Bayern Munich players surprised by departure of Toni Tapalovic
The start of Ruckrunde has seen a massive change in the coaching staff of Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich. The Bavarian club confirmed the departure of Toni Tapalovic at the start of the week. Tapalovic has been working at Die Roten for more than a decade as the goalkeeping coach of the first team.
According to Sport1, the departure of Tapalovic has been a big surprise and shock for the first-team players at Bayern. Manuel Neuer was disappointed by Tapalovic’s departure. Tapalovic is a close confidant of Neuer since the duo has been working together for a long time at Die Roten.
It remains to be seen if this decision will backfire for Nagelsmann in the long run. Parting ways with a coach that is popular amongst players is far from ideal. The decision of the German coach and Bayern will be vindicated if the new coach ends up making a positive impact on the squad.
The decision to sanction Tapalovic’s departure also highlights Bayern’s immense faith in Julian Nagelsmann. They are ready to give him ideal conditions to achieve short and long-term success at the club. It is up to Nagelsmann to vindicate Die Roten’s faith by achieving success on the pitch. The debut season was decent, but Bayern will be hoping for better results in the cup competitions this season.
Bayern is yet to announce a replacement for Tapalovic. The record Bundesliga champions have promoted Tom Starke to the first-team coaching staff on a temporary basis. Starke has been working in the youth academy after retiring as a player in 2018.
The former Bayern goalkeeper is open to taking up the role on a long-term basis if Bayern wants him to do. Die Roten can stick with Starke for the rest of the season and then appoint a new goalkeeping coach in the summer.
One report in Germany has suggested that Bayern and Nagelsmann have already identified a replacement for Tapalovic. The German coach is keen on reuniting with Michael Rechner at Allianz Arena. Rechner and Nagelsmann worked together at Hoffenheim. Bayern will have to agree a compensation fee with Hoffenheim to bring Rechner to Munich in the coming weeks.
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The next few days will give a good idea about Bayern’s plans for a goalkeeping coach. Nagelsmann’s bigger concern will be arresting the team’s slump in the Bundesliga. The Bavarian club dropped points in the third consecutive game on Saturday against Eintracht Frankfurt.