Thomas Tuchel insisted there was nothing personal about his decision to bench Thomas Muller for both legs of Bayern Munich's Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.
The 33-year-old was omitted from the starting line-up in Manchester and Munich, and Bayern slipped to a 4-1 aggregate defeat to slide out at the last-eight stage for a third consecutive season.
Muller is the most decorated player in Bayern's history, winning 11 Bundesliga titles and two Champions League crowns during his stellar career with the Bavarians.
He has a chance of another domestic league title this season, but that is all Bayern have left to challenge for after their European exit and defeat to Freiburg in the DFB-Pokal quarters.
It would be a calamity if recently appointed Tuchel fell out with club legend Muller, but the coach denies there is any problem between the pair. Indeed, he said he was "extremely impressed" with how Muller accepted his team selections.
"I am a big Thomas Muller fan myself. He has a world-class indefinability," Tuchel said in Friday's pre-match press conference.
"The Manchester games haven't suited him perfectly. Otherwise, he probably would have played. Many games are Muller games.
"Everything is OK at the moment. I was pleased with his reaction on the training ground yesterday. I was extremely impressed. He handled it in an exemplary manner. He just stepped on the gas and pulled the team along.
"But I have to make my decisions, sometimes they are hard. There is no personal note in it. Everyone has to accept it in a competitive situation."
Muller, who made brief substitute appearances in both City games, is likely to start on Saturday when Tuchel goes up against Mainz, one of the Bayern coach's former clubs.
Tuchel has called on Bayern to show more swagger in their remaining games, saying the team have lacked "a dash of determination and a dash of egoism".
"It's important how the team handles the situation. A lot has happened this season," said Tuchel. "The team has experienced a lot."
Bayern lead the Bundesliga by two points from Borussia Dortmund with six rounds of games remaining, and Tuchel stressed the domestic league must not be seen as a consolation prize for a team who craved European glory.
"I experienced it myself in Paris [when coaching Paris Saint-Germain], how sad it is that the championship is taken for granted," Tuchel said.
"It must not be taken for granted. Sure, we won't be celebrated as if an underdog became champion. We will not artificially downplay our claim to become champions.
"A championship is less prone to failure because you have time over a longer period of time. We fight for the title. We shouldn't be ashamed of that."
Busby aiming to reset culture, objectives ahead of World Cup Qualifying campaign
A reset of the culture as well as objectives of the Jamaica Senior Women’s National Team or “Reggae Girlz” is of paramount importance to returning Head coach Hubert Busby Jr.
Busby Jr was rehired last week after previously serving in the role in 2021 and won’t have a lot of time to settle back into the role as his first assignment will be to navigate a pair of international friendlies with global football powerhouses Brazil on June 1 and 4.
The two teams last met at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup where a 0-0 draw secured the Reggae Girlz spot as the first Caribbean nation to ever advance from the group stage at a World Cup.
The squad for these two friendlies can be looked at as a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, 18 of the members of the squad were in that history-making World Cup squad but, on the other hand, they haven’t played together since that tournament which was nine months ago.
“I think coming back in with two weeks to go, there is a lot of work to do in a short period of time and the idea that the core of this particular group hasn’t been together in nine months so there’s a lot of work that we’re doing now behind the scenes to get up to speed in terms of watching Brazil and getting the players organized,” he said in an interview with JFFLive on Wednesday.
Busby Jr then went into detail on two of his major objectives in his second stint as Head coach of the Reggae Girlz.
“More importantly, I think, some of the objectives for us is to reset the culture, reset the objectives in terms of what we’re looking to do and understand, I know it’s the most used cliché in sports, but whatever we do, we really have to stick to a process of how we look to get back to the next World Cup in 2027,” explained Busby Jr.
“This is just the first part in utilizing each and every window, making sure that, regardless of the results, we are hitting our targets of what we want to accomplish heading into the World Cup Qualifiers,” he added.
Brazil will be using these friendlies as preparation for the Olympic Games where they won consecutive silver medals at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
These two friendlies will also be the last home international appearances for perhaps the greatest female footballer ever, Marta, who has announced that she will retire after the Paris Games.
“This is going to be a little bit of a send-off match for them. It will also be Marta’s last game in Brazil in front of her home crowd before she retires and there’s a little bit of a revenge factor from what happened at the World Cup so we’ve got to manage all of that,” Busby Jr said.
“We’re going to have these three training sessions and prepare the team for these matches,” he ended.
Trip of a Lifetime! JustBet to take lucky football fan to London for UCL Finals 2024
Pepetho Barrett, a devoted Real Madrid fan, is walking on air after winning an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the UEFA Champions League final between Dortmund and Real Madrid at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London courtesy of JustBet and SportsMax.
Overflowing with excitement, Barrett exclaimed, "I am still in shock. It's a dream come true to watch my team live. I'm so grateful to JustBet for providing me with an opportunity that seemed out of reach," he added. “Winning this trip is amazing and knowing that I get to watch my team, Real Madrid live, makes it a trip of a lifetime!”
JustBet, Jamaica's premier sports betting and entertainment brand presented Barrett with a symbolic boarding pass at Sabina Park during the hotly contested Jamaica Premier League semi-finals on Sunday, May 12, 2024.
In addition to the main prize, Anthony Belcher secured the third-place prize, claiming a brand new Apple iPhone 15 Prom Max. Steven Lindsay emerged as the second-place winner, walking away with a cutting-edge entertainment system complete with a TV, PS5, and soundbar.
“Sports betting is our fastest growing segment at Supreme Ventures and so it made sense for us to enhance our customers betting experience by partnering with Sportsmax to offer a chance to win a once-in- a-lifetime experience at the UCL Finals,” remarked, Kamal Powell, Head of Marketing at Supreme Ventures Limited. “There’s much more in store for us here at JustBet so we encourage our players to join the action and don’t miss an opportunity to feel the thrill of winning.”
The highly anticipated match that represents the pinnacle of club football is set for June 1.
Cavalier’s 'Busy' Atkinson takes aim at second Jamaica Premier League title: "It would mean a lot to me and my teammates..."
Dwayne ‘Busy’ Atkinson scored his sixth and arguably most crucial goal of the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League season when he netted the opening goal for Cavalier FC against Arnett Gardens FC in their return leg semi-final at Sabina Park on Sunday.
With the tie delicately poised at 1-1 after the first leg, it was evident that in a match defined by fine margins, the first goal in the return leg would be pivotal.
The match was only 15 minutes old when Atkinson converted from the penalty spot to put the ball in the back of the net, giving Cavalier a 1-0 lead on the day and a 2-1 advantage on aggregate.
A stunning strike by Adrian Reid in the sixth minute of added time at the end of the first half then provided last season’s runners-up with a perfect 2-0 cushion heading into halftime. Keith Simpson's stoppage-time goal in the 94th minute was only a consolation for Waterhouse, as the game concluded 3-2 on aggregate in favor of Cavalier.
Atkinson was just 19 years old when he clinched the title with Cavalier in 2021. Having gained valuable experience overseas playing in Iceland last year, he hopes that the lessons learned in Europe will prove beneficial when they face Mount Pleasant FA in the final for a second consecutive season.
The designated penalty taker for Cavalier revealed that he was confident when he stepped up to take the spot-kick against Arnett Gardens goalkeeper Eric Edwards.
He also emphasized the importance of scoring first for Cavalier to quieten the vocal Arnett Gardens fan base.
“It was really important for us to take the lead against a team like Arnett, who have such a large fan base,” he noted.
While expressing confidence ahead of Sunday’s showdown against the reigning champions, Atkinson remained mindful of the threat they pose.
“I am very confident of victory, but Mount Pleasant is a very good team, so I need to put in a lot of work with the boys and stay focused for this one,” said the diminutive winger.
Last year’s painful defeat in the final has been a driving force for Cavalier all season, especially for Atkinson and his teammate Richard King, who were both playing for Vestmannaeyjar FC in Iceland at this time last year.
They both missed the final and are thrilled to have the opportunity to rectify last year’s disappointment.
Atkinson admitted that it was agonizing to watch from afar and not be able to assist his team, but he is now ready to claim his second premier league title come Sunday.
“I have no words to describe how I felt last year, not being able to help my teammates, but I was playing for another team in another league at that time. This season, we have worked hard and have been dedicated to achieving our championship goals.”
“It would mean a lot to me and my teammates to win this season because, as you can see, there is a lot of talk going around that Cavalier only won the JPL during ‘corona time,’ so winning this one would be fantastic,” he explained.
Surprisingly, Atkinson says he would have preferred to play the final at Sabina Park.
“I would have preferred to play the final at Sabina Park instead of the National Stadium because it has a better pitch than the stadium.”
The 22-year-old is gearing up to put on a show in the final with hopes of securing another overseas contract at the end of it all.
“I believe that an outstanding performance in the final could help me secure another overseas contract, so I want to deliver for my team,” he acknowledged.
Cavalier and Mount Pleasant will battle it out in the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League finals at the National Stadium on Sunday, May 19, starting at 6:30 pm.
NB: The Jamaica Premier League final will be aired live on Sportsmax.
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