MUNICH:
Thomas Tuchel said “he may never celebrate” with his players despite leading Bayern Munich to a 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in his first game in charge on Saturday.
Tuchel replaced the sacked Julian Nagelsmann last week and preferred a low-key celebration as Bayern went back to the top of the Bundesliga table.
“I think it’s not the moment. Julian was the coach until now and I came late in the season,” Tuchel told reporters after being asked why he opted not to join his players on the pitch at the Allianz Arena in front of fans at the end of the game.
Tuchel said, “he may never” do so at Bayern, admitting he was “happy to stay out of it”.
“It was not the moment to put me in the middle of it and maybe it will never be the moment to put me in the middle of it.
“I’m happy if my players shine and I’m happy if my players show their potential and I’m more than happy if they can celebrate in front of the spectators.”
He added: “I try to help them fulfil their potential as a team. I try to influence them and create a good environment where everyone wants to come to work. All other stuff, I’m happy to stay out of it.”
Bayern captain Thomas Mueller, who scored two goals in the win, said the players should take the blame for Nagelsmann’s sacking.
Asked if sacking was the right decision after the dominant win, Mueller said: “If I have an opinion, I wouldn’t share it here.
“When a manager is changed, it’s because we (the players) didn’t bring the right performance on the pitch.”
The win saw Bayern overtake Dortmund atop the Bundesliga table with a two-point lead.
Tuchel said the win was “a good first step” but vowed to improve his “sloppy” side.
“We showed our desire, and we need the desire to get better, because we have to get better,” he added.
“We have a lot to learn. There are a lot of small things we need to improve.”
