analysis
FC Bayern Munich
The Bavarian catastrophe: How the new sports director Max Eberl became an emergency manager
When Max Eberl took the selfie before FC Bayern’s game against Real Madrid, he was still hoping for Ralf Rangnick as the new Bayern coach
© Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
When Max Eberl started his new job at FC Bayern, he was supposed to fill the big leadership vacuum at the club. Now, after the third coaching rejection in a row, the new sports director has a real problem. How could this happen?
If one of Europe’s biggest football clubs receives three coaching resignations in a row, it has a problem. After all, it is not the case that specialist staff of this quality are a dime a dozen. On the contrary: the staff that works for a club like that FC Bayern is an option and can almost be counted on one hand. But apparently the German record champions no longer exude the attractiveness that a coach simply accepts because FC Bayern is FC Bayern.
Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen canceled because, as a new coach, he didn’t trust himself to take on the new task. He also works in Leverkusen under perfect conditions. He led Leverkusen to the championship title in his second year as head coach of a professional team, is playing in the Champions League next season and Bayer is, to quote a former Chancellor, led with a steady hand.
FC Bayern’s current situation is the result of a long development
Julian Nagelsmann canceled because he had a better assessment of the prospects at the DFB. The prospect of leading the German national team through a European and a World Cup appealed to Nagelsmann more than wearing himself out in the day-to-day business of a major club. Why should he return to FC Bayern, who had thrown him out the door a year ago in a rude manner (even by Bundesliga standards).
Rangnick canceled because he apparently saw the danger that a commitment could affect his current job as Austrian national coach. After all, Rangnick still wants to play in a European Championship. In addition, Rangnick is held in the highest regard by the Austrian association. There are no pitfalls, divergent interests or power struggles there. At least not in the way of the big club from Munich.
FC Bayern’s current situation is the result of a long development that began in March of last year. CEO Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic decided to dismiss Nagelsmann at a time when he could still have won the treble of championship, cup and Champions League. But Kahn and Salihamidzic saw their goals at risk, the team’s development was not going as expected and Thomas Tuchel was on the market. So they took action, kicked Nagelsmann out the door and installed their dream coach. Two months later they themselves were history. Rarely before had a club leader been shaved like this.
Thomas Tuchel took over an unsettled team
In this situation, Tuchel took over an unsettled team. He immediately made a serious mistake when he called for a “holding six” (a defensive six) during the summer break and offended the established staff. With a lot of luck, it was enough to win the championship in 2023 because BVB lost their nerve in the season finale. In the new season, the team delivered very inconsistent performances, failed early in the DFB Cup against 1. FC Saarbrücken and lost the championship title for the first time in eleven years.
The uncertainty at the start of the season was compounded by a chaotic transfer phase. The hectic transfer task force around Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge succeeded in the spectacular signing of superstar Harry Kane, but otherwise Tuchel did not get the personnel (“holding six”) that he wanted for defense and midfield. Already then there were slight doubts about the club’s leadership skills. Tuchel, for his part, made a serious misjudgment when he gave the OK for full-back Josip Stanisic to be handed over to Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Bayern’s current coach no longer needs to worry about that. At the end of February, the club around new CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and sports director Christoph Freund decided that Tuchel would also be allowed to leave after the season. The fact that Tuchel can win the Champions League despite his announced resignation is once again one of the special points.
Max Eberl is responsible for the trainer search
Sports director Max Eberl, who has been in office since March, had nothing to do with any of this. He should become the new strong man at Bayern. But even a boar can only work under the conditions he finds. The fact that the search for a trainer turned into a public showcase of the candidates, who were previously publicly calibrated and weighed, can only be partially blamed on him. Nevertheless, Eberl will have to ask himself whether he needs to take more consistent action against the leaks in the club. And whether it was really smart to ask a Nagelsmann at all – given the events of the past year.
At the moment, Bayern’s management staff seems overwhelmed. When honorary chairman Uli Hoeneß insults coach Tuchel in the old manner, it looks even worse to the outside world. It reinforces the impression that the FC Bayern entity is no longer quite up to date. Potential coaching candidates also see this and are turning down a bunch. Eberl is certainly not to be envied.