Thomas Muller seemed lost in a wave of unpleasant emotions. “To be honest; at present nothing is helping me to see any optimism,” the Bayern striker icon said following the 2-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund.
While the defeat ended all hopes to possibly strike back in the national title race against Leverkusen, the setback seems to go deeper and trigger further concerns around the struggling Bavarian side.
Nine days in advance of the last-eight-round UEFA Champions League encounter against Premier League side Arsenal, dark clouds seem back on the Munich skies.
Uncertainty accompanies the 2020 treble winner as not only the disappointing outcome of a spoiled 2023/24 is burdening the reigning German champion but the so far unsuccessful search for a successor for their departing coach Thomas Tuchel.
After Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso rejected the Bavarian’s offer, board member sport, Max Eberl is busy to find other solutions over Easter.
“You have a look for your Easter eggs while I am looking for a new coach,” the 50-year-old stated in a social media posting.
Frustration dominated the statements of all the Bavarian losers with Tuchel saying: “I never thought we get back to the point where we gamble away a game.”
A lack of speed and determination emerged in poor performance and is bringing concerns alive, the duel against the Gunners could lead to a painful exit.
Former Bayern midfielder and TV pundit Stefan Effenberg called the defeat against league rival Dortmund “a hard punch” for Bayern.
Annoyed midfielder Joshua Kimmich joined the chorus of the sobered ones by demanding to use the two free days to “overthink what we delivered” and asked, “everyone to question himself intensively.”
The sports magazine Kicker assumed: “A similar performance is going to end up in a disaster against Arsenal.”
Stuck in uncertainty regarding the coaching issue and the future of several of its stars, Bayern is licking its wounds.
Until the Classico’s kick-off last Saturday evening, confidence grew to keep up spirits and preserve the positive mood when it comes to the Champions League.
“The problem is, we repeatedly act the same fatal way, but we can’t find an explanation,” Tuchel complained.
Striker icon Muller demanded to start an emotional relaunch “from Tuesday on when we are back in training.”
Sports director Eberl meanwhile is under pressure to find a coach, “hopefully in April”, to decide about the club’s squad for next season.
Media reports speak of intense talks with the management of former Bayern and current national coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Board member and former Bayern president Uli Hoeness called the dismissal of Nagelsmann triggered by the former CEO Oliver Kahn back in the spring of 2023 “a big and incomprehensible mistake.”
Austrian national coach Ralf Rangnick is mentioned in media reports aside from Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi as a possible option.
(Xinhua/NAN)
