Champions League

THOMAS TUCHEL gave a harsh statement to his players after Bayern Munich’s miserable Champions League defeat against Lazio.To add to the pressure on the boss Bayern Munich have now slipped five points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen and it looks likely their 11-year reign at the top of the table will dribble to an end.
Thomas Tuchel gave a brutal seven-word statement to his playersCredit: Rex
Bayern Munich lost 1-0 against Lazio in the first leg of the round of 16 in the Champions LeagueCredit: Alamy
After the recent 1-0 defeat at Lazio in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, Tuchel had some explaining to do about Bayern’s recent performances.
And on Wednesday the Bayern boss caused some upset in the dressing with his explosive statement to his players.
He blasted, “You’re not as good as I thought”, according to Sky presenter Riccardo Basile.
But the fire really began for the German after his side failed to secure three points against Leverkusen who thrashed Tuchel’s side 3-0 last weekend.
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The former Chelsea boss only joined the German giants 11 months ago and his contract is not due to expire until 2025.
But according to The Times his future is hanging by a thread.
Things cannot get worse for Bayern in the Bundesliga and they must make a comeback against Lazio in the second leg of their tie, otherwise a mid-season boot might be on the way.
Hansi Flick, the only coach ever to be sacked from the German national team, is rumoured as a potential caretaker manager.
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But it is Xabi Alonso they want and they are allegedly hoping the Spaniard will jump ship from their main Bundesliga rivals.
Alonso played for Bayern between 2014 and 2017, and the German giants are likely hoping this might swing the odds in their favour.
Harry Kane reacts to Bayern Munich’s shock Champions League defeat
However, Alonso, 42, now going 31 games unbeaten has made him a popular candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, Xavi Hernandez at Barcelona, Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid and now Manchester City are even in the equation.
So it’s hardly surprising that the out-of-form Bayern Munich have joined the race to get their hands on Europe’s hottest ticket. More

HARRY KANE’S chances of winning a maiden trophy took another huge dent last night.The England captain, 30, joined Bayern Munich in a £104million deal last August in a bid to break his duck.
Harry Kane was in Champions League action for Bayern Munich last nightCredit: Alamy
The 30-year-old cut a dejected figure at the end of his side’s 1-0 defeat to LazioCredit: Getty
Kane made his debut from the bench in the German Supercup on the day he signed, but couldn’t prevent his new side from losing 3-0 to RB Leipzig.
He was then rested for both of Bayern’s DFB Pokal matches, with Thomas Tuchel’s men shockingly crashing out at the hands of third-tier Saarbrucken.
Last Saturday the reigning champions fell five points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen after losing 3-0 to Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten side.
Kane and Co kicked off their Champions League knockout campaign against Lazio in the Italian capital last night.
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They were left with much work to do in the second leg by Maurizio Sarri’s men after losing 1-0 courtesy of Ciro Immobile’s penalty after Dayot Upamecano was sent off.
While Kane’s chances of winning a first team trophy have been left hanging in the balance, the striker is likely to collect another individual accolade.
He has been on fire in Germany, scoring 24 goals in just 21 Bundesliga appearances.
The former Tottenham star is seven goals clear of second-placed Serhou Guirassy and looks to set to add another golden boot to the three he won in the Premier League and one at the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
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Kane has tormented Arsenal down the years, scoring 14 goals against the Gunners.
So their fans have been enjoying his trophy struggles extending to Germany.
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Some eagle-eyed observers have noticed that the Bundesliga’s top scorer trophy appears to resemble a cannon much like the Arsenal badge, to Gunners fans’ glee.
One wrote on social media: “So, Harry Kane could finish this season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer, but still without a championship trophy to his name…
“And the funniest part – Have you seen what the award for being top scorer in Germany actually looks like?”
While a second gushed: “That’s absolutely amazing!”
Another added: “This is brilliant.”
Robert Lewandowski clutches the Bundesliga’s top scorer trophyCredit: AFP
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is also among those to have won the accoladeCredit: Getty – Contributor
Kane remains determined to achieve his season goals despite a testing week.
Speaking to TNT Sports after last night’s game, he said: “Really tough week. I thought the game today in the first half we started well.
We have to find more energy, confidenceHarry Kane
“We had some clear chances. One myself, Jamal (Musiala) had one, Josh (Kimmich) had one from the edge of the box.
“And in these games they’re big moments and we weren’t able to take it in the first half.
“But the second half was disappointing. We came out with less energy, less confidence. Too many balls given away and ultimately we got punished.
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“Once you go down to ten men it’s always difficult to find a way back into the game but I think for us now we have to find it amongst ourselves. We have to find more energy, confidence.
“We’re still in the race for the Bundesliga, still in this tie and they come to our stadium in a few weeks so we have to keep fighting and look forward and try to turn our momentum around.” More

HARRY KANE is on course to go trophyless again after Ciro Immobile heaped more misery on ten-man Bayern Munich after Dayot Upamecano was sent.Immobile’s ice-cool spotkick on 69 minutes to made it four Champions League goals for the Italia striker. 
Harry Kane saw Bayern Munich lose 1-0 to LazioCredit: Rex
Kane is facing down another trophyless seasonCredit: Rex
The game changed when Dayot Upamecano was sent off for this challengeCredit: AFP
Upamecano was subsequently given his marching ordersCredit: Reuters
Ciro Immobile converted from the spotCredit: Getty

The penalty was awarded after France centre-back Upamecano lunged in wildly and landed on Gustav Isaksen’s ankle in the box. 
Thomas Tuchel is clearly feeling the heat, with cameras catching the ex-Chelsea boss with his head in his hands at the Stadio Olimpico. 
Kane joined the club from Tottenham in a club-record deal in the summer, setting his sights on a first-major trophy. 
But it feels like after eight months at the club he has already turned them into the toothless North Londoners. 
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Before he arrived at Bayern they had won the Bundesliga 11-years on the spin before but are in second place in the table, five points behind Bayer Leverkusen. 
Kane saw also Bayern lose the DFL Supercup at the start of the season before crashing out of the DFB-Pokal in the second round in November.
And a bleak performance for Tuchel’s side, who failed to have a shot on target in the first-half of the Champions League for the first time this season, has left fans convinced Kane is “cursed”.
The last time that happened was against Manchester City last April.
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It was also the first time they have lost the first leg of a Champions League last-16 game for the first time in 11 seasons.
Reacting on social media, one fan said: “Harry Kane trophy curse real.”
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A second said: “Kane trophy curse is actually real.”
Another said: “Harry Kane came to win trophies at Bayern Munich but right now the trophy wants to win him.”
A fourth added: “I blame Kane. He is jinxed, the man can’t win a trophy.”
The two best chances of the opening half were thanks to ex-Spurs striker Kane with a close-range shot he would have normally gobbled up. 
Later on Jamal Musiala fired over the bar after latching onto the end of a pretty passing sequence. 
Tuchel cut an animated figure on the touchline and no doubt gave his players a tongue-lashing at the break. 
But it was Lazio who emerged from the restart with a fire in their bellies. 
They should have been ahead when a lofted ball floated from Luis Alberto to Isaksen who was one on one with Manuel Neuer. 
Here’s how the two teams fared
Bayern dominated most of the game but failed to land any punches
Kane dropped very deep to try and get involved in play
Kane had a limited impact on the game
He had the time to gather his footing but his shot was saved by an outstretched leg from the German shot-stopper 
Kane headed over from 14 yards out, but in fairness to him the cross was looping high in the first place. 
Things went from bad to worse for Bayern when Upamecano’s moment of madness sent him packing before Lazio broke the deadlock. 
Tuchel hauled off Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller for forwards Mathys Tel and Eric Maxim Choup-Moting but they didn’t inject any more oomph into Bayern. 
Kane blasted a free-kick at Lazio’s wall and that summed up the visitors’ frustrations for the night.
Speaking after the game, Kane told TNT Sports: “It’s been a really tough week.
“We started well. We had clear chances, myself, Jamaal had one, Josh had one, but in these games they are big moments and we weren’t able to take them.
“The second half was disappointing, we came out with less energy and confidence and we gave too many balls away.
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“Ultimately we got punished. Once you go down to ten men, it’s always difficult to find a way back into the game. We need to find more energy and confidence among ourselves.
“We’re still in the race for the Bundesliga and still in this tie when they come to our stadium in a few weeks. We have to keep fighting and turn the momentum around.” More