Coach Thomas Tuchel suffered a broken toe ahead of Bayern Munich’s victory over Lazio in the second leg of the 2023/24 Champions League round of 16, which took place in the early hours of this morning (6/3). Prior to the match, Tuchel limped as he directed his players on the field.
Coach Thomas Tuchel himself disclosed this information in an interview after the Bayern vs Lazio match. The German coach revealed that during his final talk with the players before kick-off in the locker room, he accidentally kicked a door, resulting in a broken toe.
Former PSG and Chelsea manager candidly shared, “In the final speech before we took to the field, I kicked the door. So I think I broke my toe. I felt a lot of pain.”
This is not the first time Coach Tuchel has suffered a minor injury. During his tenure at PSG, he sustained a fractured foot bone and had to wear a foot brace while on the sidelines in 2020.
Bayern’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen also confirmed this information. The Bayern chief stated, “Today, Thomas Tuchel unfortunately broke his toe while delivering his speech before the match. He ignited the players with enthusiasm and passion.”
Whether fueled by Thomas Tuchel’s fiery speech or not, Bayern players displayed a markedly different performance against Lazio compared to the first leg. In the match at the Allianz Arena in the early hours of March 6th, the Bavarian side secured a 3-0 victory thanks to Harry Kane’s brace and a goal from Thomas Muller.
This victory not only secured the Bavarians a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals but also alleviated pressure following their subpar performances in the Bundesliga recently. Coach Tuchel and his team hope that the win against Lazio can serve as a catalyst for their pursuit of the Bundesliga title.
In this competition, Bayern is currently trailing behind Leverkusen by a significant margin of 10 points. Bayern will host Mainz in the 25th round on March 9th.