On Friday night Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen played out a breathtaking 2-2 draw that will undoubtedly go down as a Bundesliga classic. However, while the game was a spectacle for those watching, Matthijs de Ligt explained his frustration from having to view the majority of the game from the bench:
“What can I say about that? I haven’t played that much in the last four games, that’s terrible and of course not that nice. Of course I always want to play,” remarked an exasperated de Ligt. Despite being one of the first names on the team sheet last season, the Dutchman is yet to start a league fixture this term and has only managed 37 minutes of game time from the opening four encounters.
The arrival of Kim Min-jae to the Bayern backline seems to have pushed de Ligt out of the squad while Dayot Upamecano has kept his place in Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI. The exclusion of the 24-year-old is even more surprising considering Upamecano’s inconsistencies during the start of Tuchel’s reign.
Nevertheless, the Frenchman has been able to impress the Bayern head coach in order to maintain his starting position, while de Ligt remains confused as to why he is out of favour. When asked whether Tuchel had informed the former Juventus defender on why he is currently the third choice, de Ligt would emphasise: “No, he has not.”
The Dutch international is clearly frustrated with Tuchel and he is not the only player within the Bayern squad to have an issue with the former Borussia Dortmund head coach. Tension towards Tuchel is now growing around the club and after an underwhelming start to the season, the Bayern board may intervene, especially with former head coach Hansi Flick available.
GGFN | Will Shopland
