Julian Nagelsmann sacked by Bayern Munich

In what was one of the unexpected news this week in football, manager Julian Nagelsmann was sacked this Friday by Bayern Munich and the club has already announced that his replacement is going to be the former Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea FC manager, Thomas Tuchel. The reports of the German giants considering Nagelsmann’s sacking after only this week.

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This decision might come across as something very unexpected for a lot of football fans that perhaps don’t follow Bayern on a regular basis, but is worth pointing out the club’s current state of affairs. They recently lost the top spot in the Bundesliga after losing 2-1 to Bayer Leverkusen the last weekend and, as of this writing, they are now in second place, one point below new leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern Munich’s dominance of the Bundesliga (they have won the last nine editions of the league) is something they feel very proud and it gives them a degree of stability–this is something that is worth taking into account when considering Nagelsmann’s sacking. The hierarchy considered that is paramount to dominate in Germany and the former RB Leipzig manager wasn’t doing that at the moment.

There was also disconformity within the dressing room, with the likes of Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, the most seasoned players in the squad, being very vocal about their disagreements with the manager. Neuer’s case was fairly public, with the legendary goalkeeper voicing his unhappiness through an interview a few months ago and showing his disagreement with the sacking of one of his long-term goalkeeping coaches.

Another element that became part of the problem was that a lot of the players were not happy about his tactics and the way he used the players, which constantly led to a lot of problems between them. This could be one of the main reasons he was sacked as the players were no longer buying into his methods, which is worth considering.

Julian Nagelsmann arrived on the scene as a prodigy in football coaching as he started managing senior football at just 28 years old back in 2016. His tactical knowledge, while his constant use of pressing and interchanging positions amongst his players, was something that made him stand out from his peers during his time with 1899 Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig, which prompted Bayern Munich to sign him last season.

Now, manager Thomas Tuchel is set to take over as Bayern Munich’s manager and will have to get the team back in first place in the Bundesliga while also defeating Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Considering that the players are currently with their national teams, this is a very good chance for Tuchel to get used to his new surroundings and starts sending his message across the club.

Overall, it is a risky decision by the Bayern Munich board to sack Nagelsmann at this point, so the remaining of their season is going to be shaped by this decision.