Thomas Tuchel has spoken out ahead of the league opener about his public criticism of the team after losing the Supercup.
You might also have to give FC Bayern a little credit for placing the introduction of Harry Kane right at midday on Sunday. This way, when people were still talking about the Supercup debacle on Saturday in Doppelpass and everywhere else, the focus could quickly be turned back to the 100 million man, the record-breaking purchase.
For this 0:3 against Leipzig had not only illustrated to everyone that FC Bayern, despite several weeks of preparation, is just not as far along as Thomas Tuchel had hoped. Thomas Tuchel also said it quite loudly into every microphone. “It’s frightening,” he said, for example, and found no explanation for his team’s performance. “I don’t recognise anything anymore, neither of what we did in terms of content, nor how we played and trained recently.”
This kind of public picking apart of his squad still caused a stir even despite Kane-mania. “On the one hand, it is honest for a coach to show his helplessness so clearly,” “but on the other hand, it is also risky and, in my view, not a good sign from the decisive manager to the team. “
And what does Tuchel think about it with a bit of distance? “I thought I was very open and honest in describing how I felt,” the Bayern coach said on Thursday. “My disappointment was very big. Whoever knows me and whoever accompanies me knows that this will always continue the next day in terms of content; that we will always arrive at every game well prepared; that we will do everything to constantly question ourselves in the coaching team and also be the best possible coaching team we can be for the team. Depending on what they need at the time. You can be very sure of that. “
That there were a lot of headlines around his person, even he, who usually claims to read as little as possible, had noticed. “I think a lot is made of it,” Tuchel thinks. “I think it’s normal after a 3-0 defeat. I would almost say there it doesn’t matter what I say either because I don’t know how to explain it. There is no explanation to satisfy everyone. I don’t think that’s my job either. I was extremely dissatisfied. That was more authentic than anything else. But sure: maybe it wasn’t the most diplomatic way that evening. If I had tried to sell it very diplomatically, people might have wondered if I was at the right game and if I remembered how the last home game before that had gone.” When Bayern also lost to Leipzig by three goals to one on the 33rd matchday of pre-season and almost lost the championship.
After three months, the coach just doesn’t see the progress he had hoped for. “All in all, it’s still for me, for our standards and the standards I have for myself … For me it’s … I take it personally when we lose. I almost can’t stand it. That’s why I want us to develop that together, to develop resilience.” That in the future it would be best not to scold at all.