Champions League criticism of squad size
“Whining” – debates about Tuchel are increasing
Status: 23.10.2023 | Reading time: 5 minutes
Final training with Mazraoui and Gnabry
FC Bayern Munich played its final training session for the Champions League game against Turkish record champions Galatasaray with Noussair Mazraoui and Serge Gnabry.
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FC Bayern travels to the Champions League duel at Galatasaray Istanbul with thin personnel. Coach Thomas Tuchel feels his criticism has been confirmed and never tires of saying so. This is increasingly leading to controversy.
At the beginning of an extremely important week, a decimated contingent went to the airport. On Monday afternoon, the FC Bayern team headed by their coach Thomas Tuchel traveled to Istanbul, where they will play against Galatasaray on Tuesday (6.45 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker). With a win, the Turkish champions would replace FC Bayern as leaders of Group A of the Champions League. The Munich team has been undefeated in 36 preliminary round games in the premier class, and the Bundesliga game against Darmstadt 98 follows on Saturday. But they currently have a lot of problems.
The personnel situation in particular – and the disagreements on the topic in the club – are causing unrest and discussions. Leon Goretzka broke his hand in the 3-1 win in Mainz on Saturday and will be out for weeks. In addition, offensive star Serge Gnabry has to take a break due to a broken forearm. He was at least warming up on Monday before the German record champions flew to the Turkish metropolis. Only the first 15 minutes of the session were viewable. Central defender Dayot Upamecano is still out due to a thigh muscle injury. According to the club, defender Noussair Mazraoui, who was criticized for his pro-Palestine post, was also injured, but trained on Monday and could be in the squad. Defensive player Raphael Guerreiro, however, will not be part of the game.
“We can no longer afford a major injury epidemic. Now it’s time to hold together everything we have,” groaned Tuchel before the exciting trip to the Bosphorus. After the final session for the away game, only 18 Munich professionals boarded the special plane.
What Tuchel feared has happened – what he sees as a thin squad in some positions means that he is forced to make compromises and emergency solutions. The 50-year-old coach has publicly emphasized the risks and dangers of squad politics several times, to the displeasure of those responsible.
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Honorary President Uli Hoeneß regularly counters this with the argument that almost all of the professionals are national players. The squad is not too thin and public statements about it were unwise, said Hoeneß. Tuchel said at the weekend: “Of course a lot is made of it when he speaks. Everything is good with Uli.” Hoeneß is currently very often at the club headquarters, the debates about the coach’s behavior are increasing and becoming more intense, both internally and publicly.
FC Bayern – wow at the front, wow at the back
Things are going well offensively under Tuchel: Bayern scored in all 17 league games for which he was responsible – only two coaches started their tenure at Bayern with more league games and their own goals: Tuchel’s predecessor Julian Nagelsmann (40) and Pep Guardiola (28 ). 20 points after eight games also mean Bayern’s best season to date since 2016/2017. But Munich have weaknesses defensively, with few alternatives in defense and in central midfield. In the last four games they have only kept a clean sheet once.
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During the last transfer window, Tuchel called for a “holding six”, a defensive-minded midfielder who would hold his position. The coach is under pressure: At the club they trust league leaders Bayer Leverkusen to become real championship rivals. Leverkusen coach Xavi Alonso is considered the Bayern coach of the future in Munich.
Dietmar Hamann now sees it as a mistake that Tuchel repeatedly publicly comments on the lack of squad depth. Of course the club could have had one or two more players in the squad, “but they will still get through the games until the winter break. This constant whining, I really can’t listen to it anymore,” said the 50-year-old on Sky. From the former Bayern professional’s point of view, Tuchel has his share in the decisions made during the past transfer period and the current situation: “He can’t simply shirk responsibility because he was part of the transfer committee. And he couldn’t decide who he wanted.”
In Hamann’s opinion, Tuchel’s lamentations about the squad “would at some point get stuck in the players’ heads. They’re sitting there, they’re hearing this now or they’ll read it tomorrow: ‘He’s ailing and this one and actually the squad is too small and it’s actually not possible at all’. This is all lodged in the subconscious. That goes into the players’ heads and at some point it will fall on their feet.”
There are two candidates for a winter transfer
Hamann’s former teammate Thomas Strunz is also of the opinion that the topic should not be discussed “after every game in front of television cameras”: “That leads to you as a player dealing with things that are simply unnecessary.” Tuchel has “nothing else said as if everyone else in the club who is responsible for transfers hadn’t done their job. This is criticism of the leadership, squad planning, implementation and who is responsible for it.” The coach has to ensure a good atmosphere in the dressing room, “because top performances have to be delivered every three days. But if I repeat the topic again and again, then as a player I may only have 95 percent confidence in what the coach says.”
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If Tuchel’s demand is met (delayed), Bayern are likely to make at least one transfer next winter. Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City is considered a candidate for defensive midfield. Guardiola’s club paid Leeds United 49 million euros for the 27-year-old England international a year ago. Now City would probably give him up. The player recently said: “I want more minutes, and obviously I haven’t gotten them in the last year and a half.” His contract is valid until the summer of 2028, a loan is an option. The 22-year-old Frenchman Manu Koné from Borussia Mönchengladbach (contract until June 30, 2025) is also considered a candidate.
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