MADRID.- The technician of the Bayern MunichThomas Tuchel, admitted that the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid (first leg: 2-2) on Wednesday will be “very complex”, betting on ball possession to try to hurt the white team.
“There are going to be different phases in the match. Both teams will have to defend, hold on, suffer, show strength when the rival has the ball,” Tuchel explained this Tuesday at a press conference prior to the match.
“It is difficult to steal balls from Real Madrid, but we are going to try to have possession,” Tuchel said at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
“I don’t think there is going to be a team dominating all the time. We need the ball possession phase to recover and hurt the rival,” added the Bayern coach, who warned against “dangerous transitions” by the Merengues.
“It will be important to play as a team, not only with the starting eleven but also with the substitutes who come out. We have to have faith in ourselves,” said Tuchel.
The coach of the Bavarian team admitted that the myth of Real Madrid in Europe can weigh on his younger players, but “you have to focus on the game.”
“With the players we talk about the game, not about the myth of Real Madrid to complicate it more,” Tuchel said.
The German coach recalled that in the “first leg we played better and we couldn’t win,” before considering that “now Real Madrid may have a 51% chance of playing at home.”
“Real Madrid plays at home and could play a little more offensively, but, on the other hand, we started from a draw, so it’s easy, whoever wins tomorrow will go to Wembley,” he said.
Imminent danger for Real Madrid:
Tuchel tried not to single out Madrid’s danger, but he also couldn’t help but praise the performance of his midfielder Toni Kroos.
“Toni has been a key player for years. He has had many successes in the League, in the Champions League, he has that way of dominating the game, he knows how to take advantage of those spaces. He is a key player who sets the pace,” explained Tuchel.
“He has the reins of Real Madrid’s game. Tomorrow we can still slow him down a little in his ability to set the pace, but we are not going to face only Kroos, we are going to face an entire team, which works extremely well, which is very flexible and knows how to carry out all facets of the game,” he concluded.
Source: AFP
