The issue of secondments for the African and Asian Cup concerns Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel. It was “always extremely unfortunate” to have to release players for these competitions in the middle of the season, said Tuchel. “So we will deal with it and find solutions.” The Munich team is likely to be affected by defender Minjae Kim (South Korea) as well as full-back Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco) and striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Cameroon).
In the case of Mazraoui, a nomination could become a matter of time because of a torn muscle in his left calf. “If he’s not there, we’ll probably miss him too,” said Tuchel, referring to his current injury.
The Bayern coach referred to the most recent home game against VfB Stuttgart (3-0), where the Munich team’s personnel situation was already tight due to short-term absences. “Imagine if the two (Kim and Choupo-Moting) had been missing. Then I don’t know whether it would have been possible to perform as well.”
Kim not entirely happy
Kim, who signed from Naples in the summer, is also not entirely happy with being sent off for the Asian tournament. The 27-year-old fears losing his regular place at Bayern to Dayot Upamecano or Matthijs De Ligt. “If Upa and Matthijs play well during this time, they will probably be the defensive duo afterwards,” Kim told the news portal “t-online.de”. He is preparing to have to fight for the starting place in February – although coach Tuchel was still clearly relying on the South Korean in the first half of the season.
The dismissals in January were an issue for him and sporting director Christoph Freund, explained Tuchel, “but not between me and the team.” Freund had given ServusTV preparatory work with a view to the coming transfer period. “We have already done a bit in the last few weeks,” said Freund.
Honorary President Uli Hoeneß said: “We will certainly try not to pull anything out of a hat on the last day like last year. You have until the beginning, mid-January, and as I got to know Christoph, he will deliver.”
Youngster remains an integral part of the squad
For Tuchel, a primarily defensive-oriented midfielder is still important. Even though Aleksandar Pavlovic (19) from the second team was recently convincing due to a personnel shortage. The youngster will remain an integral part of the squad even “if we sign another midfielder who, in our opinion, might help our team with their profile and experience,” explained Tuchel. “Still, it’s important not to make the backpack too big for him.”
The Africa Cup of Nations will take place from January 13th to February 11th and the Asian Cup from January 12th to February 10th. In this phase, Munich will play six Bundesliga games. The summit will also take place on February 10th with league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who are also expected to release several players.
