Bayern Munich’s coach Thomas Tuchel explain why Matthijs de Ligt is benched

Coach Thomas Tuchel of Bayern Munich was asked to clarify once more why Matthijs de Ligt, a center-back, is still the odd man out in a defense where no defender has stood out above the rest.

“At Bayern, we always consider who is most suited to face a certain opponent. We intended to press very high up the pitch against Leverkusen, so in the end, we went with Eric Dier in the middle, Kim Upamecano, and Tuchel stated Because Matthijs had received back injections the day before and the day of the game, it was an impromptu decision. We couldn’t grab the chance to start Matthijs because we knew Upa wouldn’t play the entire game, and later he also gets a back problem during the game.”

Against Bayer Leverkusen, Tuchel attempted to explain why De Ligt did not play, but his response might not hold any water with some fans, who have become frustrated by many of the coach’s lineup decisions over the course of this season.

“We wanted to defend 3v3 in the last line against Leverkusen and we knew we needed four centre-backs in the squad. It wasn’t a decision against Matthijs – it was very close. We have four centre-backs and they compete for spots. We’ll always decide for those who, in our opinion, are in best form and fit against a certain opponent,” said Tuchel. “At Bayern, you simply fight for your spot. It’s a very normal situation. Unfortunately, what should be normal is not normal at Bayern. We have four players for two spots. It’s true Matthijs has been behind lately, but he’s definitely not behind in our appreciation.”

Again, the explanation might make more sense to fans if all of Tuchel’s lineup decisions were driven by current form of players. Throughout the season, the coach has seemed to lean on specific players, despite what their performances have been.

That leaves these remarks up for debate.