Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann’s post-match comments may have hinted at the reason behind Joao Cancelo’s omission.
On Wednesday night, Bayern sealed their place in the last eight of the Champions League after beating Paris Saint Germain.
Goals from Eric Maxim Choupo Moting and Serge Gnabry sealed a 2-0 win at the Allianz Arena.
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Prior to the match, most of the talk was centred around Cancelo’s omission from the starting eleven.
The full-back joined Bayern on loan from Manchester City in the January transfer window. Despite a strong start, he has found himself amongst the substitutes in recent matches.
After the match against PSG, Nagelsmann seemed to hint at the reason behind Cancelo’s omission.
The Bayern boss told L’Equipe: “I especially liked our generosity. We were able to use PSG to win on points. I would also like to praise Josip Stanisic, who has been exceptional.
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“We were able to control PSG with our game plan, which did not allow them to develop their actions.
“The fact that Kylian Mbappe was unable to stand out is proof that we were there. We saw that Lionel Messi often went very low and we were able to isolate Mbappe.”
Nagelsmann continued: “In the first half, my players didn't completely follow the instructions, we left the Parisians too much space and we weren't patient enough.
“In the locker room, we were able to draw the conclusions to come back better organised, with more rigour. In the end, both outward and return, we were well above.”
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A disappointed Kylian Mbappe said: “We are disappointed. That's how it is, we have to move on, try to challenge everyone. They [Bayern] have a team built to win the Champions League.
“At the start of the season, during the first Champions League press conference, I said that we were going to do our best. This is our maximum. We're going to question ourselves and go back to our daily life in the championship.”
Bayern remain the bookies’ favourites to lift the Champions League in June, ahead of the likes of Real Madrid, City and Napoli.
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Can Bayern go all the way this year and clinch European glory? Only time will tell.
Topics: Joao Cancelo, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Football, Julian Nagelsmann
Marcus Chan