The move may make sense, but the timing is off.
This season, Munich could have won the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League by March. Sure, the team was far from perfect in terms of performances, but they were getting better and better and still had a chance to win all three trophies.
It was against this backdrop that Munich decided to make a major coaching change on March 25. On March 25, Munich announced, “The club has appointed Thomas Tuchel as its new head coach. His contract runs until June 30, 2025. We are parting ways with Julian Nagelsmann and wish him the best of luck.”
It was understandable why Munich made the decision at the time. Tuchel, who led Chelsea FC to the top of the UEFA Champions League in the 2020/21 season, was up for sale.
Tuchel had fallen out with new Chelsea owner Todd Boly and was eventually sacked. Tuchel was on the market looking for a new team.
Tuchel was free to talk to other teams, and a nervous Munich decided to drop Nagelsmann in favor of Tuchel. It was an outcome, of course, but the “when” of the decision was more of a setback than Tuchel’s capabilities.
Bayern Munich hadn’t quite lived up to the hype of the previous season. This season was not going to be easy either.
However, Bayern Munich was still in contention for the title in all three competitions. First place in the Bundesliga, a DFB Pokal quarterfinal, and a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal were all on the table.
On top of that, Nagelsmann was building a solid Munich with a strong defense anchored by Matthijs de Ligt and Dayo Upamecano. The offense was also on the rise, despite starting the season with the difficult task of losing star striker Robert Lewandowski last summer. However, a change of manager turned things around.
Tuchel’s arrival had the desired effect on the Munich hierarchy, but even if it didn’t, a change of manager changes the kind of football a team plays. The drastic change at such a crucial stage of the season put the team in a difficult situation.
Tuchel’s first game in charge, a 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, showed what he can do. With Dortmund a strong contender for the league title, the switch to Tuchel was seen as a success.
But that’s when the problems started. After the der Klassiker against Dortmund, Munich started to go downhill.
It started with the DFB Pokal quarterfinal against SC Freiburg on April 5. The Bavarians conceded a stoppage-time goal and lost, leaving one trophy in the dust.
Next up was elimination from the UEFA Champions League. Their quarterfinal opponent was Manchester City, led by Pep Guardiola. They were a tough opponent for Munich to defend against at the best of times, and they were facing them at a bad time.
Compared to City, a “team” that had been improving under Guardiola, the Bavarians were too much in flux. They were in a maelstrom of change and struggled against an organized City. A 0-3 defeat on the road was painful, and a 1-1 draw at home was enough to send them crashing out.
Two consecutive knockouts cast a dark cloud over the league race as well. Munich suffered a heartbreaking 1-3 loss to FSV Mainz 05 in round 29. They followed that up with a 1-3 loss to RB Leipzig in round 33.
The loss in round 33 allowed Munich to overtake Dortmund in the league standings, who won the same round. The Bavarians now have a very real chance of failing to win the league title for the first time in a decade, and for the tenth consecutive season.
Munich and Dortmund now have just one game each left at home, and the Bavarians need to win and hope that Dortmund draws or loses and slips up. Only then can they win the title.
Once a treble contender under Nagelsmann, the Bavarians have become a virtual shoo-in since Tuchel’s arrival. The chaotic mid-season turnover feels like poison in a situation where there are so many options, including a new coach next season.토토사이트
Of course, there is a chance that Tuchel could use this season as a medicine and turn things around next season. Given the quality of Tuchel’s coaching staff and the quality of Munich’s players, it’s not out of the question. Nonetheless, this season’s failure stings.
At the very least, Munich’s hierarchy, including president Hasan Salihamidzic and CEO Oliver Kahn, who pushed for a change of manager, will have to take some of the blame for a ‘badly timed’ move. Munich is caught in a whirlwind, both internally and externally.