Pavlovic, newcomer of the season
Thomas Tuchel raves about Bayern’s talent
March 8, 2024, 5:04 p.m
Aleksandar Pavlovic is almost indispensable in midfield at FC Bayern. Against Mainz, Thomas Tuchel has to replace the youngster due to a yellow card suspension. The Munich coach offers special praise before the Bundesliga weekend and is happy about the “childlike joy on the pitch”.
Thomas Tuchel has highly praised the development of youngster Aleksandar Pavlovic at FC Bayern Munich. He confirmed that the 19-year-old football professional can perform reliably even under pressure. The coach has to come on Saturday (3.30 p.m./Sky and in the ntv.de live ticker) Find a replacement in defensive midfield in the Bundesliga home game against Mainz 05 due to Pavlovic’s yellow card suspension.
Pavlovic last impressed last Tuesday in the 3-0 knockout game against Lazio Rome in the Champions League. “You never know if a player can show that under competitive conditions, under pressure,” said Tuchel. However, Pavlovic has delivered consistently in training for a long time this season.
“It’s nice to see that he can implement it in the game with the same self-confidence, with the same mentality and with the same quality, no matter who is on the other side and no matter what the situation is “It’s a cup game, a Champions League game or a Bundesliga game. He deserves the biggest compliment for that,” Tuchel continued.
Tuchel kicks the door, toe broken
Tuchel said he was pleased with the young professional’s rapid development. “He had a smile on his face from the first training session. He always came to training with a smile. In addition to his sporting abilities, he always showed what a fine guy he is, how grateful he is for this opportunity. You can just tell the childlike joy of being on the pitch,” said Tuchel: “His self-confidence comes from his game. He has always trained the way he plays.”
Against Mainz, Tuchel plans to use Konrad Laimer as a replacement for Pavlovic in midfield. Joshua Kimmich should continue to play on the right – after all, Pavlovic only has to miss one game. Meanwhile, the coach has to coach his team with a special shoe after the big toe on his right foot was broken. The 50-year-old sustained the painful injury last Tuesday evening in the Champions League win against Lazio when he kicked a door in the dressing room during a motivational speech before kick-off.
“The big toe is broken,” reported Tuchel. “It’s getting better day by day,” added the football teacher. “I’m trying to find a solution for the game with a stable shoe. And I’ve coached enough games in my career while sitting down. That’s not a problem, that was also the case against Lazio. We’ll find a solution,” said Tuchel.