FC Bayern confirms separation of Nagelsmann and Tuchel obligation
FC Bayern Munich has now confirmed the separation from coach Julian Nagelsmann. As the German record champions also announced, Thomas Tuchel will succeed him.
FC Bayern introduces Thomas Tuchel as the new coach. During the presentation, Hasan Salihamidzic draws a brutal conclusion at the end of the Julian Nagelsmann era. Tuchel himself immediately formulated clear ideas.
DAt the official presentation of the new head coach Thomas Tuchel, those responsible at FC Bayern once again justified the separation from predecessor Julian Nagelsmann. “It is our duty and our task to ensure sporting success,” said Oliver Kahn at a press conference in the Munich stadium on Saturday. With Nagelsmann, this was no longer guaranteed one hundred percent. “We saw our goals for this and next season in jeopardy,” said Kahn.
The change of coach in the middle of the decisive phase of the season was “not a panic reaction”, explained the CEO: “It has nothing to do with panic at all.” The decision to release Nagelsmann on Friday was “well considered” and not a decision made out of emotion. “I know it’s not a popular decision,” said sports director Hasan Salihamidzic.
With a strained expression, Oliver Kahn (left) and Hasan Salihamidzic explained on Saturday afternoon
Which: REUTERS
The management felt compelled to act because of the constant fluctuations in performance because “the performance curve is constantly going down”, as Salihamidzic said. The constellation between coach and team no longer fit. “We have one of the best squads in Europe. And yet the team’s performance continuity hasn’t really improved. In the second half of the season we cannot be satisfied with the results and the performances we have often shown,” said Kahn. Of ten Bundesliga games after the World Cup break, only five have been won, plus there have been three draws and two defeats. “That’s not what we want,” Kahn explained.
“The last few days have been difficult for all of us. There were also one or two nights when I didn’t really sleep well,” said the 53-year-old. The 35-year-old Nagelsmann is still “an excellent, a very good coach,” as Kahn said.
Tuchel surprised by the timing of Bayern’s request
Thomas Tuchel is the successor. The 49-year-old, who most recently coached Chelsea, with whom he won the Champions League in 2021, has signed a contract until June 30, 2025. The first meeting with Tuchel took place on Tuesday, as Salihamidzic reported: “I took my phone on Tuesday afternoon and called him. He said: ‘What do you want?’ So I said: ‘If you don’t feel like it, then hang up’. Then we met on Tuesday evening and had a very good conversation. He was very hot from the start. We negotiated Wednesday and Thursday. Thomas really wanted to and so did we.” Tuchel confirmed that he was surprised by the timing of Bayern’s request. He rather expected that he would continue his coaching career abroad.
The new coach immediately formulated clear ideas about his work with the German record champions. “It’s an honor and a distinction to be asked by FC Bayern,” said the 49-year-old. “The DNA of the club is very clearly defined. It’s about winning, it’s also about the way of winning. The squad is composed accordingly. It’s one of the most talented and the best squads in Europe. You can play for any title with this squad,” said Tuchel. He wants to use the good starting position that Bayern can still win titles in three competitions.
Thomas Tuchel made his first appearance at FC Bayern
Which: REUTERS
Kahn emphasized that Tuchel had worked with many top stars like Neymar or Kylian Mbappé, for example during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, which was certainly not easy. “Now we need a top man like that. He has gained a lot of experience abroad,” said Salihamidzic.
He will play his first game next Saturday against his former club and Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund. “When it became clear to me that the offer was about immediately, the penny dropped for me that it was about Dortmund straight away. But for me, that’s not really the big story, that was a few years ago. But the importance is very clear. It is the game in German football and our deficit in the table made it even more explosive,” said Tuchel about the explosive duel.
