I’m not an old supporter of Bayern. It’s only been an odd 15 years. And I belong to the ‘why fix something that’s not broken’ school of thought. I saw no reason why Pep Guardiola had to be brought in after Jupp won the treble. Jupp turned Bayern into a ruthless machine. I liked THAT Bayern. Pep had a decent spell, but not quite at the level of Jupp. Even though Jupp’s squad didn’t have the individual brilliance of Pep’s squad. But that didn’t matter. Bayern functioned as a unit. It was a well-oiled German machine, in no need of Messi’s and Ronaldo’s.
Post-Pep, I was disappointed with the appointment of Don Carlo. He had a lazy disposition and didn’t seem like he cared. His results and reluctance to use Müller showed the same. Jupp had to be coaxed back in to salvage the season. It’s always hard to fill Jupp’s shoes, and Niko Kovač failed miserably. Kovač lost the dressing room, and Flick had to be brought in to salvage the situation. By imitating Jupp’s ability to make the squad function as a unit, Flick thrived and stuck to Bayern’s aggressive way of playing. Even taking the level up another notch, leading to a well-deserved treble.
Flick burnt out and had ambitions of managing the National Team. Julian Nagelsmann was brought in after successful stints at Hoffenheim and Leipzig. Bayern Munich paid a world record fee of €25 million to acquire Julian Nagelsmann from RB Leipzig in April 2021. Nagelsmann was brought in to implement his tactical philosophy and secure dominance in the seasons to come. Bayern’s leadership wasn’t able to digest the fact that managers who thrived in other systems don’t necessarily fare well in Bavaria. And it was a disaster.
In his first season at Bayern, he was adamant in sticking to his philosophy. For instance, we saw Müller moving to wider and deeper roles at times, and it was very frustrating to see. Due to mediocre domestic competition that season, Bayern won the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal but got knocked out by Villarreal in the Champions League. The Champions League is at the very heart of each Bayern campaign, a team expected to win domestic competitions. It was disappointing to see Bayern players used as proverbial fish made to climb Nagelsmann’s tree of tactics.
However, in his second season at Bayern, I couldn't help but notice a drastic change. Having learned his lesson, he began to adapt his football philosophy around Bayern players and their unique strengths. In strong departure from the ways of Kovač and Ancelotti, he began to use Bayern as a team and attuned his masterful tactics to the abilities of his players. In Nagelsmann’s second season at Bayern, we saw elements of Jupp, Flick, and Pep merged into one. His appointment began to make sense. Bayern were decimating teams in domestic competitions and the Champions League.
This didn’t last long, however. Germany’s elimination from the group stages of the World Cup took a psychological toll on the players. Nagelsmann attempted to steady the ship, and we saw Bayern turn up against strong opponents like PSG, Dortmund, and Union Berlin but lose points to average teams. We saw Dortmund and Union Berlin close in on the Bundesliga table. There was no reason to believe that Bayern wouldn’t be able to go back to its winning ways as seen before the World Cup. Bayern continued playing as a team, albeit with the occasional slip-up. There was utmost cohesion among team members, reflecting in performances on the football field against dominant teams – all achieved without a world-class striker and an injured Neuer. But the executive leadership at Bayern, a very poor quality of leaders and strategists, mistook the glittering Tuchel for gold. And the rest is history.
Forward to 2023-24, we’ve effectively lost the Bundesliga, the Pokal, and are going to get mauled by Arsenal in the Champions League. As an ardent reader of the blog, with special love for the comments sections, it was disheartening to read well-articulated and ardent support in favour of Tuchel. Tuchel was always a manager suited for teams like Chelsea and PSG, better equipped to absorb pressure and counterattack. He was never a Bayern Munich-worthy manager. Fans who don’t understand this, don’t understand Bayern.
And while we knew for certain that Tuchel would eventually get terminated, we can only hope for the best when it comes to appointing the new manager. Zidane might have worked for Real, as Ancelotti did, but guarantees nothing for a team like Bayern. Xabi Alonso is on cloud number 9, but it might be too early to bring him in. Fair amount of intrigue and uncertainty there, though he’ll likely go to Liverpool. Mourinho is excited about moving to Bayern, but his style of play is akin to that of Tuchel and not suited to Bayern. It would be fabulous to see Klopp at Bayern, but perhaps he’d make a better fit at the National Team – in dire need of reinvention and he’ll get to catch his breath.
I have no doubt in the fact that Bayern had a realistic shot at the treble last year with Nagelsmann at the helm. Man City didn’t seem quite as intimidating under his leadership. Bayern afterall took apart a star-studded PSG and Barcelona. There will be some readers who will state that ‘there was a huge difference between PSG and City’. Well, good sirs and ladies, there was also a huge difference between Nagelsmann’s Bayern and Tuchel’s Bayern, and the former was en route to regaining momentum.
But to make such claims, I have the benefit of retrospect. Prospectively, I’m certain Bayern will fall at the hands of Arsenal, and as much as that breaks my heart, I’m also certain that this wouldn’t have been the case if Nagelsmann was leading our team into the game. I appreciate his strategy of building the German National Football Team around Musiala and Wirtz and wish him luck at the Euros. I also wish Bayern luck and hope that Nagelsmann returns next season. After this trophyless season, winning trebles with Naglesmann isn’t for certain, but I’d sure be happy to see us playing as a well-oiled and cohesive machine again.
Edit 1 – Bayern never won the Pokal under Nagelsmann in his first season. Adding more weight to my contention that his first season wasn't great.
Further reading – For all disputing the Jupp, Pep saga – https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11890/8407221/Bayern-Munich-coach-Jupp-Heynckes-decision-to-retire-was-not-entirely-voluntary
by pomnarain
13 comments
Prost!
I agree with you completely. I would like to add that we would probably be in a worser position right now if it wasn’t for Harry’s goals. Kane has won us many points over the season. Sure, he had some questionable performance but man is he good and the team also had some questionable performances so not fully his fault.
In my opinion, getting a new coach that builds the team around Musiala and Kane would be very great. Also, Kim has been a very good signing. A bit annoying that we have had to rely on personal brilliance at times rather than a cohesive team that uses tactical brilliance if you will.
Nagelsmann getting sacked has got to be one of the most questionable decisions in football history, though. I have no clue what Kahn and Co were thinking, not gonna lie
Bayern did not win the double with Nagelsmann. They got kicked out in the second round by Gladbach 5:0 when JN had corona and was at home.
Flick departed due to personal issues with Brazzo and Nagelsmann stumbled over the fact that Bayern can‘t play counterattack football a la Leipzig due to most opposing sides not playing offensively against the big dog.
Nagelsmann was most successful when he ditched his Leipzig formula and used EMCM as his striker. This blatantly reveals that planning without a central striker but making a prestige signing a la Mané was a major brainfart of the entire management which doomed the entire campaign. The death knell then was the shown arrogance and resulting early CL exit.
These days I still wonder if Nagelsmann would still be coach if he have had a striker like Lewa, Haaland, Darwin or Kane.
Tuchel stumbled over his own feet by constantly shitting on the dressing room leaders like Kimmich or Müller which unsurprisingly mimics the Kovac situation. IMO you either plan/talk with these cornerstone players or you need them gone to avoid these players souring the lockerroom spirit.
Whoever is the next coach will have to deal with young (Musiala, Tel, Davies, Stanisic) and veteran (Goretzka, Kimmich, Müller, Neuer, Gnabry) players being pissed off by what happened in the last two years. It‘s inevitable that some will want and some will have to leave in order to reestablish some discipline and perspective (especially for the young players which Bayern can’t afford to just let go). Hearing how Davies wants to leave and Stanisic doesn’t want to return from his loan after how he was treated, just is the point which rings my alarm bells.
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>I saw no reason why Pep Guardiola had to be brought in after Jupp won the treble
That was made in January and Jupp I think just wanted to retire. He has only come back as a care taker and didnt take on any other jobs
Jupp wanted to retire, there was no long term prospect with him. Pep was the most spight after coach in the world, it was only logical for Bayern to go after him.
Sacking Nagelsmann is widely regarded as a terrible move, I don‘t understand why this needs ro be discussed again and again. We know it was wrong, many knew already back then, and we have taken the consequences.
Beyond the factual inaccuracies, this is a very negative post. Why do you assume Arsenal will trash Bayern?
>Pep had a decent spell, but not quite at the level of Jupp
Thats just outrageously dumb to say.
Sorry, but Peps Bayern beat Jupp’s Bayern 9/10 times. Easy.
People just rate Jupp higher because Bayern went on a tear in his tripple season, failing to understand that cup competitions are primarily decided by luck.
Bayern lost the 2012 CL final despite being the better team. In the 2013 final, with less luck Dante gets a 2nd yellow and they play with 10 men.
On the flip side Pep’s Bayern dominated Atletico but suffered from bad refereeing and a missed pen.
Long story short, Pep was a LOT more transformative for the club than Jupp was, amd elevated the club in aspects that are still true to this very day.
I appreciate the time and effort it probably took to write all this down, but there are so many wrong takes and inaccuracies that I wouldn’t even know where to begin.
Peps Bayern was above Jupps Bayern and I will die on that hill
I would totally be down to bring the Nagelsmann 2.0 era next summer.
Congratulations, this is one of the worst posts I’ve ever read on this sub