Hamann lets it rip again. Things are getting very uncomfortable for Thomas Tuchel
February 12, 2024, 8:19 a.m
Bayer 04 Leverkusen gives FC Bayern no chance in the top game of the Bundesliga. Afterwards, Munich coach Thomas Tuchel comes into focus. He had surprised with a new system and personnel decisions that did not bear fruit. The pressure increases.
FC Bayern never loses just like that. Defeats of the record champions reverberate. And the one from this weekend especially. The Munich team lost 0:3 (0:1) at Bayer 04 Leverkusen and thus moved back to the top of the table. If they had won, they would have even been able to take the top spot. As it is, Bayern are now trailing Bayer by five points. Can they still nibble it? Can they actually turn things around in the title fight again?
But the sporting consequences of the shocking performance in the BayArena weigh more heavily than the backpack of points. Coach Thomas Tuchel tried to say his own performance was better than it was. He praised his team’s high defense and the many ball wins, especially in the first half. He felt the defeat was too great. And saw the difference between the two teams in the goals scored. The statistics showed more ball possession for his FC Bayern and a better tackle rate.
What the numbers don’t express: the level of passion. And in this category, the hosts once again performed at a very high level, while the guests acted without ideas, discouraged, and lifeless. There was no trace of the feared top game Bayern. Joker Thomas Müller took his teammates to task with an incendiary speech. Once again. Even after the cup embarrassment at 1. FC Saarbrücken, the icon had already complained a lot, because his colleagues had mostly sneaked into the catacombs without saying a word.
Tuchel? “Nothing changes at all”
That didn’t happen in Leverkusen. With a blank look, the seriously injured stars thanked the fans for their support. Only one person sprinted into the dressing room immediately after the final whistle: coach Tuchel. With anger in his eyes, he clearly needed a moment to himself. His players only followed a minute or two later. We don’t know what happened in the cabin, what was said. However, the mouthpieces of the Munich team, Thomas Müller, Joshua Kimmich and Manuel Neuer, were extremely fired up. They were all stunned by the performance shown and judged themselves harshly. But they couldn’t find an explanation.
Tuchel is responsible for that. Club boss Jan-Christian Dreesen also thought so. Explanations for the humiliation are necessary. The boss asked that these be asked from the trainer. But it was absolutely important to him to defend himself against the emerging discussions about Tuchel. “Nothing changes at all,” said the CEO, referring to Tuchel’s situation. But he does want answers, so the attempt to avoid all doubts only seemed somewhat successful. The incumbent trainer does not have to expect a dismissal, like Nagelsmann once did after the bankruptcy against Bayer. But with plenty of criticism.
He laid the groundwork for it himself. Against Leverkusen he changed his system; instead of the established four-man chain, there was a formation with three central defenders and two full-backs for the first time. Everything was geared towards the lightning-fast Jeremie Frimpong, who Xabi Alonso initially left on the bench. Bayer’s Spaniard won the first duel at the coaches’ poker table. And also the second: He left the ball to Bayern and his team was supposed to counter mercilessly with all their free spirit. The Munich team found no means against the extremely well-stocked Leverkusen team. And they struck at the right moments. With razor-sharp precision, but always accompanied by sleepy Bayern defenders.
The long list of why questions
This raised other big questions. Why did Tuchel trust in Dayot Upamecano, who had just recovered from an injury. And why Min-jae Kim, who had returned exhausted from the Asian Cup just a few days earlier? At least Eric Dier, who hadn’t had any playing time at this level for a long time, was able to provide a few arguments for himself. He organized and took on the role of boss. But why did the coach only put Matthijs de Ligt on the bench, who was in good shape and “top fit”, as he explained in the catacombs and seemed quite offended. The list of why questions was far from being ticked off. Why didn’t Joshua Kimmich, who reported fit, play from the start? And why not Thomas Müller?
Well, the Müller question is no longer a big one in Munich. Tuchel has declared the most powerful representative of the “Mia-san-mia” faction to be the joker. There are hardly any starting eleven appearances anymore because most games are not Thomas Müller games, that’s how Tuchel explains it. What exactly a game is for Müller doesn’t seem to be entirely clear. There are currently many reasons to bring the 34-year-old. This team is reeling and longing for leadership. After guys like Müller and Kimmich. When they came onto the field on Saturday evening after 60 minutes to save what could no longer be saved, the Munich game immediately gained more support. However, they were unable to repair the shocking harmlessness of the record champion team.
Bayern remained without a shot on goal, star striker Harry Kane had no impact and Leroy Sané had no significant influence. But it was these two who carried Munich through the first half of the season. They had covered up a lot of things that weren’t going well with their outstanding performances, but were still rewarded with good results. Now Kane is cut off from the offensive game and Sané no longer has the self-confidence of the first half of the season. Because Jamal Musiala is also currently weak, the offensive has been taken out of service. Müller misses the freedom to play, the joy of playing that Bayer lives with every pore.
Tuchel out poster on Säbener Straße
Tuchel is under a lot of pressure given the huge list of problems. The first fans turn against the coach. A poster appeared on Säbener Strasse on Sunday calling for his expulsion. But that’s not an issue at the moment. FC Bayern would become more and more of a coach eater; Julian Nagelsmann and Hansi Flick had already stumbled recently. Also a Carlo Ancelotti. Big names. What remains? Maybe a Xabi Alonso. The rumors about Munich’s affection for the Spaniard persist.
Dietmar Hamann, the chief critic who recently overshot the mark and apologized for it, has used new strength for the next frontal attack on Tuchel. He tore apart his plan against Bayer and saw three players “dismantled” over the past few months: de Ligt, Kimmich and also Leon Goretzka. “You don’t have to be surprised if you don’t have a lead in a game like this and there is no resistance.” And with his pulse racing, he let it rip: “At Bayern you have the feeling that only the one who has the ball runs. They are currently doing individual sports in the group. And they have been playing like that for weeks and months.” Lothar Matthäus, the expert who has become quieter, sees a “risk of storms on Säbener Straße”. Now there will be a “rush” at Bayern. At all levels. FC Bayern never loses just like that.