Shortly after 4 p.m., Julian Nagelsmann, the former Munich coach, roared from the club premises without closing words - the season of the record-breaking soccer champion is now to be crowned by Thomas Tuchel.
The Bayern bosses around Oliver Kahn only announced the official confirmation of the spectacular coach exchange on Friday after 20 turbulent hours and when the news had long been known throughout the football world. "After the World Cup, we played less and less successfully and attractively, the strong fluctuations in performance called our goals into question this season, but also beyond this season. That's why we have reacted now," said CEO Kahn, explaining the drastic and, at the time, amazing step Germany's top club.
Tuchel contract until 2025
The 49-year-old Tuchel has been given a contract until June 30, 2025 and will lead training for the first time on Monday. The last top coach without a club will be officially presented as a coach this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in the Allianz Arena.
Nagelsmann, who was committed in 2021 for a record transfer fee in the double-digit million range and for five years, who was still skiing in Austria this week, drove out of the underground car park with his dark company car without saying goodbye. The farewell talk lasted about an hour. Camera teams and photographers besieged the club grounds throughout the day - also in the hope of being able to photograph Tuchel.
The Munich coaching bang shocked the Bundesliga a week before the top game of second place against leaders Borussia Dortmund. It is piquant that the former BVB coach Tuchel coached Bayern for the first time in his zero-to-100 start in the top game against Dortmund in a week in Munich. Tuchel had to leave Chelsea this season, with whom he won the Champions League in 2021. In 2020, the ex-coach of FSV Mainz 05 and Borussia with Paris Saint-Germain lost to Munich in the final of the premier class.
Tuchel meets all points of the Munich requirement profile. He has already worked with well-known stars at PSG, for example. However, he also caused offense at his previous stations. The eloquent Nagelsmann in Munich was not without controversy. Despite a top squad, the Bayern bosses did not see any lasting sporting improvement under the extroverted coach, who celebrated his greatest international Bayern success with the round of 16 coup against Paris. All three titles are still possible in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB Cup. Tuchel should continue Nagelsmann's work and, according to Munich's wishes, complete it with the third triple in the club's history.
"Most difficult decision" for Salihamidzic
"It was the most difficult decision in my time as a sporting manager at FC Bayern," said sports director Hasan Salihamidzic about the separation from Nagelsmann. "After a thorough analysis of the sporting development of our team, especially since January and with the experience of the second half of the previous season, we have now jointly decided to release Julian." With Nagelsmann, the assistant coaches Dino Toppmöller, Benjamin Glück and Xaver Zembrod will also be released from their duties.
National team captain Joshua Kimmich found glorious parting words hours earlier. "I can only say that Julian Nagelsmann is an outstanding coach. I would say that he is easily in the top 3 of my best coaches," said the 28-year-old in Frankfurt with the national team. The events in Munich also outshined the preparations of the DFB selection for the international match against Peru on Saturday. "It will not be the case that everyone gets wings," said national coach Hansi Flick.
The club was obviously surprised that the spectacular coaching decision had become public through external channels late Thursday evening. The internationally well-connected transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had first reported that Munich was considering separating from Nagelsmann. Late in the evening, the "Bild" newspaper reported this as fixed. Almost a day passed before the official confirmation.
time surprised
The timing of the sensational personnel comes as a surprise before the BVB summit and the knockout duels with SC Freiburg in the DFB Cup and Manchester City in the premier class, but is based on the current overall constellation. Changing coaches is always a question of alternatives. Tuchel was on the market - and in demand internationally. He was also said to be a candidate at Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur. Either now or not again, could have been the question in the Bayern calculation.
In the spring of 2018, the Munich team had hesitated at Tuchel, who was now quickly expecting the thrilling duel with the highly esteemed city coach Pep Guardiola in the quarterfinals. At that time, Uli Hoeneß had hoped for too long to be able to persuade Jupp Heynckes to continue. In the end came Niko Kovac, who had to leave early in his second year in office despite winning the championship and DFB Cup - and with whom Bayern was not happy. Something similar is now being repeated with last year's master coach Nagelsmann, who last lost 2-1 in Leverkusen.
One had "come to the realization that the quality of our squad - despite the German championship last year - has shown itself less and less often," said Kahn. Until the very end, the goal was to work with Nagelsmann on a long-term basis. The bosses had emphasized this again and again until the surprising turnaround.
In addition to the sporty dampers, there were too many secondary events around Nagelsmann. For example, the replacement of Toni Tapalovic, a friend of Manuel Neuer, as goalkeeper coach, which he promoted, caused a stir. With a relationship with a reporter, he made himself vulnerable internally. Incidentally, it is not new that successes at FC Bayern do not protect against separations. On the way to the UEFA Cup title in 1996, Otto Rehhagel once had to leave after reaching the final. With Franz Beckenbauer as interim coach, Bayern won the European Cup in the final.
