2024-04-26 17:52:42
The honorary president of the German record champions talks about the work of the Bayern coach – and unexpectedly attacks Thomas Tuchel sharply.
In the summer, coach Thomas Tuchel has to leave FC Bayern after just a year and a half. The early separation has been clear since the end of February; it is also the result of a turbulent time for the German record champions, especially a disappointing 2023/24 season for the Munich team. While the club continues to look for a successor, honorary president Uli Hoeneß commented on the outgoing trainer – and unexpectedly harshly criticized the 50-year-old.
“I don’t blame Thomas Tuchel, he often had dinner with me at Tegernsee, I get on very well with him. But he has a different attitude,” explained Hoeneß at a panel discussion in the FAZ on Friday. And further: “He doesn’t think that he can improve a Davies, Pavlović or Musiala. If it doesn’t work, you should buy another one. I mean, you should work hard on them and give them self-confidence.”
Young players “give them a hug”
A statement that is surprising: youngster Aleksandar Pavlović in particular was only able to really play his way into the limelight under Tuchel. The 19-year-old made his Bundesliga debut under the coach and even made his way into the DFB team with strong performances. Musiala is also having a strong season, only Davies has been lagging behind his form for months.
Tuchel did not sufficiently live up to FC Bayern’s maxim of supporting young players and raising them to world-class level, Hoeneß continued. But he expects a good Bayern coach “to improve young players and give them a hug sometimes.” An example is the Italian coaching monument Giovanni Trapattoni, who looked after Bayern in the 1994/95 season and again from 1996 to 1998: “He always taught our defender Sammy Kuffour the simplest things. I asked Trapattoni why. His answer: I’m a soccer teacher.”