A lot of work, little time
These are Tuchel’s construction sites at FC Bayern
03/30/2023, 07:30 am
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel goes from zero to one hundred straight away. On his debut on Saturday (6.30 p.m. / Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de), Julian Nagelsmann’s successor will face the top Bundesliga game against his former club Borussia Dortmund. In the event of a defeat, the eleventh championship in a row is in great danger. The problem: Tuchel hardly has time to get the record champions in the mood for BVB and the following weeks of truth with the Champions League cracker against Manchester City. Due to various international commitments, he has his entire squad together for the first time in training this Thursday.
There will therefore probably not (yet) be any major changes against leaders Dortmund, who are one point ahead of Bayern. Either way: Tuchel faces a number of challenges. An overview of his construction sites:
The time: At the first training session on Tuesday, Tuchel only had a core squad around Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané. The numerous national players should start this Thursday. There will therefore be “no major changes in the system and processes,” said Tuchel. But maybe he’ll “squeeze in” a unit on Saturday. Especially since the challenge “couldn’t be bigger”.
The program: acclimatization? Is not! For Tuchel, the “very, very hot weeks” (Joshua Kimmich) are going to be full. After the league summit against BVB, SC Freiburg will be waiting twice in the cup and league, then the Champions League cracker against Manchester City (April 11 and 19). The height of fall for Tuchel is high, the pressure is huge.
The consistency: Bayern have been consistently inconsistent this year. In the league, Bayern lost nine (!) points ahead of Dortmund. The whims of his stars, who only played as desired in the Champions League, cost Julian Nagelsmann his job. Leon Goretzka told “Sport Bild” that “everyone is now required to do it much better”. The mentality of the premier class has to be “retrieved much more often”.
The system: Chain of three or four? Tuchel wants to talk to the players first, but has an “idea of what can be done”. He will “not kill everything”. At Chelsea he preferred a back three – and won the Champions League. Nagelsmann also tried it more often with three men recently. One thing is clear, said Kimmich: “We have to see very quickly that we create a good combination so that we can win the games.”
What will become of Müller? Opinions have repeatedly divided on the veteran and the leading player in recent years. Niko Kovac failed because he considered Müller dispensable. Even Nagelsmann often didn’t really know what to do with the busy offensive player. And Tuchel? According to “Bild” he should be aware of how important Müller is as a leader and fixed star.
The offensive: For three to four positions, Tuchel has eight stars available. This harbors plenty of potential for conflict. How long do seasoned pros like Sadio Mané, Sane, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala, Müller or Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting keep quiet? Tuchel knows how to deal with gifted people: At PSG he got along with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
How does Joshua Kimmich react? He was considered the closest Nagelsmann confidant and criticized the separation loudest. He complained “little love, little heart”. But the leading player quickly switched to Tuchel mode. “We all know what the coach can do,” said Kimmich. They will try to make it “as easy as possible” for Tuchel.
The bosses: Tuchel is considered a critical spirit, one who does not bow down to his superiors. In Dortmund he clashed with Hans-Joachim Watzke, in Paris with sports director Leonardo, at Chelsea there were problems with the new investors around Todd Boehly. It remains to be seen how Tuchel likes it when Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidžić get involved – and Uli Hoeneß is also involved in the background.