After a dismal showing in the Bundesliga last weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich bounced back with a win against Manchester United on Tuesday. Thomas Tuchel was pleased with his players' performance at Old Trafford after a disastrous outing in Frankfurt.
The defeat against Frankfurt was startling for the club hierarchy due to the lack of leadership shown by players when things were going against them on the pitch. It has been already reported that Bayern chiefs have serious concerns about leadership in the squad going forward when Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller hang their boots.
Sport1(via iMiaSanMia) reports that Thomas Tuchel and Christoph Freund are tasked with making big decisions next summer. The German coach and sporting director must rebuild the squad with more hunger for success and strong leaders.
The club chiefs have not come to this drastic conclusion just on the back of the result against Frankfurt. The overall performances in knockout games of the Champions League and cup competitions since the treble season have led to this conclusion. Die Roten wants to see more unity and hunger in the squad going forward, even if it comes at the expense of making some unpopular decisions.
Bayern are reportedly monitoring the situation of four players- Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Alphonso Davies, and Serge Gnabry. It wouldn’t be a surprise if there were two departures from these four players next summer. They have a good transfer value, which will also help Die Roten to get funds for their rebuild.
It will be interesting to see how Bayern handles Thomas Muller’s contract extension. The German forward is a crucial member of the dressing room, but he is no longer a certainty in the starting XI. Since the squad is likely to go through a transition, it may be a wise decision to keep Muller. However, the German forward is one of the highest earners in the squad. There are several parameters to consider while holding talks with the experienced forward.
Freund and Tuchel will focus on incomings in January since they need to strengthen the squad for the second half of the season. Things regarding an upheaval will be much more clear as we get closer to the end of the season.
The Bavarian faithful will hope that the defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt was a good wake-up call for Tuchel and players. They have to keep the uncertainty on the backseat and work hard together to achieve the goal of retaining the Bundesliga title and most importantly, bring the Champions League trophy back to Allianz Arena.