BFW Opinion: Thomas Tuchel’s stint at Bayern Munich might leave a lasting negative impact

With Thomas Tuchel’s days at Bayern all but numbered, the misery might continue for Bayern, with a need for rebuilding club-player relations.

The Bayern Munich board has messed up MASSIVELY. This is a botch-up of calamitous proportions: firing a coach on course for a treble season in Julian Nagelsmann only to hire a certain Thomas Tuchel, who has left the club in tatters and the team lacking in confidence with his uninspiring football devoid of creativity or passion.

It is hilarious (in a depressing way) to think that the board sacked Nagelsmann because they worried that the treble was in danger, ended up tossing the 2022/23 season, and continued to stick with the same coach and the same brand of football, which has resulted in the club looking like a Serie A relegation candidate against Lazio in the Champions League. So much for representing an “attractive brand of attacking football.”

With the season on shaky ground, it would be nice if things could just be reset with a new coach, perhaps from the summer (with the board being adamant about keeping Tuchel). However, it most likely won’t be that easy, and one potential thorn is going to be club-player relations.

With Alphonso Davies reportedly on his way out (still just rumours) and Tuchel repping a terrible brand of football on the pitch, any player would be ready to seek greener pastures – in this case, Real Madrid, a club on course to win La Liga and go strong in the Champions League. Unfortunately, his dead rubber football may not be the only cause for concern.

Player relations is also something Tuchel has really struggled with. Having effectively ostracized Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui and convinced the board with some voodoo magic that Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are not good midfield options (the same players touted as generational talents and formerly primed to become leaders for Bayern and Germany), there is a risk of a player exodus when it is time for contract negotiations.

Of course, the negotiations conducted by the board would also play a massive role. We also know that Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß can be mighty convincing. However, there is a feeling that this is going to be one really long, tumultuous period for the club, with the usual wealthy suspects (Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid) circling like vultures, Bayern might have to fight even harder to stave off the competition this time.

A coaching change made in the summer might already be too late. Players are ready to jump ship, and the club is probably wary of this, but there is this air of inevitability to the situation.

Here’s to hoping the club doesn’t lose all the team leaders for shillings and then criticize the lack of leadership. This is a situation of their own creation, after all.

Times are tough right now, and this is when you need to do all it takes to retain your best players.