By Andrew Lord

24 March 2023

Julian Nagelsmann has been sacked by Bayern Munich following a series of disappointing results. Under Nagelsmann, the Bavarians have won just 10 points in the Bundesliga in 2023.

A replacement for the 35-year-old has already been found with ex-Borussia Dortmund trainer Thomas Tuchel taking over the reins.

There had been intense speculation this week about the plan to replace Nagelsmann with Munich resident Tuchel, but Nagelsmann was caught unawares as he spent the last few days on a skiing holiday in Austria.

Nagelsmann had a contract until 2026, but the club decided to use the international break to change course in a bid to rescue the season, with the Bundesliga title, the Champions League and the German Cup all still up for grabs. There was also the risk of losing out on Tuchel, with English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur rumoured to be interested in the 49-year-old.

Nagelsmann was appointed trainer of Bayern Munich in 2021 as the replacement for Hansi Flick. He won the Super Cup following a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in August 2021 and also won the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich’s tenth league title in a row, in his first season at the club.

A swift appointment

Tuchel is expected to be in charge in time for training on Monday as Bayern Munich prepare to face league-leaders Borussia Dortmund on April 1. Tuchel had been out of a job since being sacked by Premier League club Chelsea in September 2022.

Tuchel began his managerial career at FC Augsburg II, the reserve team of Bundesliga club FC Augsburg, in 2007. He became trainer of Mainz 05 in 2009 before moving to Borussia Dortmund in 2015. He took up the reins at Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, where he won Ligue 1 twice and guided the club to the final of the Champions League in the 2019-20 season, losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

Before the break for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, Bayern Munich had a nine-point lead over Dortmund, but with nine league games remaining, the club finds itself a point behind Dortmund in second place and just four points ahead of Union Berlin.

Oliver Kahn, Chief Executive of Bayern Munich, explained that the drop in form following the World Cup led to performances which were both less successful and unattractive. This led to the decision to sack Nagelsmann as the “fluctuations in performances raised questions about the achievement of the club’s goals this season and beyond.”

The final straw

The latest defeat, a 2-1 loss against Bayer Leverkusen, was the final straw for a trainer who has been widely viewed to have lost the majority of the dressing room. Sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić was particularly scathing after the defeat to Leverkusen: “That’s not what it means to be Bayern Munich. No drive, no assertiveness. It’s something I’ve rarely experienced.”

While Bayern Munich has recorded disappointing results in the Bundesliga, the club has a 100% record in the Champions League this season, winning eight out of eight games under Nagelsmann, including a 3-0 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16.

Now Tuchel, who led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, will be in charge as Bayern Munich face a tough quarter-final tie against Manchester City.

Bayern Munich players Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka spoke of their disappointment at the sacking of Nagelsmann. German national team captain Kimmich said: “That’s the business we’re in. Very little love and very little heart. We’ll have to learn to deal with it and live with the decision.” He added that it is always disappointing when a trainer is sacked as it means the players have failed. Goretzka spoke of his shock at the decision to sack Nagelsmann: “We had an extremely close relationship with Julian. I probably saw the trainer more often than my own family, so it’s a shock when someone suddenly isn’t there.”

According to early polls in the German sports magazine Kicker and tabloid newspaper Bild, Bayern Munich was wrong to sack Nagelsmann, with 65% and 67% respectively against the decision.

Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthäus criticised the Bayern Munich management team, who “have not covered themselves in glory lately.” He added that the club needed to go back to its roots and recreate the close relationships from the Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß era.

Ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann was surprised at the timing of the sacking: “After the two convincing performances against Paris Saint-Germain, I thought the trainer would have been given the chance to reach the semis by beating Manchester City.” Although he added that during his Bayern Munich reign, Nagelsmann allowed himself to get bogged down in details.

Flick, who is now the trainer of the German national team, was quick to defend Nagelsmann: “He’s still an outstanding coach. It’s a shame he no longer has the chance to win three trophies this season.”

But with the future of Spurs’ manager Antonio Conte in doubt following his recent outburst, Nagelsmann could make a swift return to management.

© Andrew Lord 2022