After Saturday’s very expensive home defeat against RB Leipzig ( 1-3 ), Bayern’s director Salihamidzic was asked again: does Bayern Munich already regret that heavily criticized change of coach? After all, since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, the problems in the Allianz Arena have become bigger rather than smaller.
Bayern director remains behind heavily criticized trainer change
It was Leipzig that took the win. The third placed team won 3-1 against the leader Bayern Munich. However, the ranking remains unchanged. Bayern Munich is still the league leader and Leipzig is third. An early lead was taken by Bayern Munich through Serge Gnabry in the 25th minute, with an assist from Thomas Müller. With almost half an hour to go, Konrad Laimer equalized for RB Leipzig. Christopher Nkunku gave RB Leipzig the lead in the 76th minute. The final 3-1 for RB Leipzig was made by Dominik Szoboszlai.
Three tournaments bottled by Tuchel
Bayern was still on course for three prizes when head coach Julian Nagelsmann was unceremoniously fired at the end of March. Tuchel was appointed to make Bayern invincible again, but that turned out to be far from successful two months later. Manchester City eliminated Bayern in the Champions League, SC Freiburg eliminated Bayern in the DFB-Pokal and after the defeat against Leipzig, the Bundesliga title is suddenly under threat, after ten championships in a row.
After that costly loss, Salihamidzic was asked for an explanation. What did that trainer change in March actually bring the club? “The situation now is that we no longer have our last chance for a prize in our own hands. We have tried everything, but we are back in exactly the same situation as before the manager changed,” the technical director recalled in conversation with Sky.
“We have to see how it turns out first, but the fact is that we are no longer in control. But what did that coaching change yield? If we don’t win a prize at all this season, you can say: nothing. But Thomas Tuchel did a really great job,” emphasizes Salihamidzic.
He concluded, “Would he have made the same choice if he could go back two months? We thought about it for a long time and came to the conclusion that it had to be done. So I would make the same choice now, and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow too. Because it was necessary. If we don’t take the prize, I will have to take the criticism, but I would never say that this choice didn’t work.”
