Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel shared his two cents after his side defeated Manchester United 1-0 to end the Red Devils’ journey in the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 season at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Harry Kane set up Kingsley Coman who netted the ball in the 71st minute to make sure United finished last in Group A with just four points in six matches, their first bottom finish since the 2005/06 season.
Tuchel opened up after the match where he sympathised with United’s head coach Erik Ten Hag saying that he has to deal with a lot as his players lack personality and quality.
“Of course I have sympathy. I think he has a lot of key players injured for a decisive match now, that you can see then they lack this kind of personality and also the quality and maybe the width to change games from the bench,” Tuchel said after the game, as quoted in a report by the Metro.
“Yeah, it’s not an easy time but I’m pretty sure he knows what to do next, he knows how to influence his team, he does not need my advice. He does not need my clapping on the shoulders. He’s experienced enough to go through it.”
“In general I feel sympathy for all of my colleagues because I know what it takes to keep a thing going,” he added.
It is worth mentioning that United have been facing a serious decline post-2013, the year their greatest manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and the farthest they have gone in the Champions League since then is the quarter-finals, in 2013/14 and 2018/19.
The curtains are getting close for Ten Hag as United sit six on the Premier League (PL) points table with just 27 points from 16 matches.
They also lost to Bournemouth at home during the weekend, a 3-0 win that saw the visitors record their first-ever win at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils play Liverpool next at Anfield, and their last visit to The Reds’ fortress isn’t something they would want to recall as they were handed their biggest defeat in Premier League history, 7-0.