Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel sets his sights on Champions League ‘Everest’
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Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel conducting a training session at the Lion City Sailors Training Centre on Aug 1, 2023.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
SINGAPORE – Winning the Champions League, like climbing Mount Everest, requires good preparation, training and a bit of luck, said Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel.
He was responding to a question at a press conference on Tuesday about whether he thought it would be easier to win Europe’s premier club competition with the German champions or his former Chelsea side, who had triumphed in 2021 under him.
While Tuchel’s Bayern clinched the Bundesliga title on the final day of last season, they missed out on Champions League glory after losing to Manchester City in the quarter-finals
“I found it pretty hard to win the Champions League in general, so we don’t expect that to become any easier,” the German, 49, said ahead of Wednesday’s friendly
“We work in a club where we demand it from ourselves; we demand to compete for the titles.
“But no matter what titles you compete for, if you want to climb Mount Everest, you need to start the journey, you need to pack good, you need to plan good, you need to train, you need to be prepared and then you need to do it step by step, from base camp to base camp. Otherwise, you will never arrive.
“What we do now (is) grow together, create a spirit where we can trust each other and be ready to face difficulties together, and then everything is possible in sports.”
Ahead of their new season, which starts with a German Super Cup clash with RB Leipzig on Aug 12, Tuchel – who led Paris Saint-Germain to the 2020 Champions League final, only to lose 1-0 to Bayern – faces several conundrums over the men that he will take on the club’s journey to the Champions League summit.
The futures of defender Benjamin Pavard and goalkeeper Yann Sommer have been called into question in recent weeks.
On Monday, the club’s top bosses were in London to meet with members of the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy to discuss the future of striker Harry Kane.
While Tuchel refused to comment on Bayern’s interest in Kane,
Meanwhile, Senegal forward Sadio Mane completed his move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr
Revealing he had an emotional farewell with Mane, Tuchel said: “It was kind of sad. We had a long hug but we had a smile on our faces and we assured ourselves to keep the good relationship.
“It’s not personal from his side, I can totally understand that he feels hurt. I feel also not happy... we didn’t bring (him) to the full potential, which is my job and my responsibility.”
Wednesday’s match against Liverpool will see Bayern’s key defender Matthijs de Ligt on the opposite side of the dugout from his Dutch compatriots Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo.
The centre-back, 23, said: “I’ve played with Virgil for five years in the national team and he’s a big example for me – he’s won the Champions League and had an amazing season with Liverpool. I also want to congratulate him for becoming captain of Liverpool FC, it’s a really big achievement.
“I also have a good relationship with Cody, he is a good guy. He is humble and has always worked hard, I’m glad to see he’s doing really well at Liverpool FC and I can’t wait to face them tomorrow.”
There will also be a reunion of former Leipzig teammates, with Bayern’s new signing Konrad Laimer facing off against Liverpool’s Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and French defender Ibrahima Konate.
“The time together in Leipzig was good,” said the Austrian midfielder, 26. “It’s always nice to meet some old guys from (my) older team and compete with them.”
