Bayern Munich

Thomas Tuchel’s uninspiring start hints at bigger problems in Bavaria

- Nick Bidwell

Maybe too much was expected of Bayern Munich’s end-of-term fireman Thomas Tuchel, who was recently parachuted in following the surprise sacking of previous incumbent Julian Nagelsmann.

Tuchel, one of the best tacticians in world football, had more than enough acumen to help mastermind a 4-2 Bundesliga victory over arch-rivals Dortmund in his first game in charge, a win that many saw as the first step in a new dawn of triumph at the Allianz Arena. So what a shock it was to see Tuchel’s Bayern subsequently implode, dumped out of the German Cup at the quarter-final stage by Freiburg, then succumbing to a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League last eight.

In ditching Nagelsmann in favour of Tuchel, the Bayern boardroom had clearly been banking on Tuchel working a rerun of the water-towine rebuild he instigated on being appointed at Chelsea mid-way through the 2020-21 season, needing just four months to turn a moribund side into European champions.

Thoughts of a Champions League showdown with Manchester City also would have played a part in Bayern’s decision to bring in a new coach; at Chelsea the German was widely considered to have Pep Guardiola’s number, beating him three times out of five including the 2021 Champions League final.

The Bayern board, somewhat panicked by a number of sub-par displays in the Bundesliga this season, reasoned that Tuchel offered them more guarantees than Nagelsmann, better team organisation, more authority and greater big-match experience.