Tuchel says he has a 'CRUSH' on his Bayern side despite defeat to City
Thomas Tuchel says he has a ‘CRUSH’ on his Bayern Munich side despite heavy Champions League defeat by Man City… as German giants’ new boss insists quarter-final tie won’t be over ‘until we are under the showers’ after second leg
- Since his appointment in late March, Tuchel has had a checkered time in Bavaria
- But the manager says he was impressed by the courage his side showed at City
- CEO OIiver Kahn used speech during team dinner to shift focus to Bundesliga
Thomas Tuchel has said he has a ‘crush’ on his Bayern Munich side, despite Tuesday evening’s 3-0 Champions League defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
The recently-appointed coach has seen his team placed firmly on the backfoot, with everything to do when the two teams meet at the Allianz next week for the second leg of the quarter-final tie.
After taking over from sacked manager Julian Nagelsmann at the end of March, Tuchel has had a checkered spell in Bavaria.
An important 4-2 victory that knocked Borussia Dortmund off the Bundesliga top spot was quickly chased by a midweek German Cup home loss against Freiburg.
Champions League campaign now hanging by a thread after a confident showing from City at the Etihad, the former Chelsea manager may be staring down the possibility of their second tournament elimination in as many weeks.
Thomas Tuchel said that he had a ‘crush’ on his side for the courage they displayed on the road
Bayern will hope that their ferocious home record in Munich makes a difference on Wednesday
Neither Thomas Muller (L) nor Leroy Sane were able to find the back of Ederson’s net
But the 49-year-old was adamant in his refusal to focus on the first-leg result, instead praising his team for their courage.
‘Everyone saw we were trying to pull the game to our side,’ Tuchel said. ‘I saw so many good things that I refuse to put the result in focus today.
‘I was very proud of how we played. We were courageous. I kind of have a crush on this team.
‘It is going to be a big task to turn this tie around but we are not giving up. Obviously everyone is disappointed because it did not feel like a 3-0.
‘But a home game in Germany is a home game in Germany. It is not over until we are under the showers. We won’t give away anything.’
The manager is right to place his faith in the performance at the Allianz, as the Bavarian side are yet to lose at home in either the Champions League or Bundesliga this season.
But there will be work to do on individual performances within the squad, after a number of error-strewn showings on the night.
Dayot Upamecano was largely responsible for City’s second goal after misplaying a backheeled pass to Haaland, who coolly crossed the ball to scorer Bernardo Silva.
‘We were badly punished there,’ Tuchel said. ‘That goal came out of nothing.
‘Looking isolated at the result then it looks impossible [to turn around]. But it is football and anything can happen. We won’t give it away. It is far too important.’
Dayot Upemacano had a trip to Manchester to forget after his substantial role in City’s second
In the wake of Tuchel’s confidence analysis following the heavy defeat, Bayern’s executives looked to shift focus back to league competition.
Bayern currently sit top of the Bundesliga, two points ahead of second-placed Dortmund, and will face Hoffenheim on Saturday.
‘There is no point now in complaining and being negative,’ said Bayern CEO Oliver Khan in his midnight address during Tuesday night’s team dinner.
‘We have the big chance of becoming German champions. It is a tight race which means we cannot allow ourselves to sink into deep thought. We have to bounce back on Saturday.’
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