Bayern Munich: Crisis engulfing Bundesliga champions

Three consecutive defeats proved too much for those responsible at Bayern Munich, especially the manner in which they came about. 

Following last weekend's defeat at Bochum in the Bundesliga, the gap to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen was stretched to eight points. 

The German record titleholders have already been eliminated from the German Cup back in November and are facing the threat of early exit in the Champions League after losing the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Lazio. 

Although three months remain in the league season, the club decided to pull the ripcord and have begun taking steps for a fresh start in the summer. The most important decision has already been made: coach Thomas Tuchel will leave the club after the season.

How much was Tuchel to blame?

Less than a year ago, Tuchel surprisingly replaced Julian Nagelsmann as Bayern coach, even though the team were still in contention for silverware in all three competitions at the time. 

The sporting director at the time, Hasan Salihamidzic, said of Nagelsmann's dismissal: "The continuity of the team's performance hasn't really improved." One year later, it is clear: The team hasn't improved under Thomas Tuchel either.

If you look at the points average, Tuchel is the worst Bayern coach since Jürgen Klinsmann in 2009. 

Instead of attractive and successful football, the meticulous tactician has been conspicuous for his helplessness since taking office as well as some thin skin. Post-match comments such as: "I don't know why we lost the plot so much in the second half, I have no idea," following the defeat at Lazio became more frequent for Tuchel, which probably contributed to the early termination of his contract.

The 3-0 defeat against table-toppers Leverkusen also revealed tactical and personnel mistakes by the coach. Instead of the usual 4-2-3-1 system, the Bundesliga champions played in a 3-4-3, without Thomas Müller and Joshua Kimmich. The experiment failed.

The record champions were outplayed by Leverkusen and failed to create any real goalscoring opportunities throughout the match. A leader on the pitch was sorely missed leading to several key players voicing their concerns and, after poor performances, pointing to a discrepancy in training compared to in-game performances.

Why are Bayern struggling?

Bayern have been lacking a zest and ease of play for weeks now. While they often impressed with their attacking output in the first half of the season, the record champions' performances currently seem uninspired and ponderous. 

And, the 33-time German champions back line has been of real concern. Injuries have forced Tuchel to constantly switch between a back three, back four and back five. Moreover, there is no well-rehearsed center-back duo under Tuchel. Dayot Umamecano has played with either Min-Jae Kim or Matthijs de Ligt, but with little consistency.

It seems impossible to take anything for granted. Former mainstays of the club seem unsettled and overwhelmed. Kimmich and Leon Goretzka have not convinced in midfield, while Leroy Sane and Harry Kane are far from matching their top form from the first half of the season.

Are the board at fault for a stagnant season?

CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and Sporting Director Christoph Freund took over from Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic, who were dismissed by the club last summer. 

Honorary President Uli Hoeneß spoke at the time of a "catastrophically bad atmosphere" at the club. Almost a year later, the mood is not much better.

Tuchel was not the only one in the spotlight; the bosses have also been criticized, particularly for their squad planning. Josip Stanisic, who scored the opening goal in Leverkusen's recent 3-0 win against Bayern, is emblematic of this. 

The Croatian international, who trained in Munich, was loaned to Leverkusen in the summer. To further rub salt into the Bayern’s wounds: Sacha Boey, who was signed for €30 million due to the defensive bottleneck, lost sight of Stanisic as he scored and then proceeded to sustain an injury that will keep him out for much of the remainder of the campaign.

Regardless of how this season turns out and who will be sitting on the Bayern bench next season, a personnel shake-up is also planned in the summer. Those decisions will revolve around the quality and the characters in the team, but also about the finances. 

According to various reports, several key players are unhappy and are toying with the idea of leaving. The likes of Kimmich, Goretzka and de Ligt were supposed to form the future axis of the record champions as successors to Manuel Neuer and Müller. However, none of the three have been undisputed regulars under Tuchel in recent weeks.

Can Eberl create a change in fortunes?

Max Eberl is to take over as Bayern's Head of Sport from March 1. The main task of the former Gladbach and Leipzig sporting director will be to implement a clear transfer strategy, possibly with the involvement of the incoming coach.

In consultation with sporting director Christoph Freund, who will work directly under Eberl, the pair will have to decide which players from the current squad will help the club in the future and who will be parted with, also in order to adjust the lavish salary structure of recent years.

Article was originally published in German