Glaring Thomas Tuchel mistake helps Real Madrid make comeback against Bayern Munich
Last night, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid played out another knockout game for the ages for a berth in this year’s UEFA Champions League final.
Coming into the game 1-1 on aggregate, the two sides played out a goalless first half before Alphonso Davies sent in a sumptuous goal off his weak foot in the 68th minute to give Bayern the lead.
The Bavarian side were winning the tie with three minutes remaining in regular time. By full time, however, they were out. Two late goals from Joselu brought Real Madrid back from the dead yet again.
This being the Champions League, many teams have found themselves incapable to do anything in the face of the Blancos who consider this their very own competition, but they cannot be solely accredited for their comeback. The manager on the other side, Thomas Tuchel, needs to be handed his share of the blame.
Tuchel stung like a butterfly
The attackers on both sides kept the defenders engaged on the night, making for a very watchable affair despite there being no goal in the first hour.
After Bayern took the lead, it is understandable they wanted to defend it, but it’s fair to say Tuchel took this too far. The already-outgoing manager took all the sting out of his attack in quick succession as he took off Leroy Sane (76′), Jamal Musiala (84′), and Harry Kane (84′) in the space of eight minutes, replacing them with Kim Min-jae, Thomas Muller, and Eric Maxim Chupo-Moting, respectively.
This was simply a step too far. With no potent attacker left on the field to keep their defence engaged, Carlo Ancelotti’s side felt even more confident in their forays into the opposition half, which ultimately led to the two goals they managed to eke amidst the confusion of the final minutes.
Conclusion
In recent weeks, Tuchel has been reported to be interested in taking up the head coach role at Man United should the club decide to let Erik ten Hag go. Last night, he demonstrated why he should not be considered for the job.
Being conservative beyond requirement will certainly not bring back the club from the wilderness of mediocrity they currently find themselves in. United have an exciting crop of young players coming through, who need to be encouraged and coached properly to give United a lethal edge up the pitch.
In showing his defensive proclivities on football’s greatest stage, Tuchel has demonstrated he does not have the mindset to help take United to said stage in the long run.
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A lot is changing at Man United. A lot further needs to change. Many current faces need to go, to be replaced by new ones. Thomas Tuchel, however, has proved that he must not be one of those new faces.
