On March 24, Bayern Munich announced the arrival of Thomas Tuchel in place of Julian Nagelsmann, who was no longer unanimous on and off the field. The latter learned that the Bavarians were negotiating behind his back after reading articles published in Germany. We’ve had more class. But the residents of the Allianz Arena did not want to miss the opportunity to recruit the former coach of Paris Saint-Germain, free since his departure from Chelsea. Especially since TT was seriously preparing to join La Liga, he who took Spanish lessons. His goal was to be on the bench for Real Madrid or FC Barcelona in the future.
Several hiccups last year
The Bayern bosses therefore decided that it was necessary to secure this file and not wait until the end of the season to change coach. They therefore anticipated and made him sign a lease until June 2025. At the time of his signing, the Munich residents were still in the running on all counts. And we said to ourselves that he was off to a good start after a 4-2 victory against Borussia Dortmund for his first match on the Bayern bench. But everything did not go as planned afterwards. On April 4, a few days after his arrival, the Bavarian team was eliminated from the German Cup by Freiburg. A real disappointment for the leaders who wanted to win this competition.
A few days later, on April 11, another hiccup with a defeat in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium (3-0). An evening marked by a fight between Leroy Sané and Sadio Mané in the locker room. Despite a draw in the return (1-1), Munich fell by the wayside. Still in the running in the championship, the TT troops finally won the title on the last day of the Bundesliga. But they were put under pressure until the end by Borussia Dortmund, who started the final day as the leader. After this difficult end to the season, Tuchel, who has always been supported by his leaders, wanted to move forward.
Interesting results in the Bundesliga and C1
Especially since the German club has done a lot of cleaning, notably with the departures of Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidžić. This also allowed the 50-year-old technician to have more weight and responsibilities since he actively participated in the 2023 summer transfer window. But not everything went his way. Of course, he received a nice gift with the signature of Harry Kane. A player he personally met in London to explain his project. The German, whose attitude was not to the liking of the president of Tottenham, wet his jersey. And he was right. However, he was not unanimous among his leaders who did not appreciate his numerous media outings to demand a midfielder when the club believed it had what it needed.
The failure to sign João Palhinha (Fulham) at the end of the transfer window made everyone tense. Especially Tuchel. A coach from whom we expect much more this season after arriving during the year during the previous exercise. But the new year started badly with a big defeat in the German Super Cup against Leipzig (3-0). In the Bundesliga, the results are rather correct. His team, second in the standings behind Bayer Leverkusen, has 7 wins and 2 draws (23 points). She is also undefeated, having just scored 8 goals in Darmstadt on the last day. The observation is the same in the Champions League with three victories in three days in a rather tough group (MU, Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen).
Another elimination in the German Cup
To all this, it must be added that Tuchel managed to get the best out of certain players like Leroy Sané, whom he adores. Despite everything, Tuchel is not spared from criticism. The play of his team, his choices and his sometimes too cash attitude have been singled out. Since last night, he has once again been the target of acidic comments. Indeed, Bayern Munich lost in the German Cup against Saarbrucken (2-1), a third division team. Exited in the second round, the German champion already sees a priority objective disappear. After the German Super Cup, it’s a new hiccup. Which also caused some commotion within the club.
Tuchel explained about his club’s multiple early eliminations in the German Cup: “the fact that we went out in the second round of the cup is somehow inexplicable to me who has been there for a long time. I don’t know how to explain it either.” On the front line, TT, whose contract ends in June 2025, is under a little more pressure. He should not be missed in the Champions League and the Bundesliga. Especially since his club has agreed to make major financial efforts to arm him as best as possible. Contacted by us, Dominik Scnheider, journalist for Football Transfers and specialist in German football, spoke of the case of the German coach.
More immunity for Tuchel
“The situation is complex. Tuchel arrived at Bayern when it was very chaotic. There was the clash between Mané and Sané, Neuer was seriously injured, then Salihamidzic and Kahn were sacked. The summer transfer period had to operate without managers. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß have become more involved again, even though neither of them has a real role within the club anymore. Christoph Freund only arrived from Salzburg on September 1 (…) But the elimination of the cup against Saarbrücken is not a good thing. The fact that Bayern no longer plays dominantly is criticized by many media pundits. And Tuchel is blamed for it”.
But he defended Tuchel: “Personally, I see that the results have been good so far. In addition, Tuchel does not have a large squad. In my opinion, it’s not bad. He integrated newcomers like Kim and Kane, and Sané is having the best season of all time for Bayern. (…) For the moment, it is not an option for him to leave.” But TT does not benefit from immunity. This is the opinion Sport1 which evokes possible consequences or even Jan Aage Fjörtoft, formerly of the Bundesliga. “This could have consequences for coach Tuchel. Not that he’s fired now. But he lost strength in the power struggle that is still part of Bayern. This result will not help him.” Under pressure, Tuchel is not yet threatened. But his credit begins to run out in Bavaria…
