"Away from reality"

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There's a row at Bayern again! This time the focus is on Uli Hoeneß and coach Thomas Tuchel, who was publicly criticized by the honorary president before the Frankfurt game. "Unfounded" and "miles away from reality", countered the coach.

Thomas Tuchel has vehemently contradicted honorary president Uli Hoeneß following the latter's criticism of the Bayern coach's work with young players. "I have very little sympathy for that. I think it's absolutely baseless, but okay," said Tuchel on Sky on Saturday ahead of Munich's league match against Eintracht Frankfurt. "It's so far removed from reality that I wouldn't have reacted to it at all if it hadn't come from Uli Hoeneß."

Thomas Tuchel(Bild: youtube.com/@fcbayern)

Hoeneß (72) was quoted by a panel discussion in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" as saying that Tuchel "has a different attitude. He doesn't think he can improve an (Alphonso) Davies, (Aleksandar) Pavlovic or (Jamal) Musiala. If it doesn't work out, you should buy someone else." Hoeneß, on the other hand, said that "you should work hard on them and give them confidence".

Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala(Bild: APA/AFP/Christof STACHE)

Tuchel, who has to leave Munich in the summer and may be replaced by current ÖFB team manager Ralf Rangnick, reacted indignantly to the criticism. It was "so far removed" from reality that he didn't even know how to respond. Especially as Bayern face Real Madrid in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League next Tuesday. This gives the criticism "a slightly different flavor", said Tuchel.

Offended in "coach's honor"
Hoeneß' words would scratch his "deepest understanding" as a coach, said Tuchel, listing examples of young players from his time at Mainz, Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea who he and his coaching team had supported. He was "a little bit" hurt in his "coaching honor". "If we have proven anything in the coaching team over the last 15 years," said Tuchel, it is that "young players always have a place" in training and in the game.