Julian Nagelsmann has now paid the price for Bayern Munich’s poor display in the Bundesliga, with the manager set to be replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Nagelsmann took over as Bayern head coach less than two years ago, guiding them to the Bundesliga title last campaign. But he will now leave his job over the international break, with the club sitting second in the league, behind Borussia Dortmund.
A defeat to Bayer Leverkusen proved to be Nagelsmann’s last match in charge, though the 35-year-old did not feel his job was at risk. In fact, he went to Austria for some skiing before planning for Bayern’s run-in to the end of the campaign.
Those plans will not be needed now, with Bayern bosses taking the decision to fire the coach. According to BILD, club chiefs were left feeling they were at risk of missing out on winning a treble.
They have reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a perfect record and have also reached the last eight of the DFB-Pokal. But 10 dropped points in 2023 have left the club chiefs fuming and they have concluded Nagelsmann is ‘primarily to blame’.
The international break has presented the perfect opportunity for Bayern to make a change. Tuchel will be the one to replace Nagelsmann and will take up his post from Monday.
Nagelsmann was left ‘completely surprised’ by the decision, which he was informed about on Thursday. Bayern are set for a run of games when they return to action in April.
- Man Utd giving serious consideration to summer move for Chelsea star
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s partner reveals truth behind his controversial transfer plans
They will take on Dortmund in the Bundesliga, Freiburg in the DFB Pokal and Man City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final within 10 days.
It appears to players have also been surprised by the speed at which Nagelsmann’s sacking has happened. Joao Cancelo admitted he had only been told after Portugal’s victory over Liechtenstein on Wednesday.
“I’ve only found out now. I know I won’t find Nagelsmann when I return to Munich. He wanted me at Bayern, I’d like to thank him. As for Tuchel, he made me lose a Champions League final, so I hope he will win it for me this year!” Cancelo told Sport TV.
According to Sky Sports Germany, Nagelsmann’s decision to fly out to Austria for a skiing holiday also left the players and club chiefs surprised. With his team struggling, it was felt his decision to go skiing sent out the ‘wrong signal’.
“That wasn’t what Bayern Munich means. We missed everything. We let ourselves be overrun by a team that was still playing on Thursday. Bayer was better in every respect,” Bayern Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic fumed.
“I’ve rarely experienced so little drive, so little mentality, so little duel, so little assertiveness. This team is so good when they have a mentality from the start and go 100 per cent.
“But [they can be] just as bad when they don’t do it and think that they can do everything with [their] quality. We were inferior in all areas. Confidence or not, we have to bring [our] mentality and greed to the pitch. This is a championship [race].”
