How to stop Erling Haaland, by Thomas Tuchel

Stuart Telford

• 11 Apr 2023 10:32 CDT
• 3 min read

Bayern Munich visit Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday with new manager Thomas Tuchel particularly concerned about Norwegian goal-machine Erling Haaland.

Tuchel is overseeing just his fourth Bayern game after succeeding Julian Nagelsmann as manager, with the man he replaced now one of the favourites to be appointed to his former role at Chelsea.

Meeting City in the Champions League so early in his Bayern tenure might not have been the start Tuchel would have asked for - Haaland has hit 44 goals in 38 games since joining the English champions in a €60 million move from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

READ: Haaland will 'obliterate' Premier League goal record says Shearer

"[Man City's style] is still the same and the patterns of play are the same, [but] of course the style of Erling Haaland is very unique and they have adapted to fit him in. He offers them something they haven't had in recent years."

Two of Bayern's four more expensive signings of all time are likely to be paired at centre-back on Tuesday in Matthijs de Ligt and Dayot Upamecano, but Tuchel doesn't plan to have either of them man-marking Haaland.

Teamwork makes the dream work

"We have to do it as a team," he said. "Tomorrow, we will have the role of the underdog and that is okay. We have to stay confident and stay on top of our game."

READ: Chelsea's Tuchel mistake plain to see in first Bayern game

Tuchel has an enviable recent record in the Champions League, having taken Paris Saint-Germain to the final in 202 before winning the competition with Chelsea - at City's expense - in 2021.

Haaland has already raced to 33 goals from his first 25 Champions League games across spells with Red Bull Salzburg, Dortmund and now Man City, and previously scored five goals in his seven meetings with Bayern.

Bayern were linked with a move for the 22-year-old at the end of last season, but whilst they could meet the player's release clause, they couldn't keep up with the salary on offer from the Premier League champions.