"Lazio Clash All Or Nothing Game For Thomas Tuchel": Ex-Man City Star Mark Seagraves

The Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are under pressure, having suffered a big blow in the league title race with the loss against Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend. The result has put Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel under the spotlight too, with rumours of the management looking to replace him with someone like Jose Mourinho, Hansi Flick, or Joachim Loew already making waves. Former Manchester City star Mark Seagraves feels it is important for Bayern to get a positive result against Lazio in the Champions League, or else, Tuchel could be sacked from the job.

"Maurizio Sarri (Lazio coach) is an experienced manager. He knows how to win. The team hasn't done well this season, they are 9th in the league (Serie A). Something isn't quite right. But it's all about Bayern Munich for me and how Tuchel can do it. He rubs players the wrong way, he isn't afraid to come out and get players rollicking in the press. I can imagine what it is like inside the changing room. He can rub people the wrong way."

"If you do that and don't get results then, you render yourself very vulnerable to getting a sack. This is an all or nothing game for me, I believe if they (Bayern) don't get a result against Lazio then he (Tuchel) could be seriously looking at getting a sack. You look at the managers that are around. There's Mourinho, though I am not saying he is the best fit but there are managers who are proven winners. He is severely under pressure. The result at the weekend tells me that not everything is as rosy in the garden at Bayern as one may think," Seagraves said in response to a query from NDTV.

The former Liverpool and Manchester City defender was also asked about the battle between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Seagraves made it clear that he wanted Leipzig to step up.

"I will be telling the RB Leipzig players that we need to put up a performance to try and get a result from the first leg. On their day, Leipzig can beat anybody. They've gotten results against Bayern Munich a couple of times. They have the players, top quality players but it's what Leipzig as a team are going to get on the day as they have been so inconsistent. They shouldn't be fifth in the league but they aren't pushing for any of the top spots. That's gonna be a real interesting game for me," he had said.

Watch UEFA Champions League 2023-24 Round of 16 LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu).

Topics mentioned in this article

Bayern München Bayer Leverkusen Lazio Thomas Tuchel UEFA Champions League Football