In the premier class with eight wins “wow”, in the Bundesliga as second in the table with the worst number of points in eleven years rather meager. That was FC Bayern Munich in the past few weeks. This lack of consistency from the largest football club in Germany was fatal to coach Julian Nagelsmann, according to ARD/SWR information. As early as Thursday evening, several media reported unanimously about his dismissal.
Praise on Monday, dismissal on Friday?
The players were also “surprised”. On the one hand, the step comes as a surprise, because FC Bayern is still playing in all competitions for the title. And finally, on Monday, Nagelsmann received praise from the club’s highest authority: “A top coach who also proved against Paris that he is tactically and strategically excellent at the highest European level,” said Munich President Herbert Hainer.
Hainer am Montag: Definitely “long-term with Nagelsmann”
In any case, FC Bayern is planning “in the long term with Nagelsmann because we want to build something with him. You can see clear progress in these year and a half. Julian is doing very well fence broken,” emphasized Hainer. This is almost reminiscent of the long-forgotten Bayern days of “FC Hollywood” in the 1990s.
1: 2 in Leverkusen the trigger?
Because the long-term planning was done in no time at all. On the other hand, maybe that fits a little into the ambivalence of this season. Finally, after the most recent 2-1 draw in the Bundesliga, Hainer also remarked on the BR microphone: “Paris beat, we then won against Augsburg and then lost in Leverkusen on Sunday. That was disappointing, I have to say.”
Has Nagelsmann “lost the dressing room”?
That seemed almost a little helpless. After this Leverkusen game, in which sports director Hasan Salihamidzic from the team “didn’t see what Bayern Munich means”, an opinion among the club bosses apparently grew: that there was a crunch between the team and Trainer.
The questions that kept smoldering on Säbener Straße were: Why is it going so well in the Champions League with eight wins from eight games, seven of them without conceding a goal? And why is it so difficult for the expensive squad in the league where Dortmund leads the table?
Various media are now reporting that Nagelsmann has “lost the dressing room”. At FCB, which has always been more of a player than a coach, this is always a point at which the coach separates. That was actually the case with the engagements of Niko Kovac and Carlo Ancelotti, which recently ended prematurely.
Controversial goalkeeping coach exchange, referee scolding including penalty
Although the reasons were each their own: With Kovac it was a frustrated non-playing Thomas Müller, with Ancelotti also leading figures who were not allowed to play. The famous drop that made Nagelsmann’s water glass overflow was the performance in Leverkusen.
This was preceded by other controversial decisions. Nagelsmann’s noisy goalkeeping coach exchange against the will of captain Manuel Neuer, then the penalty for his referee’s scolding, followed by the indiscipline of some players. In addition, there is said to have been a mole in the team – and these performance fluctuations in the team.
The missing 100 percent
“You have to give 100 percent from the start in the Bundesliga too. And I’m sure the team knows that too. You could also hear that from the comments afterwards,” says Hainer: “Von Müller, von Kimmich, they all got along really upset and I hope that doesn’t happen to us again.”
Tuchel debut of all things against the ex-club
At least with the coach Nagelsmann it will not happen anymore. The top game against Borussia Dortmund on April 1 will probably have former Dortmund player Thomas Tuchel on the sidelines, who, according to ARD information, should start together with his assistants Zsolt Löw and Arno Michels.
“Now we have to beat Dortmund at home, then everything is open. I said it’s in our own hands,” says Hainer. Whether he already knew about the new coach on Tuesday evening remains his secret.