Nagelsmann had endangered the sporting goals of FC Bayern, was the reason given by the officials for his dismissal. The end of the DFB Cup shows that the change of coach was a big risk – for the club and the Salihamidzic/Kahn duo.
Whether and how Julian Nagelsmann the DFB-Pokal-Aus of FC Bayern Munich pursued is not yet known. But it doesn’t take much imagination to conclude that the ousted man must have felt at least a little satisfaction when he found out about SC Freiburg’s 2-1 win.
Now the pressure is on Kahn and Salihamidzic
One sees the sporting goals in danger. That was the reason why Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic explained the Nagelsmann dismissal. Now Nagelsmann is gone and yet the first of three short-term sporting goals has not been achieved. Would FC Bayern have reached the semi-finals of the cup under their former coach? Pure speculation. But the worse Munich performs, the better Nagelsmann comes out of this separation – and the more pressure there is on those responsible.
When Thomas Tuchel made his debut, the 4:2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, the goals were scored, you could see how Kahn and Salihamidzic fell into each other’s arms. How they buried their faces, clenched their fists and cried out the cheers. The immense pressure, an old acquaintance of Kahn’s, fell off them for the first time. After the 1-2 goal against Freiburg, Kahn looked petrified on the pitch. The realization grows that the daring plan with Tuchel could also go wrong.
FCB against Freiburg: mistakes and few ideas
There has been little change on the pitch since the change of coach. Anyone who really wanted to see a new way of playing at FC Bayern against BVB found at least a few arguments. Later pressing, a deeper defense, then the changes, which could also have been due to the early 3-0 lead, stopped. Even on closer inspection you saw against Freiburg: the same team, the same football, the same lack of power in attack, the same individual mistakes that you have seen since the winter break.
Tuchel now has to moderate the first setback
Tuchel’s already difficult task of taking over a team in the middle of the most difficult phase of the season and fulfilling Bayern’s gigantic ambitions will now become even more difficult. Because Tuchel, who has been in office for less than two weeks, now has to deal with the first major setback. It’s not his fault, of course. The new man on the Bayern coaching bench hasn’t had four training sessions with the entire team so far. Not enough time to bring about any profound change.
Kahn and Salihamidzic endangered the goals
So Tuchel bears no responsibility for the DFB Cup. If FC Bayern suffers the next setback in the championship race against Freiburg on Saturday or loses against Manchester City next Tuesday and thus short-term goals two and three are a long way off: the fingers will not point to Tuchel, but two floors higher – up the grandstand. Where the two men sit who, in the middle of the most important phase of their team’s season, took their coach and placed their fate in the hands of a hitherto stranger.
The DFB Cup shows how big the risk is that Kahn and Salihamidzic took with Nagelsmann’s dismissal. Not only are FC Bayern’s short-term goals more at risk than ever, but also the future of the two officials. Because if FC Bayern should actually be without a title at the end of the season, the duo could not hide behind blaming a coach. The only possibility for change would then start with them. It doesn’t take much imagination to imagine what that would trigger in Nagelsmann.
Which: BR24
04/05/2023 – 09:55 am