It has been an eventful 2023 for Bayern Munich. The Bavarian club lifted the Bundesliga title on the final day in the most dramatic manner. However, they once again failed to go all the way in the DFB Pokal and Champions League.
Julian Nagelsmann was sacked at the end of March. Thomas Tuchel finally became the head coach of Bayern after being linked with the role for several years. Die Roten smashed their transfer record to sign Harry Kane in the summer. The disappointment in DFB Pokal continued for Bayern in the new season as they were knocked out by Saarbrucken in the second round. Leaving behind the highs and lows of 2023, it is time to look at the list of things to watch out for in 2024.
Will Thomas Tuchel bring Champions League title back to Allianz Arena?
Bayern have dominated the group stages of the Champions League for several years. They are currently on an unbeaten run of 40 games in the group stages. However, the good performances from group stages have not translated to the Champions League trophy on a consistent basis. They have faltered at the knockout stages.
Thomas Tuchel guided Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2020/21. The German coach also took PSG to the final in 2020. The German coach has the knack of getting big results in the knockout rounds. Tuchel has got Bayern playing some gritty and entertaining football this season. It will be intriguing to see how he navigates through the knockout stages of the Champions League and ends the club’s drought of three years.
Can Harry Kane break Robert Lewandowski’s Bundesliga record?
Harry Kane has hit the ground running for Bayern this season. He has been the best striker in Europe this season. In 15 league games, Kane has scored 21 goals and provided five assists. Across all competitions, Kane has managed to score 25 goals and grabbed eight assists.
Kane is on track to break Robert Lewandowski’s goalscoring record in a single Bundesliga campaign. The Polish striker scored 41 league goals in 2020/21 campaign. Kane needs 21 goals in 19 games to beat this record. There is still a long way to go in achieving this feat, but Kane has put himself in the best position at the halfway stage to do the unthinkable in his debut Bundesliga campaign. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
Big changes at Bayern
Bayern’s 5-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga this season has led to a lot of scrutiny. The club chiefs have been concerned by the mentality of the squad over the year as the team struggled in the league last season. The defeat against Frankfurt further raised concerns about the squad.
Reports in Germany have confirmed that Tuchel and Christoph Freund are given the freedom to make tough decisions next summer and rebuild the squad with hungry players. It will be intriguing to see which big players will be sold and what type of players Die Roten will target in the summer.