1:3 and 0:3. “Of course that’s boring,” admitted Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel before the German series champions’ next test of strength with hunters RB Leipzig in the top game of the Bundesliga.
So revenge? Or even revenge? “No”, these are “not words” that are floating around in his head after the recent defeats in the previous two duels, as Tuchel emphasized the day before the game.
However, the 50-year-old doesn’t have to get his ensemble around leader Harry Kane very hot before kick-off on Saturday evening (6.30 p.m./Sky). Nevertheless, the question when we meet again in the Red Bull Arena is: Are Leipzig the new feared opponents of Bayern? Or were the Saxons’ recent successes in the league final spurt of the previous season and in the Supercup at the start of the current season, which really “hurt” Tuchel and his players in their own stadium, just bad slip-ups?
Some things happen in seven weeks
Seven weeks have passed since the 0-3 hammering in the Supercup. Seven weeks in which a lot has changed, especially for Tuchel Bayern. The defeat in the unsuccessful short debut of record purchaser Kane acted like a wake-up call in Munich.
The team then showed a reaction. “It seems to me that the team has understood what kind of football Tuchel wants to play,” said record national player Lothar Matthäus to the German Press Agency. Tuchel has found a “regular team” and the team has found a rhythm. That’s why Matthäus is “Bayern favorite” in the top game.
Leipzig is also missing three-time Super Cup goalscorer Dani Olmo due to injury, while Bayern boasts offensively with a now well-integrated striker Kane, who is a brilliant assembly-line goalscorer. In addition, unlike the easy cup win in Münster, two specialists in Minjae Kim and Dayot Upamecano can play in the defense center. The central defender duo is fit for action again, as is veteran Thomas Müller. In any case, Tuchel’s “tendency” was clearly going away before the final training session.
“Straighten things up a bit”
“We want to straighten things out a bit,” announced national player Leon Goretzka resolutely: “We will be motivated, we want to keep marching!” And thus distance a title rival to four points. “We have started a good phase after the Supercup. We now have to confirm it. The mood is good, the mentality is there, we have the results – the time has come to turn the tables,” Tuchel announced combatively.
However, the Bayern coach also expressed the highest appreciation for the opponent. “Leipzig managed the change remarkably well,” praised Tuchel, referring to the personnel changes in the summer and new offensive aces such as Lois Openda, Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko. “Leipzig has a lot of speed. And they are very dangerous as a collective.”
Leipzig coach Rose spoke in detail on Friday about the Kane factor in the Bayern game. The top English striker has seven goals and three assists in the statistics after five match days. “Of course he knows where the goal is,” said Rose about the “playing striker” Kane, “who gives FC Bayern a lot of support and stability.”
Nagelsmann also on site
Of course, the new national coach Julian Nagelsmann will also be sitting in the stands in Leipzig to watch the showdown between his two former clubs and a number of international candidates before his first squad nomination next week. In addition to Bayern striker Serge Gnabry (broken arm), Nagelsmann will also not see Timo Werner on the pitch. The Leipzig attacker is out with persistent back problems. “It’s a kind of lumbago,” Rose explained. Nagelsmann will probably be annoyed.
Before his 50th competitive game as RB coach, Rose spoke more from the position of the challenger, despite the recent victories against Bayern and despite the home advantage. The “great game” will be “a tough task,” said the 47-year-old. For him, the Supercup no longer reflects the present: “Certain structures in Bayern’s game have not changed. But there is a different drive, more cleanliness, more rhythm. Bayern have made big steps forward.” Of course, that doesn’t change Rose’s basic claim: “We always go out to win!”
