Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said Friday that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, forwards Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman, midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic and full-back Noussair Mazraoui were doubtful for Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg. Arsenal. “The problem is that none of these five players have been rested,” Thomas Tuchel told reporters.
“They are not in the squad (for Saturday's league match at Heidenheim) because they cannot play and that is why they are big question marks for Tuesday,” explained the former coach of PSG and Chelsea, who still assured that he had one objective, “that of getting to Wembley” for the C1 final.
Bayern are betting everything on the Champions League
While Bayern, which remains on eleven league titles, has given up on the Bundesliga, dominated by Bayer Leverkusen, the Bavarian club was also eliminated from the German Cup by the third division club of Saarbrücken . The Champions League is therefore undoubtedly his last chance to win a trophy.
“We are in the quarter-finals, so there are not many steps left to go. Nothing is more important than this objective,” summarized the 50-year-old technician, who will leave his post at the end of the season. Thomas Tuchel assured that his players would transform the frustration of the season into motivation: “we are all extremely upset and we have rage in our guts to put things back in order”.
Bayern also announced on Friday the departure of technical director Marco Neppe, in post since December 2021, “by mutual consent”. A former footballer who played mainly in the German lower leagues, Marco Neppe previously headed Bayern's recruitment unit, a position in which he spotted several talents, notably Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies. He thanked Bayern for “the chance and the opportunity” offered over the past ten years, declaring that “the treble in 2020 was the highlight” of his time with the Bavarian club.