Thomas Tuchel's time as coach of the FC Bayern It's probably coming to an end. Further collaboration beyond the summer seems almost impossible.
Sunday's 2:3 defeat against VfL Bochum was probably the final straw. Previously, Bayern had supposedly lost the championship when they lost 3-0 in Leverkusen and lost the Champions League when they lost 1-0 to Lazio in Rome. In it DFBTuchel-Bayern has not won the trophy for a long time since the embarrassing defeat against Saarbrücken.
The season without titles is approaching: Tuchel is running out of arguments
And so it happens as it has to happen. FC Bayern Munich will most likely end the 2023/24 season without a title. This has not happened since 2012. And that certainly has consequences for the coach.
After the current crisis, every stone in Bayern must be turned over in the summer. One more time. And yet, the first thing to do is replace the trainer. Even if the coach does not want to be fired again this year in the second half of the season, as happened with Julian Nagelsmann in 2023.
In the end, Thomas Tuchel lacks arguments. In his 44 games as Bayern coach, the record champion lost in eleven games, a dramatic result from the perspective of a Bayern coach. In it Bundesliga After 22 games, his Bayern is eight points behind the outstanding Leverkusen. Tuchel's reference to Bayern's good 50 points does not help either.
Furthermore, the obstacle is the coach's striking weakness in the knockout matches. Of the seven knockout games under Tuchel, Bayern lost five and only won one: in the first round of the DFB Cup in Preußen Münster.
Bayern coach Jan-Christian Dreesen (56) still gave Tuchel a job guarantee after the Bochum slap. Tuchel will definitely be on the bench against RB Leipzig on Saturday (February 24, 6:30 p.m.). Tuchel remains “a fact.” But Dreesen only said this when asked several times by reporters.
The moment is still unclear, but one thing is clear: Tuchel and Bayern do not fit together. And the relationship will not continue. The weakened record champions will hope to get through the season with Tuchel while saving face, but any new sporting setback now could spell the end for Tuchel. At least if an alternative is found.
Tuchel has to go, but what is happening on Säbener Straße? Who could be the successor of the former Chelsea and PSG coach at FC Bayern? Rumors are already stirring. Although Jupp Heynckes (78) can no longer be a candidate for health reasons and due to his age, big names from the Allianz Arena are still mentioned as candidates.
The candidates in the check:
Hansi Flick
Stories that only football writes. In 2020, at the feet of six-time winner Hansi Flick (58), Bayern had finally found the coach of his dreams. A year later, after constant power struggles with Hasan Salihamidzic (47), Flick simply wanted to leave, and no one at Bayern really wanted to stop him. Everything should improve with Nagelsmann (36).
Flick took charge of the national team and failed miserably with the DFB at the Winter World Cup in Qatar – Gray Goose motivational disaster included. Nagelsmann then stumbled at Bayern mainly due to private stories and poor results. Now Nagelsmann is once again Flick's successor and Bayern should have Flick on their radar again.
Flick would be Bayern's interim coach until the end of the season. He could polish his image again and Bayern would probably have peace in the club again. But the idea doesn't sound particularly sexy. But this scenario cannot be ruled out either.
Zinedine Zidane
The last coach to be talked about at Bayern. As the Italian The newspaper “Corriere Dello Sport” reported on Monday that Bayern had already contacted Zidane (51) before the defeat against Lazio.
Zidane is the only coach to have won the Champions League three times in a row. He Frenchwho won the World and European Championships as a player, is perhaps the most important coaching name in world football.
And yet, there are doubts about whether Zidane would be the right one for Bayern. The introverted Zidane, who until now has only coached Real Madrid, does not speak any German and his English is also said to be more than improvable. And anyway. Why would “Zizou” want to upset Bayern at this point?
Jose Mourinho
Another great name. José Mourinho (61) represents what Bayern is currently missing: success. He won the Champions League with FC Porto and Inter Milan. Portugal, England, Spain and Italy won the national championship with its national teams, and was the only coach in Europe to achieve the minor and major treble. He achieved six with his teams European Finals… and he triumphed in five finals.
The Portuguese does not fit perfectly at Bayern with his defensive style of play. At Roma, things did not go as planned for “The Special One”, as he called himself in his first press conference in England this season. The capital club parted ways with Mourinho in January after three defeats in five games. However, as we read recently, Mourinho is already learning German to be ready for Bayern. It is difficult to imagine that Bayern would bring such a difficult character into their home. But desperation is great right now.
Luis van Gaal
Speaking of a difficult character: the name of Louis van Gaal (72) continues to be heard in Bayern. He Dutch During his tenure from 2009 to 2011, he brought to Munich a new system with two classic wingers, which remains basically the same today.
He left followed by Uli Hoeneß. Although the two alphas have long since reconciled: Van Gaal will not take command again and is enjoying his retirement in Portugal.
Joaquín Löw
The name Joachim Löw (64) also appears again and again at FC Bayern. But the German world champion coach is also not considered a promising solution and has been out of work since 2021. It is also doubtful whether Löw will be able to celebrate great successes with a club team. It is also highly unlikely that Löw will take over at Bayern.
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso (42) could one day become Bayern coach. The former Bayern player enjoys great popularity among Bayern management, something that is not surprising after his dream season at Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso is Bayern's dream solution. But it can be 100 percent ruled out that Alonso comes this season.
And in summer? Even then, it is far from certain that Alonso will go to Bayern. The Spaniard arouses desire, and his other former club, Liverpool FC, has long been targeting Alonso as Jürgen Klopp's successor. And Simón Rolfes (42) too. The Bayer coach recently confidently announced that he had no doubt that Alonso would continue working with Bayer Cross next season.
Jurgen Klopp
Jürgen Klopp (56) is another long-term solution for Bayern. Klopp would also be good for Bayern in the media, it's hard to imagine Sky pundits like Didi Hamann (50) would view Klopp as critically as Tuchel.
The problem from Bayern's perspective: Klopp, who will leave Liverpool of his own free will at the end of the season, will almost certainly take a sabbatical. This means that Klopp, if he so wishes, would not be available for Bayern until 2025. But Tuchel will not last that long.
By Denis Canalp