It has been far from an ideal campaign for Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich. The German coach saw his problems increase further in Bavaria after Die Roten suffered a major blow in the title race on Saturday. Bayern were outplayed in the 3-0 defeat against league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Courtesy of defeat on matchday 21, Bayern see themselves five points behind Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. They will need near-perfect performances in the remaining 13 league games to capitalize on the situation when Bayer Leverkusen drop points.
Thomas Tuchel has been under scrutiny ever since the home defeat against Werder Bremen at the start of Ruckrunde. The German coach was bemused by the criticism over the last few weeks. The defeat against Bayer Leverkusen will vindicate the critics of Die Roten’s performances under Tuchel.
The club chiefs have reportedly insisted that Tuchel will not be leaving Bayern midway through the season. The German coach is also not planning to leave Munich in the summer. After the defeat against Leverkusen, Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen told Sky Sports that the club is completely behind Tuchel despite the difficult situation on the pitch.
"“Nothing has changed. We knew it would be a difficult game but now we have to look ahead. Deserved defeat, but we won't give up.""Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen
Bayern made a coaching change last season when performances were inconsistent under Julian Nagelsmann. They made the change at the end of March, which raised eyebrows in Germany since Die Roten were alive in all competitions.
The move to sack Nagelsmann backfired for Die Roten. Tuchel managed to help Bayern retain the Bundesliga title on the final day in the most dramatic manner. However, Rekordmeister were knocked out of both cup competitions. They have already endured elimination in DFB Pokal this season when Saarbrucken defeated them in the second round.
The German coach will be in danger if Bayern end up trophyless this season. It will be a crisis situation since the Bavarian club has at least won the Bundesliga title in the last 11 seasons. If results and performances don’t improve, the patience of Bayern chiefs will wear thin, and a decision regarding Tuchel’s future will be made at the end of the season.
The next three and a half months are crucial for Tuchel’s future at Bayern. He needs to churn out good performances from the team in the Bundesliga and Champions League. A strong response against Lazio in the Champions League on Wednesday will be a good start for Bayern and Tuchel to start building momentum for the rest of the campaign.