Philipp Lahm blames lack of stability at Bayern Munich for poor season

The last 15 months have been chaotic for Bayern Munich. It started with the sacking of Julian Nagelsmann in March 2023 due to inconsistent results on the pitch. Bayern went on to win the Bundesliga on the final day but bowed out of the DFB Pokal and Champions League in the knockout stages. 

Despite Bayern winning the Bundesliga title, Hasan Salihamidzic and Oliver Kahn were relieved from their duties as sporting director and CEO, respectively. Bayern had a new structure in place by the start of the 2023/24 campaign. Jan-Christian Dreesen succeeded Kahn, while Christoph Freund arrived from RB Salzburg to replace Salihamidzic.

The recent appointment of Max Eberl as director of sport at the board level completed the restructuring process. The Bavarian club is looking for a new coach after announcing Thomas Tuchel’s departure at the end of the season. Since Bayern lost the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen, Tuchel had to leave the club just 15 months after replacing Nagelsmann.

Die Roten have failed to stick with a head coach for more than two seasons since the departure of Pep Guardiola in 2016. Since Guardiola's departure, all head coaches have left the club during their second season. While talking to Bild am Sonntag (via TZ), Philipp Lahm insisted that lack of continuity has hampered Bayern in the last few seasons.

"The entire situation at FC Bayern has been not easy in recent years. Continuity at all levels is extremely important. That wasn’t there: no stability, no peace. There has been unrest for years — from the management to the coach. Many transfers were made that were not successful."

- Philipp Lahm

Bayern had a long-term vision with Nagelsmann. They agreed to a five-year deal with him in 2021 but abandoned the plan midway through the second season when Bayern were alive in all three competitions. The Bavarian club should have shown patience with Nagelsmann, their best bet to bring stability to the head coach position.

Lahm didn’t mince words about Thomas Tuchel’s decisions at Die Roten. The former German full-back believes that Tuchel should have given an extended run to the senior players in the starting lineup to achieve consistency in performances. The German coach had a settled XI in the past few weeks, resulting in good performances and qualification to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The ongoing search for a new coach doesn’t scream a long-term plan at the club. They missed out on their top two targets (Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann). As things stand, the current favorite to replace Tuchel is Ralf Rangnick. 

Meanwhile, Tuchel can salvage his difficult tenure at Bayern by winning the Champions League. The Bavarian club host Real Madrid on Tuesday in the first leg of the semi-final. The German coach will have to come up with another tactical masterclass to beat a strong Real Madrid side.