Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel will look to echo the spirit of Chelsea’s 2021 Champions League victory in the quarter-final second leg at home to Arsenal on Wednesday.
Bayern put aside their domestic difficulties in the first leg, returning from London with a 2-2 draw, another Harry Kane goal against their old opponents and the knowledge victory in Germany will see them through to the last four .
With Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen already in possession of the Bundesliga trophy, the Champions League is now the only goal for Tuchel’s Bayern.
Being able to focus solely on Europe is a luxury that few teams remaining in the Champions League possess, particularly Arsenal who are in the midst of a tense Premier League title race.
Tuchel was free to make his focus on Europe clear, making seven changes in Saturday’s hard-fought 2-0 home win over struggling Cologne.
Completely excluded from the squad for the Cologne clash, captain Manuel Neuer and winger Leroy Sané were allowed to watch Saturday’s victory from the comfort of the stand.
Bayern, however, will face Arsenal without several first-team players.
Canadian defender Alphonso Davies is suspended, while forwards Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman are injured.
Tuchel was unsure who would replace Davies on Wednesday, telling reporters after Saturday’s win over Cologne that he could “do something crazy”.
When asked if one of Bayern’s central defenders could move to left-back, Tuchel replied with a smile “no, we want to win”.
Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, who has two Champions League titles, wrote on social media that the focus was all on Europe.
“Now it’s all about Europe. These nights, this pressure, this special atmosphere at the Allianz Arena: I’m looking forward to it.”
– Chelsea 2.0 –
While not quite on the level of self-proclaimed “overthinker” Pep Guardiola, Tuchel is known for his flexibility and penchant for tactical responsiveness, a perfect fit for knockout football.
Despite victories in the French and German championships, Tuchel’s teams shone most in cup competitions.
He announced himself as Dortmund coach by winning the 2017 German Cup, beating Bayern 3-2 in Munich in the semi-final en route to the first major title of his career.
His only Champions League season with Dortmund was impressive but fell short due to circumstances beyond his control.
Tuchel’s Dortmund were undefeated in the group stage, finishing ahead of eventual champions Real Madrid.
Their campaign ended in the quarter-final against Monaco, with the club forced to play a day after a bomb smashed the windows of the team bus.
Dortmund’s decision to play led to a rift between Tuchel and Dortmund that never healed and he was fired just days after his team won the German Cup.
At Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea he reached the finals of major and minor national cups.
In Europe, Tuchel took PSG to the Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern.
The following season, in charge of Chelsea, he took over a team in disarray in January after the sacking of club legend Frank Lampard.
He steadied the ship and took Chelsea to the Champions League final, where they beat Guardiola’s favorite Manchester City to win the title for a second time.
With many obstacles standing in the way of another Champions League triumph, including another potential meeting with Guardiola’s City in the works, Tuchel could be just four games away from Wembley glory.
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