De Ligt's troubles in Munich: It's not pretty, but that's what the coach wants

A change of coach can provoke a reaction from the team, but can also seriously disrupt the status of individuals. The first is still awaited in Bayern after the arrival of Thomas Tuchel instead of Julian Nagelsmann, and Matthijs de Ligt is facing the second.

The former Ajax stopper, with whom he played in the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019 as a 20-year-old a little over a year ago, was paid 75,000,000 euros to Juventus, but in the previous four Bundesliga games of the current competition year, he recorded only 36 minutes. Against Werder, he came on 22 minutes before the end, against Augsburg nine, Borussia Mönchengladbach one and Bayer Leverkusen five.

De Ligt was, however, the starter in Bayern's defeat of RB Leipzig in the battle for the German Super Cup trophy, when the visitors won 3-0, scoring two goals in the first half. After going to the halftime break, the Dutchman remained in the dressing room, and was replaced by Kim, who meanwhile settled in a tandem with Upamecano.

De Ligt still waits and tries to fulfill the coach's ideas as best as possible, which at the moment are related to the position of defensive midfielder.

"I don't know why I have less minutes than last season, you'd have to ask the coach. I'm doing what the coach asks of me. I played the last two games as a pivot. It's not nice, but that's what the coach wants," the Dutchman told TZ from Munich.

The German newspaper states that Tuchel is not satisfied with De Ligt's speed, and that the Dutch defender plays too horizontally when the team is building a play up.

"I will continue to work hard every time I am on the field", the Dutchman did not want to engage in a deeper analysis and might say something that would further worsen his status in Bayern before the duel with Manchester United in the Champions League (Wednesday, 10 PM EAT).