Thomas Tuchel has completed his first training session with the stars of FC Bayern.
The new coach of the German soccer record champions led the unit on Tuesday on the club premises on Säbener Straße with a small squad around professionals like Thomas Müller or Leroy Sané who were not nominated for international matches. Only the first 15 minutes of the session were open to media representatives.
Four days before the Bundesliga classic against Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel seemed thirsty for action, and he gave Sané a well-intentioned kick in the buttocks at the start.
FC Bayern: Only 13 players
A total of 13 players completed the first session in the Munich sunshine, observed by numerous photographers and cameramen. Tuchel (49) stood by assistant coach Arno Michels (55) and followed the training closely. Zsolt Löw (43) is also part of the coaching staff. Anthony Barry (36) from Chelsea is to follow as another assistant.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has already played under Tuchel at Mainz 05 and Paris Saint-Germain, was there when the Munich pros warmed up, while Jamal Musiala was initially absent. The highly talented midfielder had to leave the national team due to a torn muscle fiber and Choupo-Moting had to pull out of his international match with Cameroon due to back problems. The attacker missed the 2-1 draw in Leverkusen, Julian Nagelsmann’s last game.
Tuchel does not need a long period of adjustment
As Nagelsmann’s successor, Tuchel does not have a long time to get used to before the top Bundesliga game on Saturday against leaders Borussia Dortmund. The squad with the international returnees will probably only be available to him in the final training session on Friday.
Against his former club Dortmund, for which Tuchel worked from 2015 to 2017 and with whom he won the DFB Cup as a farewell, it was important to set a first “exclamation mark”. In the table, Borussia is one point ahead of Munich.
Tuchel was signed as Nagelsmann’s successor on Friday. The former Chelsea and Paris coach signed a contract with Munich until June 30, 2025.