Bayern Munich managed to hold on to the Bundesliga title for one more season after an exciting end to the 2022/23 season on Saturday. The Bavarian club scored late in the game against FC Koln to get all three points. Borussia Dortmund’s failure to get a win against Mainz made sure that Die Roten lifted their 11th consecutive league title.
It was far from smooth sailing for Bayern against Koln. After a promising first half, they struggled in the second half and eventually conceded an equaliser in the 80th minute. The equaliser from Koln forced Thomas Tuchel to make a tough decision.
The German coach brought off Leon Goretzka for Mathys Tel for the final ten minutes of the game. It was a difficult situation for Goretzka since he came on for Ryan Gravenberch in the 71st minute. Tuchel apologized for this substitution in his post-match interview, but Die Roten needed an attacking thrust in the final third to get the winner.
Goretzka will not be upset with this substitution since Bayern went on to win the game and lift the title. The German midfielder was upbeat in the title celebrations. Moreover, Goretzka is determined to bounce back strongly next season after a difficult season.
Tuchel on subbing Goretzka off after 14 minutes on the pitch: "That was a horrible decision for him. I'm sorry about that, I apologized to him. But it was about the title in the last 10 minutes and we had to switch back to 4231. I couldn't take anything else into account"
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) May 27, 2023
According to Sport1, Leon Goretzka is determined to get back to his best next season and fight for a place in the starting XI. Goretzka is not thinking about leaving Die Roten unless Thomas Tuchel tells him that he is not part of his plans.
Goretzka has been one of the consistent players for Bayern in the past few seasons. However, he has struggled for form this season, and injuries have also not helped his cause on the pitch. A knee injury during the summer made sure he missed the pre-season and first few games of the season.
The former Schalke midfielder chipped in with six goals and six assists across all competitions, but his performances were largely inconsistent. One media outlet in Germany reported last month that Tuchel is not satisfied with the midfield pairing of Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich. The last few weeks have shown that Kimmich is the main man in midfield for Tuchel, so Goretzka has to fight for a place in the team next season.
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Goretzka will have significant competition in the midfield from next season. Bayern has already reached an agreement to sign Konrad Laimer from RB Leipzig on a free transfer. The Bavarian club is also expected to sign a holding midfielder in the summer, and they are eager to keep Ryan Gravenberch in the squad for next season. Goretzka will have to improve significantly next season to become a crucial player for Bayern, or else he may have to be content with opportunities from the bench like he got one against Koln on Saturday.