Sports record champions in crisis
“You have to approach the squad,” says Ballack about Bayern
As of: 10:37 a.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
FC Bayern is deep in crisis. The record champions have a very good squad, says Michael Ballack, but only on paper. The club must create “clean stability in the areas of hierarchy and salary structure”.
Michael Ballack sees the reasons for FC Bayern Munich’s crisis primarily in the players. The former captain of the German national soccer team and ex-professional of the German record champions told “Kicker” in an interview: “I believe that a certain saturation process has set in among the players and that the self-image for self-motivation is no longer there as it was Maybe that was the case in this successful Corona year of 2020.” On paper, Bayern also have a very good squad this season.
Nevertheless, the defending champions are in second place in the table after 28 match days, 16 points behind Bayer 04 Leverkusen. After the defeat against Borussia Dortmund, the team and coach Thomas Tuchel reached another low point on Saturday with the 2-3 defeat at newly promoted 1. FC Heidenheim.
Two top coaches burned
The early separation from Tuchel after this season has already been decided. Bayern’s only chance of winning the title is in the Champions League, in which they have to play the quarter-final first leg against Premier League leaders FC Arsenal in London next Tuesday.
Munich stars Harry Kane (l.) and Joshua Kimmich after the 2-3 defeat in Heidenheim
Source: dpa/Tom Weller
The Munich team had burned two top coaches in Julian Nagelsmann and Tuchel in two years, emphasized the 47-year-old Ballack, who played for the Munich team for four years from the summer of 2002 after moving from Leverkusen. “When I hear now that they want to initiate another change with Ralf Rangnick and reorganize the club – they already tried that two years ago with Nagelsmann,” emphasized Ballack.
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They were convinced of the quality of the trainer and wanted to build something long-term, “but they didn’t give him the time and instead declared the project a failure after just one and a half years. Then they brought in Tuchel and it didn’t work again.” Nagelsmann took over the Munich team from Hansi Flick in the summer of 2021, but had to vacate his post again in March 2023 – and Tuchel was brought in.
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Advises change: Ex-Bayern player Michael Ballack
Source: dpa/Tom Weller
He thinks that FC Bayern “should question itself very carefully when looking at the overall situation and also take its time,” said Ballack. He believes that a few things have slipped at FC Bayern in recent years. “That’s why those responsible must clearly use the lever to get the hunger back and to bring about clean stability in the issues of hierarchy and salary structures.” His clear recommendation for action: “You have to approach the squad.”