FC Bayern embarrassed themselves to the bone at 1. FC Heidenheim on the 28th Bundesliga matchday. FCBinside provides three insights into the match.
Before the important Champions League match at FC Arsenal, Bayern wanted to take it easy at Bundesliga newcomers 1. FC Heidenheim. However, after taking a 2-0 lead, they suffered an embarrassing 3-2 defeat. The game provided the following insights.
1. It can’t go on with Tuchel
It’s easy to call for the coach to be sacked after a defeat against an underdog. The Bayern bosses should have acted after the embarrassment in Bochum. For fear of real consequences, however, they chose the supposedly acceptable middle way: Tuchel is allowed to carry on muddling along until the end of the season, until then everything stays the same. The embarrassment in Heidenheim was the latest to show this: Bayern were on the wrong track here. It can’t go on with Tuchel!
Of course, sacking the coach prematurely would be an admission of a mistake made in February. On the other hand, it would only be the end of a long chain of Bavarian mistakes. The hiring of Tuchel was already a mistake and before that the dismissal of Julian Nagelsmann. But looking to the past is no longer helpful.
The team’s disastrous performance must finally have consequences. But Tuchel’s disastrous performance must also finally have consequences. He can never explain a defeat, he allegedly predicted every goal conceded in the dressing room and warned against it. Nevertheless, his players were unable to prevent it. At the latest after the announcement of the separation, the coach acted cynically and emphatically emotionless.
The severance pay in the summer has already been agreed anyway, and Tuchel is rumoured to be receiving a whole year’s salary (around 10 million!) for doing nothing. Statistically, he is the worst Bayern coach in over 30 years, but in the end he will probably have pocketed well over €20 million. The compensation for the pain of being sacked is certainly already included here.
Who takes over for the last few games is almost irrelevant. It couldn’t get any worse. The best solution would be Hermann Gerland. He would probably even enjoy giving the full Bayern stars a few weeks of exercise. Before they hopefully suffer further consequences themselves in the summer.
2. The change is overdue
You have to give Tuchel credit for that: He probably wanted a major shake-up in the Bayern squad in the summer, but the bosses wouldn’t let him. For example, he didn’t get the holding six he had insisted on, but in return players were allowed to stay that Tuchel didn’t really want. Keyword: Leon Goretzka.
The management at the time was too busy trying to finalise the 100 million deal for Harry Kane. The fact that the bosses didn’t act more consistently and then also scuppered the Palhinha deal on deadline day certainly also has to do with the fact that board boss Jan-Christian Dreesen was too involved. The ex-banker knows more about finance than football. Bayern also got the bill for this in the form of a disastrous season.
Now the new sporting director Max Eberl has to iron out the mistakes of the last transfer periods. One can hope that at least he will be tough in the summer. His direct manner is pleasant, he doesn’t go easy on the professionals.
The reorganisation was overslept, and the performance in Heidenheim at the latest proved how overdue it is.
Eberl analysed it well afterwards: Many Bayern stars only demand, only complain, but give too little to the club.
Speaking of demands: The fact that Alphonso, for example, has the audacity to demand a new contract with an annual salary of 20 million euros speaks volumes. In Heidenheim, the left-back was once again out of his depth. The club can no longer tolerate such behaviour combined with an exaggerated attitude of entitlement. Davies must go, with best regards to Madrid. But he must not be the only one.
A real shake-up is needed now, Bayern must build a new team in large parts.
3. Upamecano and Kim cause chaos
Looking ahead to the near future, Bayern must take action ahead of the important quarter-final match at Arsenal. The first measure must be a return to the centre-back duo of Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier. They may not have been convincing against Dortmund, but in the games before that they provided far more security than the chaotic pairing of Dayot Upamecano and Minjae Kim.
The performance of this duo in Heidenheim was an outrage. Both were overwhelmed by the attackers of the – with all due respect – village club, who were still playing in the second division last year. You don’t even want to think about the Champions League.
The fact that Kim was voted the best defender in the league in Italy last season doesn’t exactly speak in favour of the attackers in Serie A. But he has probably also simply deteriorated by a few percentage points in Munich.
Upamecano, on the other hand, simply put in another wild performance, as we have become accustomed to from him by now. It’s actually a miracle that he didn’t receive another sending-off.
The Frenchman is also a candidate for the summer transfer window. He has already shown his potential in the past, but then his nerves always got the better of him in important games. In the meantime, he can no longer cope with opponents like Heidenheim.
Kim and Upamecano should never play against Arsenal! Hopefully Tuchel just wanted to rest De Ligt and Dier in Heidenheim for the game at the Emirates.