Uli Hoeneß and Thomas Tuchel expose divisions at Bayern Munich before Real Madrid clash

BERLIN (AP) — If Bayern Munich wanted to present a united front before it hosts Real Madrid for the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, it has failed.

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday his honor as coach has been insulted by club powerbroker Uli Hoeneß.

Hoeneß, now Bayern’s honorary president after more than 40 years at the forefront of the club, suggested on Friday that Tuchel was not capable of helping young players develop.

“He doesn’t think he can improve a Davies, Pavlović or Musiala. If it doesn’t work, you should buy someone else,” Hoeneß said during a panel discussion hosted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. “I think you should work hard on them and give them confidence.”

Hoeneß said he expects a coach to “improve young players.”

Alphonso Davies, Aleksandar Pavlović and Jamal Musiala are all young players who have featured prominently for Bayern this season. The 19-year-old Pavlović made his debut under Tuchel in an 8-0 rout of Darmstadt last October and has since been called up by Germany.