Former FC Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge sat down for an interview with Kicker following the elimination against Villareal, discussing the new leadership, consequences from his departure, and the new coach
He mentioned ‚the result reflects the current balance of power in Europe. Villareal are a well put-together team with a manageable salary and a top coach. You can see Unai Emery made life difficult for Bayern with smart tactics‘ – there was also unrest, with Rummenigge also mentioning ‚there are two English and two Spanish teams in the semifinals. THis reflects the current status in Europe. I watched the best match of the past five years on Sunday (Man City 2-2 Liverpool). The Bundesliga cannot keep up with it at the moment. From FC Bayern’s point of view, it won’t get any easier. I’m afraid there will be a new dimension in the transfer market. However, we always believe every club should decide whether it wants the 50+1 rule or not‘
On the topic of unrest at the club: ‚There are constant discussions about player contracts in the media. First Joshua Kimmich, then Leon Goretzka, Kingsley Coman, and now, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski, and Serge Gnabry. This is not conducive; it causes unrest at the club, and you can feel it. Look at the whole fuss around Erling Haaland, for example. This is at a counterproductive proportion for football as a whole and it doesn’t help the kid either. The demands keep increasing, even after covid-19; it is becoming increasingly irrational‘
Rummenigge also covered the team’s tactics and Julian Nagelsmann’s new systems this season: ‚The team played consistently until Christmas. In the Rückrunde, they lost the consistency and you can see that in the goals concede. They have been conceded in greater numbers than before. It also has to do with the fact that sometimes a different formation is preferred. Since Louis van Gaal, the team played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, these days the defensive back three can be seen quite often. From my view, I can’t really say whether the team feels comfortable with it, but it is clear they have sometimes struggled.‘
Regarding elimination against Villareal: ‚It was regrettable as I would have liked to see FC Bayern play Liverpool. There is still unfinished business from the 2018/19 meeting under a previous manager. The result was heavy on my stomach at the time. Things didn’t always go well, but we had to sort out one problem or another. That is now the task of the new management. In any case, I wish them the best of luck….FC Bayern is always known for problem solving, overcoming challenges, and in the end, rising like a phoenix from the ashes‘
Original interview was conducted by Georg Holzner and published by Kicker
