UEFA Champions League

Tuchel thinks there was “no difference in class” between Bayern and City

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  • Post published:April 20, 2023

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel thinks there was “no difference in class” between his side and Manchester City after his side crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday evening.

Pep Guardiola’s City team breezed into the semi-finals with a 4-1 aggregate win. After a 3-0 win in the first leg last week, they followed it up with a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena.

“There’s no difference in class. It looks like that from the results, but it’s actually a difference in self-confidence and in form,” Tuchel said.

“For the little we allowed (City) to do, we were brutally punished.”

This month, Tuchel took over as manager of Bayern after Julian Nagelsmann was fired, even though the Bavarians were undefeated in the Champions League this season.

“We played against the best team in Europe today, the most in-form team in Europe,” the former Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea coach said.

“We played completely on the same level, (but) in either game we didn’t have even a tiny bit of luck.”

Bayern had more of the ball than City in both legs and had more chances to score, but Joshua Kimmich’s late penalty in the second leg was their only goal.

Even though Erling Haaland missed a penalty kick on Wednesday, he scored two goals and set up another of City’s four goals over the two legs.

“To beat the best teams, not just to measure up against them but to beat them, you need to not only use 100 percent of your chances, but you need luck, you need decisions to go your way and maybe even a deflection,” added the Bayern coach.

Tuchel, who was sent to the stands late in the game after getting a second yellow card, said, “From his first to his last decision, Clement Turpin got an F.”

Since Tuchel took over, Bayern has been knocked out of the Champions League and the German Cup. They now only have a chance at winning the Bundesliga.

Bayern is two points ahead of Dortmund in the Bundesliga with six games left. On Saturday, they will play away at Mainz, who is in good form, as they try to win a record-setting 11th title.