His match changed in the 70th minute. Dayot Upamecano will inevitably remember this moment for a long time: a light rain, a hazardous ball handling, a pressing from the Englishman Jack Grealish, a lost duel and finally a citizen wave which swept over him at full speed. Bernardo Silva concludes this flash with a remarkable service from Erling Haaland and Manchester City then leads 2-0.
A terrible mistake not without consequences. Already in difficulty, his team will give in again a few minutes later on a goal from the Norwegian left free of any marking by the French (76th, 3-0). A result that gives the SkyBlues a comfortable advantage before the return match in Munich (Wednesday evening at 9 p.m.). In Manchester, the French international sank to proportions that were now thought unimaginable for the imperial defender he has been for several months.
“Fighting Haaland does not prevent me from sleeping, I love these meetings and I play football to rub shoulders with the best, that’s the only way you progress” confided to us the former RB Leipzig player during the last gathering of the Blues at the end of March. He who had already crossed swords with the Norwegian colossus several times on the lawns of the Bundesliga, knew what awaited him: author of 7 goals in 5 games, Haaland had already made the Frenchman suffer in the past.
Against Pep Guardiola’s side, Upamecano sank and his coach Thomas Tuchel was not kind after the encounter: “He made too many mistakes today. He lacked concentration on two or three situations. He made decisions with a lot of risk and he knows it. Shining in Qatar during the World Cup, the defender seemed to have erased the air holes that he so lacked in the past.
The embarrassed former PSG coach preferred to put the Frenchman’s failed match down to lack of experience: “He’s still young, but in a match of this level, it’s necessary not to make error to hope for a result. He did it and we were punished violently,” he said before continuing, “we are at the height of world football, we don’t blame him, we’re not angry with him, but that doesn’t must ever arrive at this level and this part of the field. He will learn through this.”
Author of a mixed performance against Hoffenheim this weekend, Upamecano is going through a complicated period. The dismissal of Julian Nagelsmann, his mentor seems to have affected him a lot and his performances are affected. “He is the one who suffers the most from the departure of Nagelsmann. They were very close, he was the one who brought him to Bayern and made him progress a lot. It’s a big blow morally for him, “says Sophie Serbini, journalist at Deutsche Welle.
“Mentally, I’m tough. It’s not a few criticisms that will put me down, ”Upamecano recently proclaimed in our columns. “I am performing well, but I can do even better. Above all, I don’t think I’ve arrived. I am listening and I still have room for improvement in many areas. I’m always working to improve myself.”
“That Tuchel speaks French will help him get better quickly,” thinks Sophie Serbini, who also hosts the Radio BuLi podcast. The return match against Pep Guardiola’s side promises to be a real test for the Bavarians. Going up 3 goals to the English is a huge challenge and the Munich rearguard is expected. Upamecano knows this and will have to muzzle Erling Haaland: the takeover operation goes through this.
