Tuchel expects to struggle against the team that conceded 17 goals in three games against Bayern

Thomas Tuchel entered the small press room at Sabener Strasse with a smile on Saturday morning, but his smile didn't last long.

The Bayern coach, audibly not only physically but also mentally drained, openly admitted that "the mood is naturally subdued" after two consecutive defeats without scoring.

"It was a very bad week for us."

The fans are furious - few clubs in the world pay so well and play so badly

There is still one game left this week, on Sunday evening at VfL Bochum. Against VfL, the Bavarians won twice 7-0 in the last three games, with a 3-0 win in between. However, this won't really help Tuchel.

"I don't expect a landslide victory from us. The most difficult thing is to regain ease because there is no recipe. No patent recipe to simply say, 'Play with more confidence.' These are not attributes that characterize our game at the moment."

After returning from Rome on Thursday, Tuchel and his coaching staff "changed the routines a bit," not conducting the training as usual.

"It wasn't enough to just continue in the usual routine. We're trying to put more emphasis on the joy of playing and the moments of success."

So for now, it seems to be small adjustments after Tuchel had already returned to the familiar system following the Leverkusen disaster - and even then remained unsuccessful. "It's unsatisfying. Sportingly very unsatisfying."

Even before this "very bad week," "I wasn't a hundred percent satisfied with how we appeared and how our game looked," at least the results were still somewhat favourable against Union (1-0), in Augsburg (3-2), or against Gladbach (3-1). But not much more.

"These are, of course, things in a coach's career that you don't want to admit, but they can happen, and then it's primarily about pulling yourself out of it and drawing strength from it and seeing it as a challenge."

For safety, Tuchel currently doesn't read anything written or said about him.

"I can imagine the extent it takes. Friends and family are affected harder than me because then I simply retreat into my bubble and don't read anything about us at all because I believe I have the best insight since I am involved every day."

BUNDESLIGA

Friday

22.30: (2.55) Koln (3.40) Werder (2.95)

Saturday

17.30: (2.10) Mainz (3.50) Augsburg (3.80)

17.30: (3.30) Wolfsburg (3.50) Dortmund (2.15)

17.30: (7.75) Heidenheim (5.10) Leverkusen (1.37)

17.30: (2.15) Hoffenheim (3.50) Union Berlin (3.60)

17.30: (6.75) Darmstadt (4.40) Stuttgart (1.47)

20.30: (1.40) RB Leipzig (4.80) M' gladbach (7.75)

Sunday

17.30: (2.45) Freiburg (3.40) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.10)

19.30: (8.50) Bochum (5.50) Bayern (1.33)

***odds are subject to change