Thomas Tuchel acknowledged Uli Hoeness's much-admired appearance on the training ground with a joke. "He just wanted to tell me who was playing at the weekend – I realised that right away," said the Munich coach, smiling mischievously. The crisis after the exit in the cup and Champions League, the setback in the championship fight and a lot of criticism for the management was not visible to the 49-year-old two days before the appearance against the Bundesliga bottom Hertha BSC this Sunday (15.30 p.m. in the F.A.Z. live ticker for the Bundesliga and on DAZN). In just one month since his signing, Tuchel has had to put up with heavy impact hits - and wants to avoid further damage at all costs.
The Honorary President is also counting on this. Hoeneß strolled onto the pitch at Säbener Straße on Wednesday, where the star ensemble tackled the final five tasks in the championship countdown after the 1-3 defeat against FSV Mainz 05 after three days off. Tuchel and Hoeneß had exchanged gestures. "When two emotional people talk to each other on the football pitch, it can also get emotional," Tuchel explained the scene and clarified: "I won't say anything about the content."
But it is no secret that the honorary president suffers in these wild days with his heart club. Hoeness' vote will largely determine the future of CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. When asked whether Hoeneß had now moved back into the front row, Tuchel countered with another joke. "Maybe he'll be on the bench at the weekend – then I'd say he'll be in the front row."
"The situation is crystal clear"
Things were less relaxed on the training ground after the Mainz shock. In the battle for the Munich championship series, Tuchel increased the pressure on his recent disappointing stars in the Bundesliga against Hoffenheim (1-1) and Mainz. "If there's any advantage to the two results, it's that the situation is crystal clear," said the 49-year-old a few hours before Dortmund's appearance at VfL Bochum.
"The goal now has to be to score 15 points. If we continue to play like this, so vacillating, then we won't succeed," Tuchel said. After the weekend, Bremen (away), Schalke (at home), Leipzig (at home) and Cologne (away) are the other tasks. Only in the event of a BVB blunder on the home straight is the eleventh championship title in a row still possible. A season without a championship would not only be a "catastrophe" in the opinion of Kahn, who was concentrating on training on Thursday.
Dayot Upamecano, who has recently been particularly heavily criticized, cannot help to avert this. According to Tuchel, the central defender, who was set despite a few blunders, will be out for around two weeks due to a torn muscle. The injured Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Alphonso Davies will also be absent, while Leon Goretzka (knee contusion) and Kingsley Coman (back injury) had to set their sights on Saturday's final training session. "We're trying to prepare ourselves as well as possible," said captain Thomas Müller.
Tuchel will inevitably have to rebuild his defensive line and continue to improvise in attack. In goal, he continues to rely on Yann Sommer, who has been wobbling lately. "Yann has a period where he might be a bit unlucky. It's part of the goalkeeping game that you also have a bit of luck," said the coach, who was pleased with the support of the honorary president.
Normally, Hoeneß would have found him in the buildings at that time, then they chat with each other for a quarter of an hour every now and then, Tuchel revealed. But this time he had to go out on the pitch earlier because of the exercise set-up. "I would be ill-advised not to listen," said the Bayern coach. Hoeneß simply wanted to absorb information, moods and opinions. The visits showed that he cares and that the situation touches him. "I can only see that as a positive thing."