As a manager, coming in to manage a team at the end of March and get results is extremely difficult. Doing so at Bayern Munich, Germany’s biggest club, makes things unbelievably difficult. Yet that was the situation Thomas Tuchel found himself in when he took over from Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich, still alive in the DFB-Pokal and Champions League and a point off 1st place in the Bundesliga. How did he fare with this difficult task? Since Bayern immediately crashed out of both cup competitions after Tuchel took over, it would be easy to say Tuchel is doing a poor job.
But Kahn thinks things are more complex than this. In an interview with Sport Bild, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, Kahn talked about his first impressions of Tuchel: “Thomas Tuchel impressed me from the first day. I feel that he’s reaching the team emotionally with his way of working and speeches.” He even added that these speeches helped him feel “like going out on the pitch myself.” Thankfully for Bayern’s opponents, Der Titan restrained himself.
Unfortunately, Tuchel’s communication skills could not save Bayern from a poor second half of the season. But there are extenuating circumstances, Kahn says. “The second half of the season was difficult for FC Bayern. Our German internationals had an absolute low after the World Cup elimination. Our French players lost the final, Lucas Hernández tore his ACL, Noussair Mazraoui had a heart problem. Not to forget (Sadio) Mané’s injury. Then Manuel Neuer broke his leg on a skiing holiday. The team wasn’t consistent after that.”
Bayern and Tuchel will be hoping for a little more luck next season. But, for now, it will be up to Tuchel’s motivating skills to get the players back on track and on their way to finish the season on a high note, or the Bundesliga title might slip away too.