Mission Triple failed. Much earlier than expected. FC Bayern wanted to win three titles this season, and this enormous success should be achieved for the first time since 2020. Because she saw the goals of the season in danger, the club management around CEO Oliver Kahn even changed the coach and released Julian Nagelsmann almost two weeks ago.
Under his successor Thomas Tuchel, Bayern were eliminated by SC Freiburg in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup and lost 2-1 in injury time in Munich on Tuesday evening. Missed the first goal of the season. World champion Thomas Müller rightly spoke of a heap of broken glass in front of you.
The cup-off is very bitter for everyone in the club. Tuchel has only been in office for a week, after his opening win in the top Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund (4: 2) last Saturday, the bankruptcy against Freiburg is a mood damper. Of course, the new coach hasn’t been able to do much in the last few days, the players are essentially responsible for the unnecessary departure from Bayern’s point of view.
The record champions used to be a regular guest in the cup final in Berlin. Now Bayern are missing the cup final for the third time in a row. The elimination is also so bitter because the Breisgauer scored with a long-range shot and a penalty – and beyond that had very few chances to score.
Nevertheless, Bayern cannot complain about the defeat. They lacked the ideas in the offensive game, the substitutes like Sadio Mané and Serge Gnabry convinced in too few situations. Munich didn’t finish their attacks cleanly, they lacked the necessary ideas, precision and greed.
The club management did not take the team publicly recently, it was all about Nagelsmann. The club are now under even more pressure in the league, with Bayern underdogs in next week’s Champions League quarter-finals against Manchester City. The lack of consistency in their performance initially remains the problem of this team. The fluctuations are not due to tactics or the game system. Against Freiburg, the team again missed victory after a lead.
Midfield boss Joshua Kimmich complained about the lack of passion and emotions after the cup. He’s right. Freiburg burned, “we didn’t,” said Kimmich. Such clear words from a leader allow deep insight – and are an alarm signal.
Tuchel has a lot of work to do. The cup evening in Munich was a huge setback for him and the club management. The team is now even more responsible.
