Thomas Tuchel has urged Bayern Munich to be “smart, brave” and “at their best physically,” for the challenge of facing Manchester City at the Etihad.
The Bayern head coach has barely been in his new job for a fortnight, but if he is still feeling his way around what he called the “tactical solutions” available to him, he has every reason for confidence in second-guessing City’s game plan.
After all, Tuchel has devoted many hours to studying their manager Pep Guardiola and has a history of more than matching him in knockout competitions, the best of which brings them into collision this evening, as City and Bayern contest the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final.
Tuchel versus Guardiola: it has become a classic modern duel, a joust of like-minded innovators with a mutual respect and an intriguing backstory.