How did Bayern Munich get there?

Nothing is going well at Bayern Munich. The supporters are exasperated by the situation, and by the downgrading of their favorite club both on the national scene and on the European scene. Humiliated by Bayer Leverkusen last Saturday, beaten slightly by Lazio on Wednesday evening, Bayern did not target a single shot during these two meetings. This is a first since the appearance of detailed statistics. This is also the first time in 9 years that Bayern have not scored in two consecutive matches and have had two losses in a row in all competitions since November 2019. This is the first defeat in the round of 16 first leg since 11 years. In short, the statistics are unequivocal on the crisis experienced by the Bavarian club.

If Thomas Tuchel is singled out and sees his future darkening, he is obviously not the only one responsible. Because the downgrading of Bayern has been articulated since the departure of Hansi Flick, and the consequences of the sporting policy led by Hasan Salihamidzic. After having long rejected the idea of ​​spending crazy sums on the transfer window, Bayern gave in to the sirens of modern football. €80 million here, €70 million there, and the record with Harry Kane, for almost €100 million last summer. Why not, since the football economy is built like this. But salaries have also exploded at Bayern. For inadequate sports performance.

Failed recruitment, exploding salaries…

The newspaper Kicker thus exposes players to generous salaries whose performances are considered more than disappointing. We find Serge Gnabry (28 years old, contract until 2026), Joshua Kimmich (29 years old, 2025), Leon Goretzka (29 years old, 2026), Matthijs de Ligt (24 years old, 2027) and Leroy Sané (28 years old, 2025). Players who are supposed to be executives, embody the demands of Bayern Munich, who are today burdens for the sporting project. Above all, the escalation of prices was not curbed by the previous management, on the contrary, it accelerated. The German internationals in the squad asking to be re-evaluated when they see the newcomers posting higher salaries…

Likewise, the sporting level of Noussair Mazraoui (26 years old, 2026), Konrad Laimer (26 years old, 2027), Dayot Upamecano (25 years old, 2026) and Raphael Guerreiro (30 years old, 2026) questions the German newspaper. Do they have the shoulders to play for Bayern? You will have understood, for Kicker, sports policy and recruitment in recent years are the two causes of the sporting decline of Bayern Munich, which no longer scares many people in Europe as in the Bundesliga. Thomas Tuchel lost 10 matches in 43 played on the Bayern bench. Julian Nagelsmann had lost 10 in 84 games.

The choice to part ways with Julian Nagelsmann also comes to the forefront. It was in March 2023, when the club had qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, against PSG, and had just lost in the league against… Bayer Leverkusen. The timing was extremely surprising, especially since Nagelsmann had been poached for €25 million and had signed for 5 years. The consequences of this decision today are negative. But Bayern knows how to regenerate. Hasan Salihamidzic has left, as has Oliver Kahn, and the club has decided to hand over the reins to Max Eberl, who will start his mission in March according to Bild. With the latitude to shake everything up, and build a squad that lives up to the Bavarian myth.