Per reports, one of the reasons that Bayern Munich let go of Julian Nagelsmann was because the club’s chances for a treble were “in danger.”
Consider that problem solved — the Bavarians were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal and put themselves in a three-goal deficit against Manchester City in the Champions League.
Not every gamble is worth the risk and the timing of this game of chance by the Bayern Munich board was nothing short of awful. Specifically, this is what Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl reported back on March 23rd (as captured by @iMiaSanMia);
The club’s bosses saw that the treble was in danger and decided to act before the upcoming big games (BVB, City). In addition, Bayern were afraid that Thomas Tuchel would quickly be gone from the market. The coaching job at Real Madrid could become available in the summer. Tottenham also were interested. The bosses had Tuchel on their sights for several years – now it’s finally happening.
While Nagelsmann’s presence on the touchline might not have changed the outcome against Manchester City, he did have the team headed in the right direction and had likely settled on the best pathway forward in terms of formation and personnel for this roster. Moreover, making a coaching change with this complex, high-maintenance squad, which is bridging generations was a major roll of the dice — and it has not worked out.
With DFB-Pokal an afterthought and Champions League hopes in need of a miracle, Tuchel must now rally the troops to maintain the club’s stronghold on the Bundesliga.
Yup, the coach who benched two of his most high-profile veterans (Thomas Müller and Sadio Mané, who each have proven Champions League experience) in favor of starting Serge Gnabry at striker and an obviously struggling Jamal Musiala, must now try to garner support from his locker room to save the season from being a total catastrophe.
The roster situation is very complex at Bayern Munich. Some players are unhappy, some are hitting the reality that they might no longer be in this coach’s plans for next season (or maybe worse, have a little-to-no-role, but won’t be able to leave), and others have been teetering on an exit for months.
It’s not dire straits, but it’s not a cakewalk either.
Tuchel has his work cut out for him. His players might have botched the Pokal, but the coach deserves some heat for his starting XI selection and his substitution decisions against Manchester City.
Football can be a game of chance if you make it that way…and Bayern Munich went bust at the worst possible time.
Interested in an in-depth, two person review of the game? Well then check out our postgame podcast! Chuck and INNN harshly critique everything that went wrong in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City, from individual player performances to tactics, transfers, and the board themselves. Listen to it below or on Spotify.