Thomas Tuchel has responded to the statements made by Noussair Mazraoui earlier this week. The Bayern Munich defender indicated that he was disappointed that he had little time to play under Tuchel. The Bayern coach responded to this on Friday at the press conference in the run-up to Sunday’s game with Hertha BSC: “It is only up to him.”
Mazraoui was a basic player at the club from Munich for some time this season. After the winter break, he was unable to play for a long time due to an inflamed pericardium. When he had recovered from that, he only played sporadically. “I have to start all over again to enforce credit and get playing minutes,” Mazraoui said about this week, among other things. “While I had shown the previous trainer what they can expect from me here. I am now the fourth choice as a right back… I am 25 years old, had a good time here this season and played a strong World Cup. Then you just want to play and not sit on the bench as yet another choice.”
Tuchel responded to this on Friday. “I also want him to play more. If he plays, it means he is the best right or left back in the squad. In the end, you set yourself up. It’s just him. Everyone receives maximum support from us and everyone is challenged. At Bayern the standard is very high. If you only get five minutes, then you have to deliver in those five minutes. That is simply the standard at this club. Because you always have to deliver a top performance. Then you position yourself. Wishing for something is one thing, delivering the work for it is two”, the trainer made clear.
Mazraoui has played 21 official matches for Bayern since his transfer from Ajax last summer, of which he was in the starting line-up eleven times. In those 21 matches, he was good for three assists. Last Saturday, Mazraoui came on after nine minutes against FSV Mainz 05 (3-1 defeat) to relieve the injured Alphonso Davies. He is expected to be back in the starting line-up against Hertha on Sunday, because Davies has not yet recovered.
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