Bayern Munich: Thomas Tuchel denies talk of arrogance in DFB Pokal loss
Bayern Munich were on the receiving end of one of the great cup upsets last night, being knocked out of the DFB Pokal by third-division side FC Saarbrucken at a rapturous Ludwigsparkstadion. It was a disappointing night for Bayern, especially after taking a 1-0 lead through a very well-taken Thomas Muller goal in the first half.
FC Saarbrucken hit back through Patrick Sontheimer following a mix-up between Kim Min-jae and Frans Kratzig. The South Korean defender tried to play the ball to the feet of the young midfielder making his first senior start, but Kratzig was caught on his heels, and the rest is history.
The stands at Ludwigsparkstadion were then sent into a frenzy as Marcel Gaus scored the winner in the 96th minute, converting a crisp counterattack.
Tuchel made five changes to the starting lineup on Wednesday, deciding to leave top-scorer Harry Kane on the bench. Bayern’s number nine was an unused substitute as Tuchel believed that other squad players would get the job done.
Bayern Munich boss Tuchel denies that Bayern had an air of arrogance about them
After the game, Bayern manager Tuchel was asked if his side had taken the game slightly. While talking to the media (via Evening Standard), Tuchel denied these claims and insisted that the players were in the right head space going into the game.
"“We weren’t arrogant or took it lightly. There are either 100 explanations or none. It feels strange. Everyone who says we have to win here is right. There’s no clever explanation, we are extremely disappointed. We really wanted to reach [the final in] Berlin. It is what it is, we have to congratulate our opponent.”"
The simple truth is that Bayern should have had enough ammunition to defeat FC Saarbrucken without turning to their main man in Kane. However, it’s hard to disagree with the thought that Bayern were missing that finishing touch.
The Bavarian side dominated possession having the ball for 75% of the time, they also had 18 shots but managed just seven on target. In comparison, FC Saarbrucken only had two shots on target, but scored both for a 100% conversion rate. Die Roten have been efficient in the final third this season, so it was strange to see them squandering chances on Wednesday, which kept the hosts always in the game.
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Bayern want to win every competition they enter, but the DFB Pokal wasn’t the priority this year. Even so, they have Der Klassiker this weekend and face a trip to Signal Iduna Park to face a Dortmund side who have yet to lose a game in the Bundesliga this season.
Musiala, Kane, and Coman will be back, but there is a bit of doubt over the fitness of Matthijs de Ligt, who had to be substituted following an apparent knee injury suffered during a sliding challenge. Tuchel is hoping for some January arrivals to strengthen his squad, but until January he’s going to have to make do with what he has.