Bundesliga
Irritated Bayern plan “reaction” in Freiburg
Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (r) will miss the game in Freiburg. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
Before the direct Freiburg reunion and the premier class cracker against ManCity, Bayern are trying to shake off the cup frustration. Tuchel wishes “biliousness and toxicity”. There are new worries.
Thomas Tuchel left the “immediate annoyance” from the cup shock behind him “after a bit of sport” in the middle of Bayern’s pioneering days.
Before the quick reunion with SC Freiburg and the ultimate Champions League test against Manchester City, the 49-year-old pointed out the good sides of the extremely changeable performances of the Bundesliga leaders. “You need a positive spirit,” said Tuchel before game three of his difficult zero-to-hundred start. The absence of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for the Freiburg match and possibly also for the City cracker gives him new worries in an already tricky situation: “We’re not in top form right now.”
Four days before the duel with Pep Guardiola’s premier class favorite, Tuchel’s focus was on the renewed showdown on Saturday (3:30 p.m. / Sky) with Freiburg, who conquered the cup, after the alarming assessment. After a lot of positives in the analysis of the cup failure, the new Bayern coach closed his statement with a demand for the stars. Only tactical and technical approaches would not be enough. “It is important that we develop resilience and vigor together as a team. We definitely still have room for improvement,” warned the football coach. The return to top form requires “patience and work, maybe a bit of biliousness and toxicity”.
Emotions demanded from Bayern players
Leader Joshua Kimmich sees it similarly. “In general, we lose too many games after taking the lead,” complained the midfield boss. You have to convert anger and anger about the cup into “passion and will” and “play more emotionally”. Like Kimmich himself, Tuchel also emphasized that emotions are easier for the defending team to embody. “I think passionate attacking sometimes looks less passionate than defending because the tackle just looks kinda good.” Even if it sounds “like the famous whistle in the dark forest”, two goals against Freiburg were unnecessary.
However, even the attacking power was lacking – and now the second-best league goalscorer is missing. The absence of Choupo-Moting, who has a knee injury, hits Bayern hard at a crucial stage of the season. The 2-1 draw against Freiburg was an example of how difficult it was for Munich to score goals against a well-organized defense in the first year after Robert Lewandowski.
The last pass, the confidence or the ease are currently missing, explained Tuchel. “But form and self-image will only come back if we stay positive.” Possible alternatives for the Choupo-Moting place at the top are captain Thomas Müller or the weak Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mané. Storm talent Mathys Tel is still injured.
Musiala against Freiburg in the starting XI?
One candidate for the starting XI, which will lack the suspended Dayot Upamecano in defence, is Jamal Musiala. After his handball before the late knockout penalty against Freiburg, the national player completed “a great training session”. “We need a reaction. But we would also need a reaction if we had won,” said Tuchel. His team should consolidate the top of the table they fought back in the 4-2 win against Dortmund.
The cup evening “was very bitter for all of us, but it will continue on Saturday,” said Hasan Salihamidzic. For the other tasks, the sports director demands a Bayern engine at full speed for 90 minutes. “We don’t raise the energy over a long period of time.” Salihamidzic should be happy to hear that Tuchel is still convinced of the team that Julian Nagelsmann took over just two weeks ago, despite the trouble in the cup. “I still believe in the potential and composition of this team,” said the 2021 Champions League winner. That also applies to the “very highest level”, the premier class.