Uli Hoeneß weighing potential Champions League success the highest for Thomas Tuchel

Hoeneß wants Tuchel to be able to take Bayern far in Europe in addition to the domestic competitions.

Bayern Munich are facing stiff competition in the Bundesliga so far this season, as they sit in third place in the table behind Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart during this international break. They have yet to lose, but 2-2 draws against Leverkusen and RB Leipzig have them two points adrift of Die Werkself at the top of the table, and one point behind second-placed Stuttgart.

After a shaky start to his tenure as manager of the Rekordmeister, just barely being able to secure the Meisterschale last season, Thomas Tuchel is perhaps not aided at all by the somewhat surprising starts to the season from Leverkusen and Stuttgart. They both look like they mean business this time around and it is up to Bayern to eventually leapfrog both of them.

There is, of course, plenty of time left in the season, but the expectations of Tuchel are very high, and considering the summer transfer window the club had, the margin for error is razor thin, especially if the club winds up making some more valuable additions in the winter window.

Honorary club president and supervisory board member Uli Hoeneß recently spoke about how his main hope for Tuchel is going to at least the semi-finals in the UEFA Champions League. The Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal are par for the course minimum expectations at FC Bayern, but for the past three seasons, they have been knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

“If we become German champions, that would be great. And if we win the DFB Pokal, that would be great too. But if we make it to the Champions League semifinals, that would be the highest of feelings. When you come close to winning the Champions League every few years, you have to praise the coach and the people in charge,” Bayern’s former club president recently told RTL.

So far, Bayern have two wins from two in their Champions League group against the likes of Manchester United and FC Copenhagen, and they next face FC Saarbrücken in the Pokal, a match that, on paper, they should handedly win. They will also need to hope Leverkusen and Stuttgart start dropping points while taking care of business themselves in the Bundesliga.