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Tuchel is fighting for his job – “We’ll see it through to the end”
As of: 07:53 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
“We are rightly criticized,” admits Tuchel
What: Action Images via Reuters
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Thomas Tuchel is under enormous pressure before the game against Arsenal. Will he last until the end of the season? While an “emergency plan” is circulating in Munich, the FC Bayern coach comments on his future in London. And explains what still gives him hope in the Champions League.
On Monday evening, FC Bayern landed in London a little late on a special plane. It was only the second use for the new aircraft; after arriving in England, coach Thomas Tuchel and offensive star Leroy Sané went straight to the Emirates Stadium for a press conference.
Tuesday (9 p.m., Amazon Prime) the Munich team will face Arsenal in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League. After two defeats in the Bundesliga – first a soulless performance in the 0:2 in the top game against Borussia Dortmund, then an embarrassment in the 2:3 against the promoted team 1. FC Heidenheim – everyone is expecting a reaction from the German football record champions. But is the unsettled team currently capable of this? Arsenal are top of the Premier League table with national player Kai Havertz.
If Bayern lose significantly against “the Gunners” and present themselves weakly, an immediate separation from Tuchel cannot be ruled out. In Munich there is speculation and reports about an “emergency plan” with Miroslav Klose and Hermann Gerland as an interim solution. After the end of the season in May, Tuchel will no longer be Bayern’s coach, something that both sides agreed on weeks ago.
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From today’s perspective, was it the right decision to want to continue until the end of the season and to agree on it that way? “I’m fine with the decision,” Tuchel replied on Monday evening. “I don’t know how much freedom I had to help shape things. “It was not an option to quit.” He was his toughest critic. “But we will see it through to the end.” He gives everything for his club, right up to the last game.
When asked by an English reporter, Tuchel did not want to talk about a possible future as a club coach in England from the summer onwards: “Please no headlines about that tomorrow,” he said with a wink.
“We need two absolute top performances,” demands Tuchel
Tuchel raved about the opponent at the press conference and spoke very respectfully about the Londoners and their development. “Arsenal are in top form and have been at a high level for two seasons. When it comes to standard situations, they are currently the best team in Europe,” said the 50-year-old. “They have incredible energy on the pitch. Coach and team are a unit, you can see that in every game. It’s a big test.”
The season is not lost for FC Bayern. “We are rightly criticized, so no one needs to ask themselves whether we accept it. Of course we accept that,” emphasized Tuchel. Many big teams are not in the quarterfinals. “We need two absolutely top performances to get to the semi-finals,” said the coach. “We know how we want to hurt them. The Champions League is a competition in which we have more experience than Arsenal.”
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You know your own strengths. His team doesn’t show the energy consistently enough in the league, “but tomorrow it’s not league,” said Tuchel. “Of course there are nicer starting points. We must step up our willingness to suffer and help one another. If we do what we have done so far in the Champions League, we will be competitive.” It’s about showing the best vision of yourself. “Then we don’t have to hide.”
Sané: “We said: especially now!”
The recently injured Sané and national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer can play in London. “I’m feeling much better,” said Sané, who had recently been in “extreme pain”. Luckily everything has calmed down now. “It will be a tough game. We want to play a good game over 90 minutes, be focused and bring the energy into the game that we were missing in certain games.” The aim is to prove the quality of the team and win the game.
“We talked about what was going well and, above all, what wasn’t going well,” said the national player about the past few days. “There is no question that there is a lot of frustration involved. We said: especially now! It’s a completely different competition.” It doesn’t really matter where you are in the league. But the form of the day. “We can make amends against Arsenal and get some things going in the right direction.”
About Tuchel, Sané said: “He is motivated, you can see that in him. He is also looking forward to the game. He wants to be just as conscious as we are. We’re all hot. And we can still save a lot with the Champions League.”
