Tuchel counters Scholl's criticism: "Absolute nonsense"
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel has rejected Mehmet Scholl's criticism following the DFB Cup defeat at 1. FC Saarbrücken. According to the former national team player, Tuchel's line-up for the 2-1 defeat against the regional league team on November 1 was once again intended to highlight the club's shortage of personnel to the club's management.
"That's absolute nonsense," said Tuchel ahead of the home Bundesliga match against 1. FC Heidenheim on Saturday (3.30pm/Sky). "I used the cup game to rest players, which we also did in the first round, to spread the load and also give people a chance who deserve it." However, the Bayern coach emphasized that the responsibility for the line-up naturally lies with him.
Tuchel had rested several stars against Saarbrücken, with striker Harry Kane, for example, sitting on the bench for the entire match. "He saw in training that there was still work to be done behind the best twelve or thirteen players," said former Bayern star Scholl on Sky. He had "brought in the second suit, who can't even beat Saarbrücken. So how are these players supposed to help us win the Champions League?".
However, Scholl did not believe that Tuchel was expecting a defeat and had therefore deliberately factored it in. "Tuchel didn't sacrifice the game on purpose, but he didn't unconsciously use this game to say: 'Guys, I told you beforehand, watch it and then you can react'. That's where we are now," said Scholl.
"I assume that Tuchel was expecting a narrow victory. Now the worst case has happened. I don't think Tuchel expected that, nobody expected that it wouldn't even be enough for this game," Scholl continued.
In contrast to Scholl's assertions, Tuchel explained that he used the DFB Cup match against 1. FC Saarbrücken to rest players and distribute the workload, preparing for important upcoming Bundesliga matches. During the upcoming home Bundesliga clash against 1st FC Heidenheim on Saturday, FC Bayern Munich's manager is likely to rely on his first-team players, aiming for a fleet-footed victory.
Scholl, however, criticized Tuchel's decision to rest key players in the DFB Cup fixture, claiming that using alternatives without the capability to beat regional league teams would not aid in any major competitions, such as the Champions League.
Source: www.dpa.com
