Tuchel has full confidence in Upamecano after shocking first-leg display

Tuchel has full confidence in Upamecano after shocking first-leg display

Ifeanyi Ufomadu 13:07 - 19.04.2023

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has backed defender Dayot Upamecano to recover after his poor performance against Manchester City in the first leg of the Uefa Champions League quarter-final.

Dayot Upamecano had a shocking performance against Manchester City in the first leg at Etihad, especially in the second half where his mistake led to Bernardo Silva scoring City’s second goal.

Tuchel backs Upamecano to bounce back

Despite, the defender's struggles, Tuchel has insisted he has complete faith in Upamecano as his side tries to overcome the three-goal deficit at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

Dayot Upamecano against Manchester City's Erling Haaland

“Playing against Haaland wasn’t the problem. His decision-making was," Tuchel said.

“He took too much of a risk. Unfortunately, you can’t make mistakes at that level. 

“But we’re not pointing fingers at him. We have full confidence in him. He’s still young, with great potential.”

Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel

He believes his Bayern side must be realistic about their chances going into the game and demands better consistency from his team after winning just two of their first five games since replacing Julian Nagelsmann.

He said: “We can’t create a miracle by talking about it. You have to be realistic.

“We cannot talk about a 3-0 or 4-1, especially not after the Hoffenheim game. Our aim is to win both halves and then see where we are."

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Must-win game for Bayern 

Bayern Munich have a tall mountain to climb to reverse their fortunes against Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola's team in imperious form.