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'Overambitious Bartra means well' - Tuchel defends under-fire defender

Related Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Marc Bartra

Thomas Tuchel has defended Marc Bartra in the wake of the Spaniard's poor run of form for Borussia Dortmund, saying any extravagance of play is not intentional.

Bartra joined Dortmund from Barcelona during the close-season and quickly broke into the starting XI at the Signal Iduna Park.

He has struggled to find consistency, though, and has received his fair share of criticism in recent weeks.

However, Tuchel is adamant Bartra's difficulties are only normal for a player who is still adapting and has backed the centre-back to grow into the responsibility and overcome his struggles.

"He is not used to the intensity of the training and the matches in the Bundesliga," Tuchel told Dortmund's official website.