November 19th 2024.
In 2025, Thomas Tuchel will begin a new chapter as the manager of the England national football team. However, his time at Bayern Munich was not without controversy, as Spain winger Bryan Zaragoza has recently hit back at Tuchel for his criticism during their time together at the German club.
Zaragoza, who joined Bayern in 2024 for a hefty €15 million from Granada, was initially set to stay with his former club until the summer. However, a sudden injury to Kingsley Coman prompted Bayern to strike a loan deal with Granada for Zaragoza for the remainder of the season for €4 million.
Unfortunately, Zaragoza struggled to secure a regular spot in the starting lineup under Tuchel, only starting one game in the Bundesliga and making six appearances from the bench. Tuchel, in an interview, cited the language barrier as a major factor in Zaragoza's subdued start at Bayern. "It's difficult for him in English and in German. That's a basic component," Tuchel said. "It was clear to me from the beginning that it would be a big step for him, and we sense that now. We see his quality, but also observe that, linguistically speaking, the integration isn't complete. We knew that he would need time from us."
Eventually, Zaragoza left Bayern in the summer transfer window and returned to La Liga, joining Osasuna on loan for the season. He has been one of the team's standout performers with one goal and five assists in La Liga, and even scored the winning goal for Spain in their recent Nations League match against Switzerland.
When asked about Tuchel's criticism and the language barrier, Zaragoza brushed it off, saying, "Football is played with your feet, not with language... and I don't have to say anything else." It's clear that Zaragoza has proven himself on the field, regardless of any language difficulties.
As for Tuchel, who also left Bayern at the end of last season, he is set to take over as England's new manager in 2025. His first game in charge will be a World Cup 2026 qualifier in the upcoming international break in March. It will be interesting to see how Tuchel's managerial style and strategies will fare with the England team. But for now, Zaragoza has moved on and is focused on making an impact at Osasuna and for his national team.
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