There was a lot to do in Thomas Tuchel’s first few days as Bayern Munich’s new coach. He didn’t have much time to get to know his team and prepare for the Bundesliga summit against Borussia Dortmund this Saturday. But above all the observers were challenged. Because when a coach starts work, every action, every gesture, every exercise is noted, interpreted and analyzed.
There were a few anomalies with Tuchel. For example, he spoke longer with Leon Goretzka, the Goretzka who was one of the disciples of Julian Nagelsmann, who was released last week. Leroy Sané was given a friendly kick, a new form of play was practiced and – attention – the club employees were all greeted with a friendly handshake.
Basically, nothing out of the ordinary happened this week with the German record champions, at least not on the training ground and on the way there. A lot happened behind the closed doors. For the coaching team, it felt “like a month’s work,” admits Tuchel. The first week was “work, eat, sleep, repeat”. Work, eat, sleep and do the whole thing all over again – made more difficult by the fact that on the first few days there were only six players from the tighter professional squad available to tempt, the rest only gradually trickled in. In between there was a meeting with Uli Hoeneß. “It was important for me to tell him personally that I’m doing my best to take good care of his club.”
But the decisive factor is what happens on Saturday against BVB. “The challenge”, said Tuchel, “could not be higher”. For him too. The fact that he is making his Bayern debut against the former club is only a side note for the new coach. “It was far too long ago to be resentful.” For him, that’s why “the really big stories don’t come about”. But a few smaller ones for sure. The encounter with Hans-Joachim Watzke, the Dortmund club boss, who fired him after winning the DFB Cup, is one such example.
Chroniclers will have already found out, and that’s not good news for Westphalia, but for Bayern, that the 49-year-old has never lost the first competitive game with a club. With the exception of Mainz, there was always a win for Tuchel’s debut. But maybe none of these first games were as important for him as the one against Borussia Dortmund. “The game,” he knows, “has a signal effect.”
Tuchel thinks he only has to fix nuances
The situation at Bayern cannot be compared to that at Chelsea in January 2021. He had taken over the Londoners in midfield in the Premier League, Bayern were still leaders up until the last matchday. In the past few days, Tuchel has been and is still concerned with “showing the team that everything is fine and that no major measures are required”.
While he had to fix basic things at Chelsea, there are nuances in Munich. Changing the amplitude-like performance curve into a straight line at a high level, for example. And to develop a player or bring those who have recently not fulfilled their potential back on track. “In the end, it’s always the player himself who has the drive and has to push himself to the limit every day,” said Tuchel.
The team needs clear announcements, that is, what was apparently missing recently with Julian Nagelsmann, who was perhaps too chummy. “The key is,” says Tuchel, “that we have confidence in ourselves.” The key for the duel with BVB – and for his work at Bayern.
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Source: Tagesspiegel
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
