Where has it gone wrong for Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich?

Loss of Support

Having already mentioned losing the dressing room by isolating players, let's have a look at Tuchel's last three management roles and how long each lasted:

- Chelsea (January 2021- September 2022)
- PSG (May 2018- December 2020)
- Dortmund (June 2015- May 2017)

Readers would agree that all three are big clubs and big opportunities for any manager. Having not been able to last longer than two years at any of these clubs, this should raise a red flag. When Tuchel was hired last March, this was my biggest concern. With all three departures, Tuchel left without the best support behind him.

Chelsea

Despite winning the Champions League and the Club World Cup. Tuchel was sacked after only 20 months in charge. The Athletic wrote in September of 2022, that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly described Tuchel as a nightmare to work with regarding recruitment. The article also mentioned that he had lost the support of certain key first team players for Chelsea over playing time. Sound familiar?

PSG

Tuchel came so close to having the success PSG has longed for over the last decade. Ironically, losing the Champions League final to Bayern Munich is the closest the French side has come to lifting the European trophy. Despite taking the club so close to their goals, why was Tuchel dismissed after just over two years? A Eurosport.com article sheds some light on his dismissal stating that the dressing room began to doubt his tactical decisions and he had a fractured relationship with PSG Sporting Director Leonardo. You mean the PSG hierarchy was not impressed with his attitude? In September of this past year, Tuchel had already irritated the Bayern bosses.

Dortmund

It was never going to be easy to follow Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, but I'm not sure Tuchel helped matters during his time at Signal Iduna Park. He was sacked just days after winning the DFB Pokal, his only trophy during his time in Dortmund. A Guardian article writes that Tuchel was finding it hard to work with Chief Executive Jans-Joachim Watzke and he was upset by the transfers of certain key players. Another article in the Mirror, states that Tuchel had a difficult relationship with former Dortmund Chief Scout Sven Mislintat that stemmed from a transfer dispute. This dispute led to Tuchel banning Mislintat from the Dortmund training ground.

It seems as if everywhere Tuchel has been, his tenure has been short and his dismissal one based on fractured relationships with executives, staff, and players. Despite the supposed backing of the club, are we seeing a similar pattern play out in Munich and should we be surprised?