A gruesome chronology: Bayern’s failed championship season

class=”sc-29f61514-0 kHgAwW”>

What conclusion can a football club draw after a season in which they have become national champions?

Normally, such a performance record is enough for praise and congratulations. Not so with Bayern. There – it seems – winning the championship was the last straw. The undignified mud fight between ousted CEO Oliver Kahn and the club is just the latest episode of a messed up championship season.

On June 22, 2022, FC Bayern Munich will announce its king transfer for the coming season. Striker Sadio Mané (31) is brought from Liverpool. The obligation acts as a threat to competition. Bayern seem even more enthralled – and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic is celebrated for the deal. But there is also criticism: Mane has not achieved a classic striker. This does not really compensate for the departure of top scorer Robert Lewandowski.

Under coach Julian Nagelsmann, the team from Munich started the season well. The record after the first three games: three wins, 15:1 goals. Only then does a temporary low point in the competition follow with draws against Gladbach, Union Berlin and Stuttgart. Against Augsburg it even causes the first bankruptcy of the season (0:1). But because the team performs in the DFB Cup and also in the group stage of the Champions League, criticism of Bayern’s game remains silent.

A total of 16 players from FC Bayern Munich will travel to the World Cup in Qatar, which will take place in the middle of the season for once. The team goes into the break as the leader, which should literally lead to a break for the club. During the holiday after the World Cup, captain Manuel Neuer breaks his femur during a ski tour. The management can react quickly and uncouple the Swiss national goalkeeper from Gladbach with Yann Sommer. But the incident also raises questions. Sometimes even Neuer’s professionalism is questioned. And the early retirement of the regular goalkeepers should have far-reaching consequences.

Bayern came out of the winter break weak with three draws. And things are also brewing behind the scenes. Goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic (42), a close ally of Manuel Neuer, hits the first shot. Tapalovic is said to have had a fight with coach Nagelsmann and even leaked internal information from the coaching room. The result: Tapalovic is released.

On 19 March, Bayern lost 3–1 away in Leverkusen. After twelve days as leader, Munich has to let Dortmund pass by in good shape. In the Bavarian powder keg, that is enough for the next scandal. A few days later, Julian Nagelsmann was released and replaced by Thomas Tuchel. The flagship club of the Bundesliga does not cut a good figure again. Nagelsmann is said to have learned of his resignation through the media. Weeks of reproaches and accusations followed from all sides.

Under the new coach Thomas Tuchel, Bayern regained the leader’s throne in a direct duel with Dortmund (4:2). But then two major sporting setbacks followed within two weeks: you were kicked out both in the DFB Cup (against Freiburg) and in the Champions League (against Man City). A season without a title is upon us.

The turmoil in the club has increasingly been blamed on CEO Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. The situation escalated when Bayern slipped back to second place on the penultimate match day and threatened to lose the championship. Behind closed doors, Kahn and “Brazzo” are sawed off before the end of the season. The message then leaked during the last Bayern game of all time – while the team was still in contention for the title. And again the bang happens with a lot of background noise. Above all, ousted Bayern boss Kahn is publicly revolting against the club.

Source : Blick