The reason Bayern Munich 'cut generals halfway'

Julian Nagelsmann officially led Bayern Munich from July 1, 2021. At the age of 33, Julian Nagelsmann became the youngest coach in Bayern Munich's history, younger than goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Since leading Bayern, Nagelsmann has led all 84 matches with 60 wins, 14 draws and 10 losses. Therefore, Julian Nagelsmann's dismissal by Bayern was a surprise, but considering Bayern's current situation, we all see that this is not unreasonable.

Inconsistent and unstable performance

Nagelsmann led Bayern to the national championship in his first season, but in cup competitionsBayernsuffered disastrous defeats: Lost 0-5 to Gladbach in the DFB Cup, and was eliminated from the quarter-finals of the C1 Cup by Villarreal - a mid-level Spanish team.

This season, the situation is the opposite: While in the UEFA Champions League, Bayern currently has a 100% winning rate (8/8) against European giants such as Inter, Barca, PSG... and also won the German Super Cup; in the Bundesliga, Bayern lost to traditional rival Gladbach, and had to share points with "underdog" teams such as Leipzig, Cologne and Frankfurth; then lost the top spot to arch-rival Dortmund, when losing 1-2 to Bayer Leverkusen in round 25. Notably, after 25 rounds, Bayern only has 52 points - the lowest number of points since the last season without a championship, 2011/12.

Nagelsmann in the 1-2 loss to Leverkusen on March 19 - his last match as Bayern coach. Photo: DPA

Thus, it is clear that after nearly 2 years under Nagelsmann, Bayern has no longer maintained consistency and form throughout, because Bayern has no longer maintained the invincible position for a long time like previous coaches such as: Jupp Heynckes, Pep Guardiola or Hansi Flick. In particular, when comparing average points, Nagelsmann is also at the bottom of the rankings. Nagelsmann's first season as a coach with only a Bundesliga title is really not enough to satisfy, because Hansi Flick previously led the Bavarians to recreate the unprecedented feat of Barcelona's sextuple.

Loss of control of the locker room

Many people say that PSG is “a team made by many stars”, while Bayern is “a team made by stars”. Indeed, Bayern does not have outstanding players but is an excellent and unified team. Bayern is not just a club, but also a representative of Bavaria. Remember in the second half of 2017, Carlo Ancelotti helped the Bavarians win the Bundesliga, but was still fired due to conflicts with the club.

After Nagelsmann became Bayern's captain, although he did not create conflicts like his predecessor, he caused a lot of controversy. First, striker Lewandowski was dissatisfied with Nagelsmann's tactics, and that was the reason why Lewy insisted on leaving the Bavarians to join Barca. This incident sparked a movement of criticism of Coach Nagelsmann within Bayern, showing that the players had lost faith in this captain, especially the pillars. Most recently, Nagelsmann bluntly fired coach Toni Tapalovic, who is also a close friend of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, making the captain extremely dissatisfied.

In addition, reserve players such as Marc Roca, Tanguy Nianzou, Ryan Gravenberch and Mathys Tel also expressed dissatisfaction when Coach Nagelsmann did not use them much, although their performances always tended to improve. Even Joao Cancelo, who was the player who actively transferred from Man City to Bayern in the hope of playing more, still had to sit on the bench often. The reason is said to be that Joao had a conflict with Captain Nagelsmann.

In addition to the above-mentioned dressing room conflicts, Coach Nagelsmann is also a person who likes to express his opinions publicly, so those statements have caused divisions in the past and caused unrest in Munich many times. In addition, Coach Nagelsmann also tarnished Bayern's image with extremely rash actions. For example, in the 2-3 loss to Gladbach, after Upamecano of Bayern was sent off in the 6th minute, this captain was accused of insulting referee Tobias Welz and his colleagues. This incident caused the German Football Association to immediately conduct an investigation.

Coach Thomas Tuchel at his inauguration press conference at Bayern in Munich, Germany on March 25, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Bayern Munich fear losing chance to win treble

Last year's Bundesliga title was the 10th consecutive championship for the Bavarians, an unprecedented record not only in the Bundesliga but also in the top 5 European leagues. Therefore, Bayern has always been the absolute dominant team in the Bundesliga. But this season, they only have 52 points after 25 rounds, and have lost the top spot to arch-rival Borussia Dortmund. Obviously, their dominance in the Bundesliga is under threat, and if they lose the silver plate, it means losing the treble they achieved 3 years ago.

It is conjectured that Bayern's board feels that the path to major domestic and European titles is facing many difficulties. And the time when club football is temporarily suspended is the most suitable time to change the team's captain. That is why Bayern's board immediately fired Coach Nagelsmann and appointed a new one before the start of the decisive matches.

And why was Thomas Tuchel chosen? This is the captain who helped Chelsea come out of the crisis under Frank Lampard and completely transformed to reach the top of Europe with a hat-trick of titles including the Champions League, the European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. With such an impressive record, it is clear that Thomas Tuchel is always on the radar of top clubs like Real Madrid and Tottenham. That is why Bayern's Board of Directors decided to go one step ahead.

Pep Guardiola's nemesis

The last time Bayern changed coaches midway through the 2019/20 season was in the 2019/20 season, when Hansi Flick took over midway through the season and beat Tuchel to win the UEFA Champions League; and when Thomas Tuchel took over at Chelsea midway through the 2020/21 season, he also beat Pep Guardiola to win the Champions League.

In the near future, the Gray Tigers will face Pep Guardiola's Man City in the quarter-finals of the C1 Cup. The English giant with the perfect piece Erling Haaland always sets the highest goal of completing the unfinished Champions League dream. This will certainly be Bayern's most formidable obstacle, so it seems that the board of directors wants Tuchel to repeat the victory of 2 years ago.

Interestingly, Coach Hansi Flick's first match after being appointed to replace Coach Niko Kovač in the Bundesliga was the German Clasico against Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena, and that season Bayern won the sextuple; and Coach Tuchel's first match after being appointed to replace Coach Nagelsmann in the Bundesliga was also the German Clasico against Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena. Let's wait and see who will be the winner./.