Thomas Tuchel is feeling extremely passionate about Bayern Munich’s upcoming Champions League quarter-final match against Manchester City, to the point where he has been experiencing insomnia leading up to Tuesday’s first leg. Tuchel is determined to steer Bayern toward their second Champions League victory and will take them to the Etihad Stadium to achieve this goal. Having previously defeated Pep Guardiola’s City in the 2021 final as the manager of Chelsea before being dismissed by the Premier League club in September 2021, Tuchel is now putting in extra effort to devise a strategy to conquer Guardiola’s team once again.
As he ponders his tactical strategies, the Bayern manager’s sleep schedule has been disrupted in the run-up to the game.
“I’ll try to get some early sleep. However, it’s difficult to sleep at times when your mind is racing,” Tuchel stated on Monday.
“Sleep is the most effective way to prepare, but sometimes it’s hard to come by when you have a lot on your mind.
“I woke up very early this morning and decided to go to the training ground because I couldn’t fall back asleep. The match has been on my mind constantly.”
Tuchel, who took over as head coach of the Bundesliga leaders following Julian Nagelsmann’s dismissal last month, will face Guardiola for the 11th time in his managerial career.
Despite having won only three of their previous meetings, Tuchel considers the Champions League final to be more important than any other game they’ve played against Guardiola, even if he tries to minimize the significance of that unforgettable evening in Porto.
“I don’t believe there’s much I can learn from the other matches I’ve had against Pep,” he stated.
“What Pep does is unique. We’ll attempt to come up with solutions, but we’ll require a complete performance to cause difficulties for City.
“We didn’t bring up the final, and we won’t. It would be uncomfortable for me. Right now, we’re concentrating on our own squad.”
Having won the Premier League four out of the past five seasons, Manchester City are in excellent form heading into the game, having won their last eight matches in all competitions.
Acknowledging that Bayern are the underdogs going into the match, Tuchel stated, “It’s a major challenge ahead of us. They are currently the benchmark for us.”
“We want to meet that standard, but the team has every right to be confident after our results and performances in the Champions League so far, and we need to try to keep it going.”
“Perhaps we’ll be playing the role of the slight underdog, but that’s not a problem. We’ll try to make the most of it. We need to be self-assured and perform at our best.”
Tuchel, whose team could face his previous club Chelsea if they progress to the semi-finals, emphasizes that he doesn’t feel any extra motivation to perform on his return to England.
“I don’t need any more motivation. I cherished every day of coaching in England and the Premier League. I’m delighted to be back and feel the atmosphere,” he stated.
“However, when the game starts, there won’t be much room for sentimentality or enjoyment. We will compete until the final whistle.”
