Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann praises Marc Roca, Michael Cuisance after Stuttgart win

Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann found himself in an unusual position — having to call upon both Marc Roca and Michael Cuisance in the same game.

The duo is not exactly the 1961 New York Yankees version of the “M&M Boys”, but both players actually did extremely well. Roca turned in a very solid performance as a deep-sitting defensive midfielder, while Cuisance came on and was masterful at connecting up the field and making runs into the play.

Nagelsmann was pleased that Roca was out to prove him wrong for keeping the Spaniard on the bench.

“I praised him in the dressing room after the game. I don’t usually praise individual players in front of the others but today he deserved it. We know he’s a good footballer, but the way he fought and gave everything was impressive,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I love the kind of players who prove the coach wrong and show him it was a mistake not to play them often. He did extremely well today”.

In Cuisance’s mind, he probably entered the pitch like Kenny Powers in season two of “Eastbound & Down”:

In reality, though, Cuisance’s entrance was met with little buzz from the social media crowd. Still, he came in and did extremely well...until he threw a hissy fit when Robert Lewandowski did not pass him the ball.

“He did well today when he came in. He’s a player who needs more game time to develop. We’ll talk with the club and the player, then decide. But it’s not something to talk about in a presser,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

It sounds as if Nagelsmann recognizes that Cuisance has skill, but needs some seasoning — and some maturity — to really take the next step in his career.

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