- Thomas Tuchel emphasized that no player has a guaranteed place in Bayern’s starting XI
- Matthijs de Ligt was dropped after the club lost 3-0 against Bayer Leverkusen
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Thomas Tuchel brushed off Matthijs de Ligt’s disappointment after the Dutch defender was left on the bench in Bayern Munich’s defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.
Last weekend’s clash offered Bayern the opportunity to regain the initiative against Xabi Alonso’s fast-growing title contenders.
However, despite scoring in the previous league match, De Ligt was dropped at the Bay Arena.
Tuchel instead opted for a back three of Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano and the signing of Eric Dier in January.
However, the former Chelsea boss’s bold decision would not prove fruitful as Leverkusen emerged 3-0 winners to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
Thomas Tuchel insisted all his players had to shoot for their places after dropping Matthijs de Ligt
Former Ajax star did not start consecutive defeats against Lazio and Bayer Leverkusen
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After the defeat, Tuchel stressed that his team’s place in the starting XI is not guaranteed for any member.
‘We have four central defenders and they are competing for places. We decide for those who are in the best shape.” He said.
‘At Bayern you just fight for your place. It’s a very normal situation. Unfortunately, what should be normal is not normal at Bayern.
De Ligt was limited to a cameo off the bench in the second half as the club suffered further disappointment, with Upamecano sent off in a Champions League defeat to Lazio.
De Ligt returned to the starting line-up on Sunday, but could not prevent a 3-2 defeat against Bochum
With Bayern urgently needing a win to rebuild confidence, De Ligt started against relegation-threatened Bochum on Sunday.
Jamal Musiala fired Bayern into an early lead, but Tuchel’s side were unable to capitalize on their advantage as Bochum hit back to lead 3-1, while Upamecano was shown another red card.
Harry Kane’s late goal gave the Bavarian club a glimmer of hope, but they were unable to find an equalizer and suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time since December 2019.