Thomas Tuchel’s time as FC Bayern coach is gradually coming to an end with the last two games of the Bundesliga season. After just over a season with the German record champions, it’s time for the coach to take stock.
At the press conference ahead of the penultimate game of the season against VfL Wolfsburg, the Bayern coach was asked how he would sum up his time in the Bavarian capital. His answer: „I’m not a fan of public summaries. Many factors play a role in assessing a season. Personally, I’m not satisfied with the balance sheet. We signed to win titles. We didn’t manage that this season. But we gave it our best shot. The fans in Madrid sensed that,“ said the 50-year-old.
In retrospect, the German record champions‘ season was rather unsatisfactory due to the team’s lack of title wins and fluctuating performances. Despite the possession football that has been Munich’s recipe for success in recent years, they were not as dominant as in previous years.
Is the concept of possession football outdated?
Tuchel explained: „It’s the case that teams like Arsenal, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the league are defined by the quality of their possession. It’s difficult to win the ball there. Liverpool also have a lot of possession, but they also come through counter-pressing. It’s too complex to say that you win titles with counter-attacks. It’s the art of mastering everything. Real Madrid have made the competition their own to a certain extent. You can’t define Champions League success in terms of possession.“
When asked whether Tuchel would like to summarise his time in Munich, the 50-year-old replied: „I don’t know if I came to renew Bayern. We didn’t get the identity we stand for clearly on the pitch. We are facing up to that too.“