For coach Thomas Tuchel, the Champions League clash at Arsenal is a “big test” and the chance for a little compensation. “We have to go two steps further than our last appearances in the league in terms of doggedness, in our investment, in our willingness to suffer and to help and support each other,” demanded Tuchel before the quarter-final first leg on Tuesday (9 p.m / live on Prime Video and in the FAZ ticker) in London: “And if we do what we have done so far in the Champions League, then we will be competitive.”
For Tuchel, who will have to leave FC Bayern early at the end of the season, the disappointing season so far is “not yet lost” due to the last chance for the title in the premier class. He is hopeful that his team has performed “at a very high level throughout” in the Champions League. Offensive player Leroy Sané, who returned to the squad after his injury, also reiterated: “We said to ourselves: especially now!”
“Especially this season we are playing against ourselves”
However, Tuchel also warned against Premier League leaders FC Arsenal with their currently in-form national player Kai Havertz. “The performance is very well-rounded because Arsenal also defines itself as a team,” said the Bayern coach: “The team and coach are a unit, that’s how they play, you can see that in every single game. They are currently dominating the most difficult league in the world – that speaks for itself.”
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 8 Roland Zorn, Heidenheim Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 11 Roland Zorn, Heidenheim Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 26
Arsenal are therefore an “extremely strong opponent,” said the 50-year-old, “but especially this season we are also playing against ourselves.” Therefore, the main task is “to show the best version of ourselves and show the best face. If we do that, we will be able to compete at the highest level.”
After the defeats in the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund (0:2) and against newcomers 1. FC Heidenheim (2:3), there are “of course better starting points,” emphasized the Bayern coach, who did not want to dwell on the negative run any further : “Then at some point it’s good and at some point it’s forgotten, nothing is older than yesterday’s newspaper and the football game from the day before yesterday.”
Tuchel wants to defend his job with the German record champions with all his might until the summer. “We’ll see this through to the end, that’s what we agreed on and it’s the best solution. We still stand by that,” said Tuchel when asked whether an earlier separation than the one agreed upon in the summer would not have made more sense for everyone involved. “I’m old enough to be responsible for my decisions,” said Tuchel, “in the end it’s just football.” He also doesn’t know whether an earlier expulsion was even “up for debate and whether I had too much say.” One thing is certain: “It was not an option to stop.”
“We can still save a lot”
Tuchel emphasized that he gives “everything for the team that I coach: I consider it a privilege to be able to do it at this level. I want to win and prove myself at this level.”
National player Leroy Sané, on the other hand, expects clarifying discussions with FC Bayern in the near future beyond the end of his contract in 2025. “I’m not thinking about it too much at the moment and I’m focused on the here and now. But those responsible for me are in contact with the club, so things will definitely get a little more intense in the next few weeks,” said the 28-year-old.
At the moment, his main concern is to “play good football again and win” with the ailing Bayern, we can still save a lot. Personally, given his dry spell in front of goal, he also has “goals that I’m trying to achieve. But the most important thing is that I play well and can help the team – whether with goals, assists or defensive work. I want to be able to say: Hey, I played well and have a good feeling. That’s what gives me the most.”
Sane hasn’t scored for Munich since the end of October – also because he kept struggling with physical problems. Most recently, an injury to his pubic bone slowed him down. “The pain was very extreme, it is very variable – sometimes when sprinting, sometimes when shooting. But now everything has calmed down again.”