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In an extensive interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich supervisory board member Uli Hoeneß talked over why former CEO Oliver Kahn and ex-sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić did not succeed at the helm of the club during the 2022/23 season.
One of the biggest missteps by the duo — and the biggest catalyst for their respective sackings — was the mismanaged firing of former coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Hoeneß said that he, personally, had nothing to do with the rash decision.
“No. Even Herbert Hainer, as chairman of the supervisory board, was informed too late. That’s just unacceptable. On the Wednesday before the separation, Hasan stood at my door and said: ‘We want to do it and we already decided.’ I said two things: ‘firstly, I also think we need to be critical about Julian Nagelsmann’s future, but I think the point in time ten days before the Dortmund game is wrong,” Hoeneß recalled. “Second, if you absolutely want to do it, then you have to make sure that everything runs smoothly.”
It did not, in fact, run smoothly.
Word spread to the media before Kahn and Salihamidžić could even let Nagelsmann know that he was being let go.
“Unfortunately, the decision had leaked out beforehand. We had no influence on that. But I also have to say, I didn’t think it was good at all that Julian Nagelsmann went skiing in such a crisis situation after the loss in Leverkusen. That should not have happened,” said Hoeneß, “The (Toni) Tapalović dismissal was one of those things too. I only found out about it by accident.”
Hoeneß did not sound so sure that Nagelsmann’s decision to fire former goalkeeper coach Toni Tapalović was the right move in the end.
“If a new and apparently very good goalkeeper coach is to come, then you can do it, but you could still keep Manuel Neuer’s confidant,” Hoeneß said. “You bring everyone together around a table and find a solution. For example, Tapalović could have been made the trainer for Manuel Neuer’s rehab. But it caused unnecessarily unrest at the club. My motto has always been: Smart, but – if necessary – tough.”
Hoeneß, though, does not think Kahn or Salihamidžić were necessarily bad at their jobs. For Hoeneß, things fell apart because of the perfect storm of issues — mainly miscommunications and a lack of preparation.
“I have to make it clear that Oliver and Hasan primarily did a lot of things right. But all in all, many decisions have raised questions. For example, the thing with the winter (break) vacation,” Hoeneß. “If you give four and a half weeks vacation, you need at least six weeks of preparation. But we only had two and a half weeks. Some of our players didn’t have any serious playing time from early November to mid-January.
There was only one game against Salzburg. How are you supposed to be fit? During my playing career I’ve never had a four-week vacation, not even in the summer. I’m convinced that Thomas Tuchel had to suffer in the second half of the season because some players lacked the basic stamina.”
