Tuchel retaliates against two former Bayern legends.

Germany: Following their 4-0 victory over Dortmund in the Bundesliga, coach Thomas Tuchel responded to criticism from Lothar Matthaus and Didi Hamann regarding the earlier defeat against Saarbrucken in the German Cup.

"With the players clashing with the coach, and with no progress being made, it's surprising that we beat Dortmund 4-0," Thomas Tuchel told Didi Hamann and Lothar Matthaus directly on Sky Germany on November 5th. "If Lothar doesn't know what happened, then Didi probably does. I'm extremely happy with my team."

Tuchel also suggested that Hamann and Matthaus might be trying to completely change their attitudes. He then declined to comment further and left the broadcast with a friendly wish for the two former players.

Tuchel (in white shirt) reacts during Bayern's 4-0 victory over Dortmund in the 10th round of the Bundesliga on November 4th, at Signal Iduna Park. Photo: Imago — Tuchel (in white shirt) reacts during Bayern's 4-0 victory over Dortmund in the 10th round of the Bundesliga on November 4th, at Signal Iduna Park. Photo: *Imago*

In another interview with Bild , Tuchel added: "I've been asked about Didi and Lothar every week. Today is the last day to say that. I've had enough work to do in my job."

When asked if he would agree to meet Matthaus for a drink to ease the situation, Tuchel immediately refused. He asserted that he does not drink alcohol during the season and does not have a habit of meeting with television pundits.

On November 1st, after witnessing Bayern's 1-2 defeat to third-division side Saarbrucken in the second round of the German Cup, Hamann and Matthaus simultaneously criticized Tuchel. Both argued that Bayern had internal conflicts and made no progress since Tuchel arrived in March 2023, a claim the coach had denied before the victory against Dortmund.

"The defeat at Saarbrücken is Bayern's biggest embarrassment since we were eliminated at Vestensbergsgreuth in 1994," Matthaus added. "Tuchel took a gamble at Saarbrücken. If it were him, I would have started with the strongest team, then changed it after 50 or 60 minutes. It's a shame we didn't use Harry Kane and got eliminated."

In the Saarbrucken match, Tuchel only kept six of his starting players compared to the team that beat Darmstadt 8-0. But when facing Dortmund, he used his strongest lineup and won 4-0, including a hat-trick from Harry Kane.

Bayern remain unbeaten after 10 Bundesliga rounds, with eight wins and two draws. Tuchel's team is second with 26 points, two points behind Leverkusen. Meanwhile, Dortmund is fourth with 21 points.

Matthaus won six Bundesliga titles with Bayern. The 62-year-old former star also won the 1990 World Cup with West Germany and the Ballon d'Or that same year. Hamann rose through the ranks of Bayern's youth academy before playing 143 games, winning two Bundesliga titles and one UEFA Cup with the first team. Between 1999 and 2006, the former midfielder won a Champions League, a UEFA Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, two FA Cups, two League Cups, and one Community Shield with Liverpool.

Thanh Quy (according to Sky Germany, Bild )

Source link