He has already won the CL once – a broken toe as a testament to Tuchel’s passion – sport

Thomas Tuchel has given himself some breathing room in a difficult situation. The Champions League could save Bayern’s season.

After the 3-0 home game against Lazio and the advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, they tried very hard not to fall into euphoria in Munich. “It would be presumptuous to dream much, much further,” said CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. Bayern’s expectations that were too high didn’t stand up to reality checks too often this season.

But the fact that Leverkusen is out of the Bundesliga and has not been represented in the DFB Cup for a long time could perhaps also free up new resources for the Champions League. The final will take place in the summer at Wembley in London – the place where the German record champions triumphed over Dortmund in the same competition in 2013.

And then there is coach Thomas Tuchel. He knows how to win the Champions League – the coup with Chelsea was only three years ago.

If we want to achieve this, we have to think step by step.

Tuchel, who will make way for a new coach at the end of the season, would be only too happy to prove that he is still the coach for the big titles. The 50-year-old called the “premier class” in the belly of the Allianz Arena “the most difficult tournament in the world” and did not hide his ambitions. “But if we want to achieve that, we have to think step by step.”

Broken toe hurts less after victory

Tuchel proved that he continues to put his heart and soul into it in an emotional motivational speech to the team before the Lazio game. He broke his big toe when he kicked the door. “I was happy to make this sacrifice,” he said with a smile. Dreesen viewed the incident as proof of how seriously Tuchel took his job despite the fact that he was leaving.

Joshua Kimmich added appreciatively that Tuchel was doing a really outstanding job despite the “totally unusual situation”. Ultimately, he could also say, “Now he doesn’t give a shit” – but he doesn’t do that.

The chronically untitled Harry Kane, of all people, provides additional arguments in Bayern’s hunt for the “handle pot”. With his brace against Lazio, he increased his total number of goals in a Bayern jersey to 33 in as many games.