Ahead of Bayern’s upcoming league match against Mainz 05 on Saturday, head coach Thomas Tuchel praised shooting star Aleksandar Pavlovic at the pre-match press conference.
The 19-year-old will not be able to play in the home game against Mainz due to the fifth yellow card he picked up in the 2-2 draw in Freiburg, but the defensive midfielder still received plenty of praise from Thomas Tuchel. „I’m happy for him because he had a smile on his face from the first training session and always showed what a fine chap he is – apart from his footballing ability,“ Thomas Tuchel enthused about his talented midfielder at the pre-match press conference.
Tuchel praises Pavlovic: „Top team-mate for the others“
„He’s always shown how grateful he is for the opportunity. Then you just notice this childlike joy of being on the pitch. It helps that his confidence comes from playing. He has delivered consistently and is a top team-mate for the others,“ continued Tuchel. Joshua Kimmich had already spoken extremely favourably about the two-time Germany U20 international after the decisive second leg against Roma.
„He’s someone you just like to have around you. It’s nice to see that he can do that with quality, regardless of who is on the other side and what the setting is,“ added the still-Bayern coach.
If Pavlovic is back on the pitch on 16 March in Darmstadt, he will make his 13th appearance in the current Bundesliga season. Pavlovic has already contributed two goals and two assists in this competition. He was on the pitch for around two hours in total during two appearances in the Champions League. It will be interesting to see whether Thomas Tuchel will put his trust in the midfielder from the start in the quarter-finals.
