The Wrong Coach

Bayern München has seen better times. In many ways, it was evident that Bayern had to fall to a greater German force. The Bavarians only won last year’s Bundesliga on the last day of the league, as Borussia Dortmund failed to capitalize in Mainz. It brings many memories of the previous coach, Julian Nagelsmann, sacked barely a year ago. Flash forward and the image is much, much worse. This comes as an unprecedented line of events in Bayern’s modern history, historically known for thoughtful and careful decisions that allowed them to compete at the highest level for years. But in the last years, one by one, the decisions seemed…odd. And the 3–0 defeat against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen is the perfect embodiment of everything that is currently wrong with Bayern München.

The excellent Niklas Levinsohn wrote this morning that “Tuchel and Bayern always felt like a mismatch. In terms of points is the season alright, but the trend shows that the atmosphere and the sportive factors are going in the wrong direction”.

It couldn’t be truer. On paper, I remember thinking: Great hire. But we often forget that just like players, managers need a specific environment to succeed in. A kind reminder that Thomas Tuchel’s first major stint was…with eternal rivals Borussia Dortmund. But much more important than that — culturally, it never felt “right”. It never felt right because in terms of mentality, many things differ. And with the players, we have seen it. Bayern’s mistimed decisions are not a first — previous mistakes “forced” the club to fire Julian Nagelsmann, despite being handed a massive contract (Bayern Munich broke the bank to get the German out of RB Leipzig). In such cases, projects need to be carefully planned, with transfer windows that settle the managers well. It particularly makes more sense in Julian’s case, one of the most innovative and forward-thinking coaches of the past years.

Bayern was handed a goldmine and instead took back his ex. This is why the decision to get Tuchelwas odd — the timing was bizarre, despite nobody denying the quality of the ex-Chelsea coach…