According to a report by Kerry Hau of Sport1, it seems that the Bayern Munich dressing room is finally asking questions about coach Thomas Tuchel. After the defeat to 3. Liga side Saarbrücken in the cup this week, criticism about the lack of footballing development have come to the fore.
In essence, Hau’s report mentions the following issues:
- Players feel that Thomas Tuchel is distant and does not communicate well enough, even with the regular starters. The coach has “his players”, notably Harry Kane and Leroy Sané, with whom he speaks to regularly outside of team meets, but otherwise hardly speaks to other players. Some players only find out whether they’re playing or not from assistant coach Zsolt Löw.
- Tuchel’s public criticism of his squad was not received well by the dressing room. His relationship with the midfield has been particularly strained, especially Joshua Kimmich in particular. Tuchel’s issues with Kimmich in particular have been well documented, ever since the “I am a six” incident back in the summer.
- The result in Saarbrücken have caused players to question the lack of footballing development in the squad in the past six months. Compared to the type of football being played under Julian Nagelsmann a year ago, Tuchel’s football has been severely lacking, despite the good results (Saarbrucken game notwithstanding).
The loss to a third-tier team may end up being the jolt that ends the Tuchel era. Hau himself noted (via Twitter) the anger in the dressing room following the game, with “some players shouting in anger, and Musiala simply saying ‘unbelievable’ while shaking his head.”
While Thomas Tuchel remains coach, the fact that these stories are coming out now indicates a shift in perception around the coaching staff in general. In previous cases, such as those of Niko Kovac and Carlo Ancelotti, stories like these have always signaled the prelude to a sacking.
If you’re not done wallowing in the misery of this loss, you can check out our postgame review/rant about Thomas Tuchel and the state of Bayern Munich at the moment. Listen to it below or on Spotify.
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