Five reasons no one wants the Bayern Munich job

When Bayern Munich sacked Julian Nagelsmann last season, it didn't take hours before they announced his replacement. 

The Bavarians were discontented with how things were going at Allianz Arena and needed an immediate change and turnaround in results. 

Within days of sacking Nagelsmann, they hired Thomas Tuchel, who Chelsea had just sacked. 

The former Dortmund and PSG man was seen as a successful manager who will restore the club's supremacy in Germany and Europe and boost the confidence of fans and Bayern Munich ticket holders.

But Tuchel's tenure at Bayern didn't go to plan. Although the German manager led them to the title last season, he has been unable to inspire them this season. 

As a result, the club will finish this season trophyless for the first time in 12 years despite splashing the cash to sign Harry Kane.

With no improvement in results, Bayern and Tuchel agreed to part ways in February, less than one year after hiring him. 

According to the Bavarians, they wanted to carry out a sporting realignment with a new coach for the 2024/25 season, and so they were ending collaboration with Tuchel amicably.

Bayern’s Failed Search

However, the search for Tuchel's successor and the man who will head the new sporting project at the Allianz Arena has been arduous and even comical.

When the Bayern vacancy opened up, there were suggestions that many coaches would jump at the prospect of managing one of Europe’s biggest clubs. 

Rumours spread that the club and its new project were attractive to Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso. Back then, the Spanish manager was still a target of Liverpool, too, and the consensus was that he would rather go to the Allianz Arena than Anfield.

Fast forward three months later, not only has Bayern missed out on Alonso, but several other candidates have rejected them, and they are still looking for a manager. 

The Bavarians have been by rejected Julen Lopetegui, who is on his way to West Ham; Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner; Ralf Rangnick, who is currently Austria’s coach; and even Julian Nagelsmann, who they sacked to hire Tuchel.

Even more comical in this circus of managerial search fails is that Bayern re-entered discussions to rehire Tuchel after being rejected by the above names. 

The Bavarians and their current manager began new contract talks after he guided Bayern to the Champions League semi-finals. 

But both parties couldn't reach an agreement, or, to put it more accurately, Tuchel rejected their offer.

But the question here is, ‘Why is everyone rejecting Bayern?’

It is not often that the Bayern job becomes vacant, and when it does open, there are usually a lot of managers interested. 

This time, no one seems to be keen on the job. Alonso's case is understandable, given that his career just took off, and he's trying to create something special at Bay Arena.

But the fact that everyone else seems to be running away from them suggests something isn't right at the Bavarian club.

But what could be the issue?

Why does no one fancy taking over from Tuchel?

In this article, we offer five possible reasons.

Pressure for immediate success

Perhaps the most obvious reason everyone seems to be running away from the Bayern job is that it comes with huge expectations and the pressure to perform immediately.

Being a Bayern Munich manager is one of the most challenging jobs in the world, as it comes with the pressure of instant success. 

The Bavarians are constantly looking to win and dominate both domestically and in Europe, and unless a manager can do that within the shortest time, he is sacked.

Take Nagelsmann, for example. He won the Bundesliga for Bayern, led them to two DFL-Supercups, and had a win percentage of 71.4% during his 20 months in charge of the German giants. 

But he was sensationally sacked in the middle of a treble quest because the club was on a bad run of form.

In England, it is often said that a football team is just three poor games away from a crisis. But in Bayern Munich, it takes one bad result for the roof to start coming down. 

The pressure and expectations are just too much, and the sacking culture at Bayern does not help coaches who need time to build.

This leads to the next point.

Coaches want to protect their Reputation

The Bayern Munich is one of the highest jobs you can take in football. Alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona and maybe the top four Premier League clubs, becoming Bayern coach means you have arrived at football's managerial pinnacle, and there is possibly no higher place to climb.

So if a coach fails at Bayern, chances are that fewer big clubs will come calling unless the coach has a reputation of succeeding at other big clubs or reinvents himself at another smaller club. 

Simply put, taking the Bayern job too soon in your career as a coach could end your stay at the top.

Former manager Niko Kovač is a prime example of a manager whose reputation has been ruined by going to Bayern Munich too soon in his fledgling career. 

Bayern hired the Croatian after he took Eintracht Frankfurt to consecutive DFB Pokal finals, winning one against Bayern.

However, Kovac would be sacked after just 18 months despite relative success. The Croatian won the league title with the club and became the first person to win a league and cup double both as a player and coach in German football. 

But those things mattered little, and he has since been relegated to the back side of the managerial rankings despite being relatively good and young when Bayern sacked him.

Since leaving the Allianz Arena, only Monaco and Wolfsburg have offered him a job. Perhaps if he had avoided Bayern that early in his career, chances are that he would still be one of the top managerial names to date.

Maybe no one wants to be the next Niko Kovač, not Alonso or Glasner, at least.

Bayern’s Crazy Politics

Another factor working against Bayern in their quest for a new manager is their leadership system and crazy bureaucracy. 

Unlike most clubs that are led by one figurehead or that have the coach as the key man, the Bavarian club is run by many people. There are too many leaders at Bayern Munich.

Christoph Freund, Marx Eberl, Sebastian Dremmler, Uli Hoeneß, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, to name a few, all have a voice and speak frequently to the media. So, it often appears that no one is in control or everyone has a say. This sort of arrangement makes it difficult for a coach to succeed at the club.

It's not like coaches can’t work under this type of system, but those who succeed usually have a certain temperament and exposure. 

The Bayern job requires you to be sort of a statesman who understands how to play politics and control the media–a Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti kind of guy.

This culture has made the Bayern job unattractive to many managers as not many are like Pep or Klopp.

Lack of Clear Playing Style

What is Bayern Munich’s playing style?

You almost cannot answer.

While most football clubs are trying to build a certain identity and brand of football, Bayern has remained stuck with no clear identity. 

A closer look at the profiles of managers they have hired or are attempting to hire shows that they just want the best in the job or someone associated with the club through nationality or playing career.

Nowadays, part of top clubs' requirements when hiring a coach is defining a clear football pattern the club wants to see under the manager. 

This requirement is passed from the top to the bottom so everyone follows the same path. However, with Bayern, at least from the outside, it seems there isn’t yet a clear football pathway, which can discourage managers.

Player Power

Finally, the uncontrolled influence of some of the club's big names could be another reason for the low interest in the Bayern job.

Though unconfirmed by Bayern, Julian Nagelsmann was sacked because he couldn't manage the big egos of some of the club's big stars. There were several reports by German publication Bild (via Marca) of the current national team boss falling out with players like Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich, and Sadio Mane. 

Whether the reports were accurate or not, there is no denying that Bayern have one of the biggest egos in world football in their dressing room. 

So unless the coach himself also has a big ego or can expertly manage the egos of his players, the chances of succeeding at Allianz Arena are slim.

That said, Bayern Munich remains the dream destination for managers who can work under the above-listed disadvantages. 

So, whoever the club hires in the coming days will be someone who can manoeuvre these stumbling blocks.