the new season will take place. FC Bayern completes a part at Tegernsee and in Tokyo. From July 15th to 20th, a training camp will be held in Upper Bavaria. After that, the Munich-based company will be heading to Asia as part of their eighth “Audi Summer Tour” from July 24th to August 3rd. The first stop there will be Tokyo from July 26th to 29th.
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