Why Thomas Tuchel failed at Bayern Munich

When Bayern Munich announced in March 2023 that they had sacked Julian Nagelsmann, there was little surprise, as the coach and club had publicly exchanged words, suggesting that the end of their relationship was nigh.

But announcing a recently sacked Thomas Tuchel as Nagelsmann's successor was a bigger shock to many. The German had endured one of the worst seasons a Chelsea manager had overseen despite a raft of expensive signings. But Bayern, ever willing to hire German coaches, took a well-calculated gamble on Tuchel, entrusting him with the keys of Allianz Arena till June 2025.

The Bavarians were second in the league table, one point off the top spot when Tuchel joined, and they were doing well in Europe, having won all eight of their European matches that season, conceding just two goals in the competition. 

Tuchel's First Season Impression

Tuchel oversaw a 4-2 win over table-topping Borussia Dortmund in his first game in charge, taking his side back to the league's top spot. They will eventually finish the season as Bundesliga champions, but with the tightest of margins after Borussia Dortmund failed to win in their last game of the season. Meanwhile, Man City knocked his side out of the Champions League, and they also failed to win the DFB Pokal, losing to Freiburg in the quarterfinals. 

At the end of his first season in charge, Tuchel had won only one title out of the three he had the opportunity to win. His side also suffered five losses in 13 competitive games that season (W6, D2), which were the first signs that things might never click for the 50-year-old in Munich. But his poor record was excused due to the club being in transition, and he was given more time in the dugout. 

Second Season Disaster

After a summer of changes and the record-signing of Harry Kane, Tuchel's second season began even more horribly than his first ended. Bayern were beaten 3-0 by RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup. But again, the excuse for his failure was that the game was just the first match of the season and should not be used to judge Tuchel. 

To his credit, he started well in Bundesliga after the loss to Leipzig, winning four out of his first five league games to go top of the table. His side encouraged Bayern Munich tickets holders as they went the first 13 league games unbeaten, sharing the top spot intermittently with Bayer Leverkusen in those first dozen games. 

But after their embarrassing 5-1 loss to Frankfurt on Matchday 14, three weeks after they were dumped out of the DFB Pokal by third-tier side Saarbrucken, Bayern started struggling. They have not returned to the top of the league table since then, and their standards have dropped considerably. 

So, when the Bayern hierarchy could no longer take it, they fired Tuchel, announcing rather quaintly that they would "end their working relationship in the summer". 

With Xabi Alonso and his Bayer Leverkusen side showing no sign of stopping, Tuchel will probably go down in history as the manager who ended Bayern's run of 11 straight Bundesliga titles.

But why did things go so wrong for Tuchel at Bayern? Why is his side struggling in the Bundesliga this season? 

We look at six reasons.

Inability to sign key summer targets 

Tuchel may have managed to break Bayern's transfer record when he convinced the club to fork out nearly £100 million to sign Harry Kane, but he also failed to land the players he most wanted to sign. There was no doubt that Bayern needed a number nine following their failure to replace Robert Lewandowski in the previous season, but Tuchel also wanted a tough tackling number six.

Even before the season started, he had publicly lamented his side's lack of a defensive midfielder during a preseason game. Bayern tried to get him his key target in that position, Joao Palhinha. The Fulham midfielder was close to signing for the Bavarians and was pictured in the club's kit on transfer deadline day. But the deal collapsed at the very last minute, much to the frustration of Tuchel, who had to fit the duo of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka as a double pivot in his midfield. The two men proved incompatible in that role, and Tuchel's inability to get the best from them or get a specialist defensive midfielder proved more costly.

Tuchel's unfinished jigsaw also lacked an extra defender after Benjamin Pavard's departure last summer. He did get a defender in January, but Eric Dier was just a stopgap and not the player he wanted from the start.

Injuries

After it was revealed he was leaving Bayern at the end of the season, Tuchel quickly pointed to his side's injury record this season as a major reason they struggled.

The former Chelsea boss has a point, though, as Bayern had the worst injury record in the league heading into the new year. According to German publication and specialist injury tracking site fussball reisen.com, the Bavarians have suffered the worst from injuries, with their players missing 34.96 injury days per player. For context, Leverkusen, who are fifth in the injury table, has seen its players miss just 21.32 injury days.

Although not an excuse, Bayern's injury crisis has played a considerable part in Tuchel's woes.

An Aging Squad

Bayern Munich has the third-oldest squad in the Bundesliga this season. The Bavarians' average age is 27.1, higher than the Bundesliga's average of 26.3.

Perhaps this partly explains their failures under Tuchel, with the bulk of Bayern's players used this season either in their 30's or approaching 30 years. 

Not that youth guarantees success, nor does age result in failure, but Bayern's inability to properly integrate youthful energy and experience may be their undoing. 

Tuchel's Clash with Players

Another factor that has led to Tuchel's apparent failure in Bayern Munich is his explosive personality, which has caused him to clash with his players. According to several reports and sources close to the German club, Tuchel doesn't see eye to eye with some of the senior players at the club.

He hasn't helped himself, too, and his several public criticisms of his players may have resulted in their lack of motivation and effort. This isn't the first time his personality has cost him his job, with Borussia Dortmund and PSG reportedly parting ways with him due to his often explosive nature.

For a man as talented as he is, tying the screws around the loose ends of his personality should be his next focus when he leaves his current post.

Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen 

Tuchel's failures have also been exaggerated due to Xabi Alonso's success at Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniard is overachieving with Leverkusen, who is leading to their first-ever league title, and Tuchel just can't stop them.

For example, Bayern have more points after 22 games than last season, but even that is not enough to keep them at the top of the table. Also, Bayern's average of 2.3 points per game in the Bundesliga this season is better than Arsenal and PSG's average–leaders of the Premier League and Ligue 1. 

Furthermore, Bayern's haul of 69 points from 31 Bundesliga games is the second-best return for a Bundesliga coach since he took charge. But this haul is surpassed only by Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso, who has picked up 71, proving that perhaps Tuchel is a victim of Leverkusen's success. 

Bayern's success in other seasons 

Tuchel could also be a victim of Bayern's success in former seasons. The Bavarians have been so dominant in the Bundesliga that anything short of the top spot is often considered a failure. 

Perhaps if he had been the manager of another club with lower expectations, he would have been considered a success despite not being at the top of the league table.