After the Champions League triumph against Lazio, Bayern continue in the Bundesliga. On the PK before the game, Thomas Tuchel comments on the situation and the remaining chances – and it becomes clear.
Progressing in the Champions League round of 16 against Lazio Rome brought some calm to FC Bayern. One thing is clear, however: It will only stay that way if the record champions follow up with a win in the Bundesliga home game against relegation candidates Mainz 05 on Saturday (3:30 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online).
However, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel is forced to make a change against the second-to-last team in the table. Midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović received his fifth yellow card last weekend and is therefore suspended.
How will Tuchel plug the hole? Is he possibly moving Joshua Kimmich from his full-back position back to headquarters at short notice?
The PK for reading in the ticker:
12:47 p.m.: This ends FC Bayern’s press conference.
12:46 p.m.: Tuchel highlights Leon Goretzka’s role in the last few games: “I think he plays it very clearly, plays very hard passes. He does it at a very high level in midfield. But that also explicitly suited the two opponents. ” He assumes that “Mainz will mirror us”, but that Goretzka will provide the stability needed.
12.45 p.m.: On the left the question is: Raphaël Guerreiro or Alphonso Davies? “What speaks for Rapha is that he has played through the last few games; he is a bit more flexible because he can also play centrally.” Davies is currently more of an alternative. But Tuchel doesn’t want to commit 100 percent.
12:43 p.m.: He has not yet decided who will replace the suspended Pavlović in midfield – Joshua Kimmich or Konrad Laimer. “For me the tendency is for Konni to play in midfield.” Kimmich would then play as a right-back again. “Unfortunately, that’s a bit indicative of his season. I also hoped that it would help him to play a little more freely on the side, which he did well against Leipzig and Lazio.”
12.40 p.m.: Tuchel raves about Aleksandar Pavlović. “He always came to training with a smile and always showed how grateful he is, that childlike joy. I think it helps him that his confidence comes through his play. In training we saw what he can do. He is “To this day, he’s a fine guy and a top teammate for everyone else. It’s nice to see that he can do that on the pitch with the same self-confidence and emotionality, no matter who comes along.”
12:38 p.m.: About new signing Bryan Zaragoza and his currently somewhat halting development: They “preferred the transfer to gain some time and because we didn’t know how long Kingsley and Serge’s downtime would be, so we played it safe.” It was clear to him “that this was a very big step for him. We feel that now too. We notice that the integration is not complete on the linguistic side.” But: He gets his time, “everything is on target.”
Kingsley Coman is expected “back after the international break.” Leroy Sané is fit for action, but: “You can see in his game that he has been playing with pain for a long time.” However, there is currently “no possibility of waiting until he is pain-free with every movement.”
12.35 p.m.: About Serge Gnabry: “Serge was extremely important, especially at the end of last season, scoring important goals. He was also an important factor at the beginning of this season. But it wouldn’t help to put him under pressure now. We have him playing “I would also like it to be a reward that he feels that as an incentive. I hope that we can give him more minutes and that he can take on an important role again.”
12:34 p.m.: Has he already given up the championship? Tuchel emphasizes: “No, not given up. But there is something between ‘given away’ and ‘declaration of war’, that is, reality. If I were to promise that we would become German champions, then you would rightly say that I am schizophrenic or unrealistic. For us, the main topic of becoming stable has been for far too long.” Then Tuchel becomes clear: “It no longer makes sense for us to set goals in the championship. We have to win, win, win, we no longer have it in our own hands.” The fact that leaders Bayer Leverkusen don’t feel Bayern’s “immediate breath” is “our own fault.”