Both FC Bayern and Manchester United suffered heavy defeats at the weekend. On the last group match day of the Champions League on Tuesday there will be a duel between the ailing boxers.
It is probably the most used metaphor in sports journalism. That of the ailing boxer, who is known to be the most dangerous. As a rule, a team is in a crisis, i.e. the one that is struggling, and faces a team in strong form. It rarely happens that both teams are not at their best, but that was the case when FC Bayern visited Manchester United in the Champions League.
FC Bayern wants to forget the 1:5 debacle
The people of Munich travel with one 1:5 debacle in Frankfurt in the luggage, which was analyzed intensively afterwards: “We had 22 critical ball losses,” explained Tuchel before the game against the “Red Devils”. The trainer sees a critical loss of the ball as five or more players no longer being able to intervene. This number “should definitely be in the single digits for our requirements,” Tuchel made clear on Monday evening in Manchester.
But the game plan, which Tuchel has so often criticized, offers Munich the opportunity to do better on Tuesday. “We had a lot of games, including in the Champions League, that didn’t go so well, and the reaction was good every time.” Accordingly, Tuchel has no doubts that “the reaction will happen.” In Dortmund they probably know all too well what Tuchel means. BVB became Bavaria’s opponents after the cup exit in Saarbrücken.
Sports show Champions League Live, December 12th, 2023 8:50 p.m
Joy at Old Trafford instead of fear
Opponent coach Erik ten Haag also knows that FC Bayern were more than just vulnerable on Saturday. The former Munich U23 coach is calm about a possible reaction. “We are capable of beating any opponent,” was ten Haag’s challenge, after all, we are playing at home. Old Trafford is “not a pleasant place for the opponents”.
Coach Tuchel knows the importance of the venue and spoke of it as “one of the biggest stages in world football”. For Jamal Musiala, Old Trafford is “definitely a stadium that all children dream of. As a child, I always enjoyed watching games there and experiencing the atmosphere there.” Musiala is sure: “It will be exactly the same tomorrow.”
Sounds more like joy than fear about the guest appearance and there are reasons for that. Manchester’s home reputation has suffered greatly recently. They have only remained unbeaten once in the group phase so far in the local Theater of Dreams (1-0 win against Copenhagen). And in the league there was also a crushing 3-0 home defeat against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday. Ten Haag’s team is in sixth place in the table and would not be represented in Europe next season.
United must win
But in the clash with FC Bayern, it’s all about securing the near future. The English go into the sixth and final matchday as bottom of the group. “We are positive. We know what we have to do: We have to win to stay in Europe,” says ten Haag. Even with a win, wintering in the premier class would not be in your own hands, but at least staying in the Europa League would be secured.
It is important for Tuchel’s team not to underestimate the next stricken opponent. “It’s always difficult to play against Manchester United. There’s a special aura and mentality that makes them always very difficult to beat,” says Tuchel. In eight games against United, the ex-Chelsea coach has three wins and three draws.
The 50-year-old certainly knows how to survive against this backdrop. The best conditions for a successful reaction from his team. But one thing is also clear: whoever leaves the ring as a loser in the duel between the ailing boxers is likely to have uncomfortable days ahead.
In the video: Tuchel demands a reaction
Source: BR24Sport
December 11, 2023 – 6:30 p.m
