Thomas Tuchel Says Borussia Dortmund 'Not Ready' for Bundesliga After Draw With Ingolstadt

Published on: 22 October 2016

Thomas Tuchel believes his Borussia Dortmund side are not ready for the Bundesliga after watching them require an injury-time equaliser to avoid defeat against relegation-threatened Ingolstadt.


Dortmund struggled against a side who have yet to win in the league this season, twice falling behind to a two-goal cushion before being forced to stage a comeback and, while Tuchel avoided the ignominy of defeat, he was damning in his verdict of his side's title credentials.


"We were not ready to play in the Bundesliga," head coach Tuchel told the club's official website. "In any area, neither technically, tactically or in the intensity or body language.

"There was a huge disproportion and difference between the first and second half. But it is also appropriate to apply and to recognise that the second half was good from the players.


"Clearly, we are disappointed because we expected to play well from the start, but perhaps we cannot expect that all the time."


Dortmund currently lie sixth in the Bundesliga standings and are already six points behind Bayern, a disappointing situation for a club with ambitions of loosening the Bavarian club's grip on German football supremacy. However, Tuchel insisted after the game that injuries have dealt a major blow to his side's chances already this season.

"If you followed the transfer window and took stock of the players that we sold on and the young talents that we managed to sign, then it's not a hierarchy problem," he said."In addition to the three players that departed from the club, Marco Reus has been out of action since the Cup final and Manni Bender since the Olympics.


"On the whole there are too many injuries. Now we expect A-youth players or those who've only been in the first team for a year to deliver the results everyone demands. Grass won't grow more quickly if you pull on it."




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