Bayern Munich: Dressing room was split over Julian Nagelsmann
Bayern Munich chiefs have consistently insisted in the last couple of days that poor performances over a longer period led to the departure of Julian Nagelsmann. They decided to make a coaching change on the back of a thorough analysis after the defeat against Bayer Leverkusen before the international break.
The dressing room rift has also been mooted as one of the key reasons for Nagelsmann’s departure. Joshua Kimmich insisted that Nagelsmann hadn’t lost the dressing room at Bayern, but the latest report from Bild sheds light on how some players had no faith in Nagelsmann.
According to Bild (via Daily Mail), Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich were against Nagelsmann after the departure of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic in February. Neuer enjoyed a very good working relationship with Tapalovic at Bayern since arriving from Schalke in 2011.
The 37-year-old goalkeeper was publicly critical of the club’s decision to sack Tapalovic. Several reports in Germany had suggested that Nagelsmann wanted Bayern to part ways with Tapalovic, so it is not surprising to see Neuer getting frustrated with the former Hoffenheim head coach.
Meanwhile, Serge Gnabry, Joao Cancelo, Leroy Sane, and Jamal Musiala were also not exactly big fans of Nagelsmann. Gnabry has been struggling to get consistent playing time in 2023, while Cancelo has also been on the bench in the past few weeks after making a promising start to life in Bavaria since arriving from Manchester City at the end of January.
The former Bayern head coach did have a good number of players on his side. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka were big supporters of Nagelsmann. Both German midfielders have expressed great disappointment after his departure, while the likes of Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, and Matthijs de Ligt also liked Nagelsmann.
Considering the split in the dressing room and the dip in Bundesliga results, Bayern chiefs may feel that they had to act decisively. The international break gave them the right opportunity to make the change. Moreover, they also had the opportunity to get a very good coach in Thomas Tuchel immediately since he was out of work since leaving Chelsea in October.
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Tuchel will have to hit the ground running by making a perfect plan for the remainder of the season. He needs to get all players on his side for the upcoming brutal run of fixtures across all competitions. The German coach made an instant impact at Chelsea, so Bayern chiefs would hope to see a similar effect in Bavaria when he starts his tenure this week.