How to Fix Bayern Munich

Tyler Stearns |

Bayern Boss Thomas Tuchel told the press that the title race was over today. A weak statement from the manager of one of the largest clubs in Europe perfectly describes the season Bayern have had. They have lost out on all possible trophies aside from the Bundesliga (which is nearly impossible to win) and the Champions League. Their style of play is bland and certainly not appealing to the spectator’s eye. Tuchel’s tactics are outdated and his poor relationship with his players and the fans forced him to leave the club this upcoming summer.

Harry Kane, Via ESPN

Now as the team looks forward, the first step they have to take is finding a new manager. Unfortunately, their top choice Xabi Alonso has decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen. Since there are not too many obvious top choices on the market, the club may have to dig for retired coaches or managers at smaller teams. A former manager that the club could pursue is Zinedine Zidane. He has good experience with managing big clubs, big players, and certainly big egos. Those are all things Bayern needs in their next boss. His base tactics are not too much different from Tuchel so the players wouldn’t be too confused, but he is much more innovative, often switching between a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2 regularly. Another manager they could look at is Bologna’s Thiago Motta. He took the Italian side from a mid-table position to a potential Champions League spot this season. He plays an interesting 2-7-2, where the focus of play is strictly throughout the middle of the pitch. His fullbacks and centerbacks regularly switch and both groups are capable of defending. The only issue with this move would be a lack of major club experience.

The players aren’t as big of an issue and the finances are certainly not either. Of course, they have to make some additions, but no major ones like Harry Kane. Some positions on the field that may need reinforcements are the fullbacks and the attacking midfield. The attacking midfield will need help because it is likely that Jamal Musiala will go back to England and Thomas Muller is too old. If they wanted to make a big splash, the best options could be Xavi Simons and Florian Wirtz. For the fullbacks, considering Davies is probably going to leave., players like Marcos Acuña and Jeremie Frimpong would work. To make sure they comply with the FFP rules, they will need to sign some expensive players. As mentioned above, they will likely sell Musiala and Davies. Other players they can sell are De Ligt, Joshua Kimmich, Serge, and Gnabry. All have seen their roles within the club quickly deteriorate. 

The club must rebuild its dominant brand and that first comes with winning the Bundesliga. They can not afford to lose to Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso again. Hiring the right manager, making the right personnel decisions, and letting players go will help them achieve this goal. Let’s see how aggressive they will be.