Thomas Tuchel will stop coaching Bayern Munich at the end of the season

2024-02-21 11:48:02

DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Thomas Tuchel will stop coaching Bayern Munich and take responsibility for a disappointing season. The players have also been warned.

Bayern announced on Wednesday that the coach will leave the club at the end of the season, following a string of three defeats raised the possibility that it might end the campaign without titles for the first time in 12 years.

The announcement was accompanied by a commitment from CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen to “hold the team accountable” for their performance on the pitch for the remainder of the season.

With an eight-point deficit in the Bundesliga and their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, the decision seemed like a warning to the players not to relax while waiting for a new manager.

According to the team, Tuchel’s departure was decided following a conversation between the strategist and Dreesen. His contract expired at the end of the 2024-2025 season.

“In a frank and open discussion, we came to the decision to end our working relationship by mutual agreement this summer,” Dreesen said in the club statement. “Our goal is to look for a new football direction with a new coach for the 2024-25 season. Until then, everyone at the club has been expressly asked to achieve as much as possible in the Champions League and Bundesliga. I explicitly hold the team responsible in this regard.”

Tuchel has reiterated that the squad trains well but cannot perform at the same level in matches.

The coach noted in the statement that “I will continue doing everything possible with my coaching staff to achieve maximum success” until his departure. Bayern’s next game is on Saturday, when they will host Leipzig with the infirmary full of casualties.

The club has not commented on Tuchel’s possible successor on the bench. The early announcement will allow him to compete with Liverpool for the services of Xabi Alonso, given the departure of Jürgen Klopp also at the end of the campaign following nine years in the English squad.

Alonso is considered one of the most coveted coaches in Europe following putting Leverkusen in first position in the German league in his debut as a coach in the first division. The Spaniard has played for both Bayern and Liverpool and would have a warm welcome in either team, but has refused to speculate on his future.

Among the possible candidates for the position are also Sebastian Hoeness, nephew of the club’s honorary president, Uli Hoeness; and Hansi Flick, who won the Champions League with Bayern in 2020 before taking the reins of the Germany national team.

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