Before FC Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga game at 1. FC Cologne on Friday, Thomas Tuchel answered journalists’ questions. Here you can find all of the FCB coach’s statements from the press conference on Thursday.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel has criticized the strain on players in European football. “People want to see the best players play football with joy and desire,” said the 50-year-old and added: “That’s at the absolute limit in the calendar, if not over it.”
After the international break, the respective national coaches also gave feedback “that the boys are tired. They are mentally tired, they are emotionally tired, they are physically tired,” continued Tuchel. It’s not just about the number of games, but also about the strain of the many trips: “There are two more Champions League games next year, there’s a tournament in the summer, that’s just at the limit.”
In this context, Tuchel once again criticized the Bundesliga schedule. FC Bayern has to play at 1. FC Köln on Friday evening (8.30 p.m.), while some national players only arrived back in Munich on Thursday. “This is of course a very, very unfortunate decision,” emphasized Tuchel.
However, this shouldn’t be an excuse for his team, he warned: “We won’t dwell on it, we have to adapt to the circumstances.” With the exception of Jamal Musiala and Matthijs de Ligt, Raphael Guerreiro’s involvement is still a question mark. In principle, however, all national players are “under observation,” said Tuchel: “We won’t make a decision until late.”
FC Bayern Munich: PK with Thomas Tuchel in the live ticker today for reading
Tuchel on the U17 World Cup:
“Unfortunately it misses me a bit. It’s a little further away emotionally because it’s in Indonesia. But I know the results, we know the process and we’re in the know. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the team and the coach.”
Tuchel on Manuel Neuer’s prospects in the DFB team:
“This question will answer itself in May or June if Manu stays healthy. Then he will return to his old strength and shape his own league in goalkeeping. He has to stay calm and enjoy the comeback situation. Everything else will fall into place. The decision is not ours, but we will respect it.”
Tuchel on Thomas Müller’s future career:
“We want him in the team. It’s clear that he wants to keep playing. He’s a footballer through and through. Why shouldn’t he keep playing at the highest level? I see him very positively. He’s in top shape and everything is fine. Thomas is an icon for the club, a playing legend. He gets the maximum respect from us.”
Tuchel on Joshua Kimmich and the demands on the players:
“There is nothing to stop him from playing. He is a key player, he has our complete trust. We always want to offer a stable environment, especially in more difficult phases. The feedback from the national coaches is simple: the players who are at the top Playing at a high level are tired – mentally and physically. It’s not just about the minutes of play, but also the times when traveling, in the hotel, on the bus. You can say that they are professional and earn a lot of money. But they have a time difference by the hour. When I come back from the Asia trip, I’ll have two days off and I still don’t know how much sleep I’ve slept in. Now you have to see Min-Jae Kim and Alphonso Davies again, who are coming back after extremely long trips and right away have to perform again. Starting next season, there will also be more Champions League games and the Club World Cup in 2025. That’s borderline. That doesn’t just affect Josh Kimmich, but many players. Then the circle closes. Tomorrow we are the team that has to play on Friday. That can’t be in the interests of the players and the game. But the game has to be played with joy. This is a level that is not reported on. The players want to see the best players, but they also want to see each other with joy. The situation is at the limit, maybe even over it.”
Tuchel on youth signing Nestory Irankunda:
“Nestory is very fast, he has great potential. Let’s see where he goes. He’ll start in the highest youth class.”
Tuchel on signing René Maric for the FCB youth team:
“I know René from the bench in Leeds and as Marco Rose’s assistant coach. We also met in Mainz. I wasn’t directly involved, that’s okay. I was informed, but not involved. René Maric “He has studied tactical analysis for years. He can certainly give a positive impulse. This is a good transfer.”
Tuchel on Leon Goretzka:
“There are always several conversations. They sometimes take place spontaneously. We are very happy with him. He gritted his teeth after breaking his hand. He was in pain. It was impressive how he put himself into the service of the team. He has found a good position on the half-left side, where he plays between the 10 and between the 6. There were discussions about him, but he persevered, never let himself down and has now found his form. I hope he proves that also tomorrow.”
Tuchel on the personnel situation:
“Matthijs de Ligt isn’t there, Jamal Musiala isn’t there, we have to be careful with Raphael Guerreiro. He had slight problems, so we have to look. We’re keeping a close eye on which national players had a lot of stress, like Konrad Laimer, Minjae Kim or Alphonso Davies. We won’t decide until late who will play tomorrow.”
Tuchel on the scheduling of the Cologne game on Friday evening:
“It’s probably about television rights. This is our second time on Fridays. Min-Jae Kim and Alphonso Davies are only returning from their trips today. That’s a very, very unfortunate arrangement. Especially in the spirit of sport. If I If I say as a coach, it will immediately be seen as an excuse. I don’t want to dwell on it. This is simply an extremely unfortunate situation for the teams that have a lot of national players out. We have to adapt. We have arranged for a short-notice arrival on Friday morning decided so that the players can sleep at home again. We want to win and will prepare ourselves that way.”
Tuchel on his impressions of the German DFB players:
Let’s go. Tuchel is asked directly about the national players and Leroy Sané’s red card against Austria: “I saw the German international matches. The players came back healthy. I saw Leroy Sané and Leon Goretzka. I had lunch with Thomas Müller. See the others me for the first time today. Basically, we’re doing everything we can to make them feel good here. We want to offer an environment and a unity where you can switch off from time to time. We don’t dwell on it too much. No matter what kind of experiences you have the national teams had. The focus on Bayern is important. With Leroy I saw it coming a little bit on the TV, I told him that too. He couldn’t hold back any longer. You could see that he was dissatisfied. Normally he was top under control. Leroy has my complete trust and my full protection. That can happen, it’s human, but it shouldn’t. He is our absolute key player.”
Before start: Tuchel’s statements about who is ready to play after the international break and who might be missing will certainly be interesting.
Before start: The PK is scheduled to begin today at 1 p.m. The game against Effzeh will kick off on Friday at 8:30 p.m. in the Rhein-Energie Stadium.
Before start: Hello and welcome to the live ticker for the press conference of FC Bayern Munich with coach Thomas Tuchel before the Bundesliga game against 1. FC Cologne.
FC Bayern Munich: Where is 1. FC Köln vs. FCB live on free TV and live stream today?
Cologne against FC Bayern cannot be seen on free TV. However, if you don’t want to miss what’s happening in Cologne, you don’t have to, because: DAZN owns the broadcast rights to all Friday Bundesliga games and therefore takes care of the broadcast of the game. The start of the preliminary reporting is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. The following staff will accompany you through the championship game:
- Moderator: Laura Wontorra
- Reporter: Tobi Wahnschaffe
- Commentator: Marco Hagemann
- Expert: Sami Khedira
DAZN Although it basically offers three different subscription packages with which you can access the offer, only one of them unlocks the Bundesliga games. And that’s that DAZN Unlimitedpackage that costs 29.99 euros per month for an annual subscription and 44.99 euros for a monthly subscription.