Thomas Tuchel smiled mysteriously before the tingling coaching thrill with Pep Guardiola and a grueling knockout showdown for FC Bayern.
“We need complete physical exertion, we have to be smart and courageous and have a few tactical solutions that we can use to gain security,” said the 49-year-old before the quarter-final spectacle against Manchester City in the Champions League. “Then the visor goes up – and then there is a fight.” Before the duel between two detail-obsessed trainer-strategists, Tuchel had pulled the baseball cap deep over his face – the sparkling eyes, which hinted at a suitable pep plan, could still be seen.
Müller is looking forward to the “Challenge”
With the qualities of the premier class march through so far, the Munich team want to powerfully counter the favored city superiority around star striker Erling Haaland on Tuesday (9 p.m. / Amazon Prime Video). Emotions, like those demonstrated by the quick-tempered Joshua Kimmich after the liberating victory at SC Freiburg, to the annoyance of the hosts, should help. “I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Bayern captain Thomas Müller ahead of the first-leg spectacle, in which he wants to celebrate his 100th win in Europe’s top league.
And if not? Then eight days before the second leg next Wednesday at home, the pressure on new coach Tuchel and the bosses will be even greater than it is anyway. Eight wins in eight games, including two against Paris Saint-Germain for Lionel Messi, was the record under ex-coach Julian Nagelsmann, which his successor in the Champions League should build on. After the cup shock against Freiburg, things should continue in the premier class on the way to the final on June 10 in Istanbul.
Kahn “Put the shovel on it”
“We’ll have to go one step further against Manchester City,” demanded Kahn after the 1-0 win in Freiburg and the consolidated top of the table. The ultimate showdown, which “football fans around the world” are looking forward to, is also significant for Kahn and Co. after the understandable but risky change of coach. “This is another small final for us,” said sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
When the reunion with the former Bayern coach Guardiola was drawn a good three weeks ago, no one could have guessed that this electrifying coaching strategy summit would take place. Tuchel once traveled to Barcelona as an aspiring coach and pep supporter to study Guardiola, who had risen alongside Messi to become a European champion. The two played each other ten times – and with an overall negative record, Tuchel celebrated the greatest triumph against Guardiola and City in the final with Chelsea on May 29, 2021. “We’re back to try again and the world will keep turning,” said Guardiola ahead of the next game.
This defeat, which the Catalan star coach also had a major influence on with unexpected tactical ideas, must have caused Guardiola to agonize for a long time. The 52-year-old, who won three championship titles and the DFB Cup twice in his formative Pep epoch at Bayern from 2013 to 2016, now wants to expand his positive statistics against Tuchel in a quarter-final de luxe.
Duel between two “ingenious soccer coaches and chess grandmasters”
It was the duel between two “brilliant football coaches and chess grandmasters,” said Guardiola friend and Tuchel connoisseur Michael Reschke. The former technical director of Bayern was there when dinner “went back and forth with champagne and wine glasses, salt and pepper shakers”.
In extreme Munich days, when everything has to be right after the sudden change of coach, there is little room for such anecdotes. Especially since Tuchel has to think about occupying the center of attack after the compulsory break for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. Unlike Guardiola, who was delighted by Haaland’s return after a groin injury.
“We had two incredible decades with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Erling is at this level now,” said Guardiola, who liked to rave about “top, top, top” players in Munich and would have loved to have had “1000 Dantes”. But the 22-year-old Haaland has a different class; The charismatic Catalan coach only has to deal with how best to stage the storm violence of Haaland.
“A pep team with Haaland is still a pep team for me, but with Erling they have an absolute weapon,” warned Müller. As the third premier class size after megastar Ronaldo (115) and real icon Iker Casillas (101), Müller could break the sound barrier of 100 victories. Former BVB striker Haaland, who scored twice in the 4-1 win against Southampton, has completely different (goal) brands in mind. In addition to 30 goals in the Premier League, Haaland scored ten goals in six games in the Champions League. Against Leipzig he even scored five times in the round of 16 second leg.
Take Haaland out of the game
From Bayern’s point of view, it is all the more important that Bundesliga winning goal scorer Matthijs de Ligt trumps the Norwegian together with Dayot Upamecano. “We kept seven clean sheets and had eight wins. Now we’re playing against the next very strong opponent, hopefully we can continue that,” said central defender de Ligt, who was signed by Juventus Turin for around 70 million euros in the summer.
Just 18 days after his commitment, Tuchel wants to create a good starting position at the Etihad Stadium to give bosses Kahn and Salihamidzic good arguments for their coaching measures. Ex-City player Leroy Sané is expected in the starting XI, and Manchester’s winter loan João Cancelo can also hope.
The English have recently won eight competitive games in a row – and that with a goal difference of 31:3. But Guardiola will only be completely happy if, after six years and immense expenses, he succeeds in the longed-for premier class triumph over the Cityzens. At Bayern he failed three times in the semifinals.
“City has been in top form for weeks, but it’s never going to be that easy in football,” said Tuchel. He clearly demanded what will be required in days without the playful ease: “Then you have to put your head down and work.”
