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Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel has explained the thinking behind his late substitutions that saw the likes of Harry Kane taken off in Champions League loss to Real Madrid.
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel has provided the reasons for his side's slip up in the Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich were on the verge of setting up an all-German final against Borussia Dortmund after Alfonso Davies' wonder strike put them 3-2 up on aggregate at the 68th minute.
However, towards the last 15 minutes of the game, Tuchel made substitutions that ended up sabotaging his game plan. Tuchel had made a substitution that paid off in the first leg when he took off Leon Goretzka for Leroy Sane. However in the second leg in Madrid, he took off Sane for centre-back Kim Min-jae before playmaker Jamal Musiala and striker Harry Kane also came off towards the end.
Three minutes later, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who had not put a foot wrong in the whole match, spilled an easy shot from Vinicius Junior, allowing Joselu to pounce and score the equaliser.
A minute later, Madrid were at in again, this time it was the combined move of Nacho Fernandes and Antonio Rudiger who set up Joselu to net the second and winning goal.
Following the loss, a number of pundits, including, former Manchester United midfielders Owen Hargreaves and Paul Scholes criticised the decisions by the Bayern coach to sub off his main players in the final minutes of the game.
However, Tuchel has now provided an insight into the thinking behind the changes.
"We started with a front four and all four has to go out with injury or cramp," Tuchel told TNT Sports. "Kane was having back problems, it was no longer possible. The front four all said they had to go."
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Madrid, who were crowned champions of La Liga at the weekend, will face Dortmund in the final after the German side knocked out Paris Saint-Germain in the other semi-final.
Bayern will have to try again next season under a new manager as Tuchel is set to leave the German club.
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