Everyone, from pundits to the board to the fans, have struggled to find out precisely how the season went so wrong for Bayern Munich, as the club is seemingly set to go trophy-less for the first time in over a decade. While the sacking of Julian Nagelsmann may be the go-to theory, the form in the Bundesliga after the World Cup with the former TSG Hoffenheim manager still in charge was also absolutely terrible. What happened? Did the players lack the right mentality? Were the tactics wrong? Did Uli Hoeneß forget to give the players Christmas cookies?
No, the players’ vacation was too long. According to a report from kicker, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, “leading players believe the team did not have an adequate preparation during the winter break” because “a 4-week holiday after the World Cup was too much.”
A lack of preparation and sluggishness from a holiday that was too long could perhaps be a cause for Bayern’s poor form after the World Cup, when the Bavarian giants drew three games in a row. A winter World Cup is a completely new concept, after all, so perhaps Bayern’s coaching staff overestimated the amount of time the players would need to recharge.
But surely an extended vacation shouldn’t cause the team’s form to crater. The players will need to look at themselves and their lacking performances as well.
