What now, Mr. Tuchel? After the disturbing top game flop in Leverkusen, Munich’s supply chains have to work in the premier class. Against Lazio you need players with Bayern DNA.
Thomas Tuchel would have wished for different omens for his first trip to Rome as a football coach. In short: relaxed anticipation instead of mega pressure.
Since the weekend, however, the coach of FC Bayern has no longer been able to think of dolce vita in the spring-like warm Italian capital. After the humiliation in Leverkusen, tactical gambler Tuchel has to deliver with his football stars, who collectively failed in the 3-0 defeat in the Bundesliga’s top game, in the Stadio Olimpico. Another failure against Lazio Rome at the start of the knockout phase of the Champions League on Wednesday evening (9 p.m. / DAZN) would be fatal.
The corresponding round of 16 announcements were made by sports director Christoph Freund on Tuesday before the plane took off from Munich Airport. “We are FC Bayern Munich and we are there to achieve success. We are tickled,” said the Austrian. “We’ll take a dirty win too.”
“I’ve never played in Rome”
After the draw in December, Tuchel still felt pure desire. “I’ve never played in Rome, I’ve never played against Lazio,” said the 50-year-old. And after a confident group phase with five wins and one draw, Tuchel naturally claimed the role of favorite for the three-time premier class champion: “We definitely have the right to win the duel in 180 minutes.”
Aspiration and reality: This is exactly where a gap opens up at FC Bayern 2024. Possibly also a growing one between the coach and parts of the squad. After eleven months of working together, the only thing that is constant about Tuchel-Bayern is the volatility, the constant change between “outliers up and down,” as even Tuchel admitted: “I am personally not satisfied with the level at which we are playing – playing consistently .”
Attitude, will to win, offensive and defensive performance – Bayern have to improve in all areas in Rome. Against a team that is eighth in Italy’s Serie A and that is led by 33-year-old ex-Dortmunder Ciro Immobile as captain and top star.
Müller and “the flash in the eyes”
Thomas Müller branded the Bayern game as too “cerebral”. He misses the simple act of playing with the ball and the greed on the pitch, “that flash in the eyes”. Character is required, personality, leadership. Tuchel warned to “show a reaction”. Freund said of the coach under pressure: “He doesn’t doubt his work. He is very ambitious and tries to think of solutions.”
How does he react after he miscalculated against Leverkusen with a system change and questionable personnel selection? Will he rely on players with Bayern DNA in Rome? Leader Müller and driver Joshua Kimmich are the top candidates for this. “Thomas can always give the team a lot,” explained Freund.
At the final training session in Munich, captain Manuel Neuer was again in good spirits after a break the day before. “The final punch was missing,” criticized Tuchel after the Leverkusen disaster. No Bayern punch in a top game? How can that be?
When Musiala had a lot of fun
Three years ago, Bayern met Lazio in the round of 16. The premiere duel – with Hansi Flick on the bench – is unforgettable for two reasons: In the middle of the corona pandemic, the 4-1 win took place with practically no spectators. And Jamal Musiala was the man of the evening back then. At the age of 17 years and 363 days, he became FC Bayern’s youngest premier class goalscorer to date.
“It was a really cool game for me, I had a lot of fun,” Musiala recalled. Musiala will also be the focus when returning to the Olimpico, which is filled and therefore atmospheric this time. In Leverkusen, Munich’s offensive supply chains were not working at all. “We couldn’t think of anything to move forward,” complained Kimmich.
The invisible Kane
Tuchel missed lightness and assertiveness. Above all, he puzzled “why we didn’t manage to bring Harry into the game.” Goal scorer Kane only had 18 touches of the ball. Musiala’s solution sounds simple: “We have to trust our processes, go into one-on-one situations, look for one-twos.” And he addressed the attitude: “It will be important that our energy levels are at their maximum.”
The expected lineups:
Lazio Rome: Provedel – Marusic, Casale, Romagnoli, Hysaj – Cataldi – Guendouzi, Vecino – Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Pedro
Bayern Munich: Neuer – Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro – Kimmich, Goretzka – Sané, Müller, Musiala – Kane
Referee: François Letexier (France)
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
