Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Bayern Munich, stated on Friday that there are other issues facing the Bundesliga’s biggest teams. Tuchel will leave the team at the conclusion of the 2023–24 campaign.
In March 2023, Tuchel was named manager of Bayern to take over for Julian Nagelsmann. Even though Tuchel assisted the team in winning the Bundesliga for the eleventh time in a row last season, the matchup between them and Borussia Dortmund, who were defeated 2-2 by Mainz, was extremely close. In addition, under Tuchel, Bayern was eliminated by Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in the 2022–2023 season.
In the summer, Tuchel had more time to establish communication with Bayern, and in August 2023, the team paid 95 million euros to sign England’s top striker, Harry Kane, from Tottenham Hotspur. Still, this season has seen even more struggles for the German heavyweights. They have lost their last two league games, one to VfL Bochum 3-2 and the other to Leverkusen 3-0, leaving them 11 points behind leaders in the Bundesliga.
Bayern also struggled in the Champions League, losing 1-0 to Lazio in their first-leg round of 16 match. It seems sense that the top office chose to cut ties with Tuchel at the end of the season.
“Whether I agree with the club’s decision or not doesn’t matter,” Tuchel stated at a press conference. “Now that there is clarity, that is all that matters. Freedom comes from clarity, which is beneficial for training and games alike.”
“More discretion in the coach’s behaviour. You don’t have to consider how your decisions may affect things down the road,” he continued. “You can be a bit more reckless.”
On Saturday, Bayern will play RB Leipzig at home. The two teams drew 2-2 in October, their most recent meeting. If Bayern wants to remain in the title hunt, they can only afford to win this time. If they win, their deficit over Leverkusen will be reduced to eight points.
“I never felt that we, as coaching staff, stopped reaching the team,” Tuchel stated. “However, there is a mismatch between training and games, for which the coach is accountable. Though I acknowledge my share of the blame, I don’t believe I am the entire issue. I’ve been unhappy for a while with the way we play and I’m not satisfied with it.”
