Julian Nagelsmann’s departure comes at a time when, on paper at least, his Bayern Munich side are enjoying what many teams might call a successful season.
One point out of top spot in the Bundesliga and out of the Champions League and DFB Pokal quarter-finals, the 2022-23 campaign has all the makings of a year to remember and that’s how it seemed to be turning out: just not in the way Nagelsmann would have wanted.
It’s ironic that almost as soon as the Bundesliga starts to come under fire for becoming a one-team show, we’re instantly invited to one of Europe’s greatest title runs with Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Union Berlin. . That irony will undoubtedly be lost on the German coach.
The competitiveness of these rivals this term is not Nagelsmann’s fault, and his improvement cannot be blamed on him. What an impromptu ski vacation can be, though, when you’ve got a Klassiker crash in just over a week.
The 35-year-old emerged as one of the most exciting managers in Europe before his appointment to the Allianz Arena in 2021, and he still has suitors throughout the game, so where did it all go wrong for him at Bayern?
Julian Nagelsmann was skiing in Austria this Thursday when he was told of the decision to fire him
Nagelsmann was sacked after a 61-minute meeting with Bayern bosses at their training ground.
Nagelsmann’s reign at overwhelming Bayern Munich began with a routine domestic double, winning the league by a regulation eight points over reigning leaders Borussia Dortmund, seemingly setting the tone for what was to come.
And all was looking good at the start of his second term, with Bayern running things domestically and unbeaten in all competitions until September. By the end of March, they had only lost two more games. Three defeats in 37 games is a very good record, but it is not good for ‘Bayern Munich’.
Bayern have dropped points in 10 Bundesliga games this season; Only in two of the last seven seasons before his appointment did Bayern manage so many, and there are still nine games to play. But what will frustrate the bosses of the Bavarian giants the most is the regression on the pitch.
Bayern made their fortunes by being resolute and calm in defense and deadly in attack, joined by an array of the most experienced and unflappable minds in the game, yet that is a reputation they are worryingly close to losing.
In the 10 games they have conceded points in the league, Bayern have twice conceded an added-time goal from a winning position and missed winning positions five times.
Against Leverkusen, the 1-0 lead was blown away by two rash challenges from Benjamin Pavard and Dayot Upamecano that conveyed just how rudderless the defensive unit has become this term.
Bayern have dropped points in 10 games this season and squandered winning positions five times
Hopefully the loss of this air of impregnability at the back comes from an ultra-offensive, exciting, lung-busting offensive prospect – with such an impressive arsenal in the forward positions, you’d almost feel robbed for anything less.
Instead, Bayern’s game with Nagelsmann became plodding, flat and lacking in control and ambition. So much so that sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic saw fit to share his own thoughts on his coaching system after the shock loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
“That’s not what Bayern is about,” Salihamidzic said of Bayern’s display. ‘So little drive, mindset, assertiveness. I have rarely experienced that.
It was telling that Salihamidzic distanced himself and the club from ‘it’, watching the performance as a distant observer, rather than one of the main characters. He highlights how far from expectations Nagelsmann’s Bayern have deviated this term.
Against Xabi Alonso’s side, one of the rare moments of effort came from the brilliant youngster Jamal Musiala, an unquestionably global talent, and therein lies another key flaw of the Nagelsmann era.
Jamal Musiala produced one of the only moments of drive and assertiveness against Bayer Leverkusen
Hasan Salihamidzic was far from satisfied with the situation in the 2-1 loss against Bayer Leverkusen
It’s a widespread opinion that under the German coach, Musiala is the only prospect at the club who has had enough time to become a regular in the lineup, and even then Nagelsmann’s predecessor Hansi Flick introduced the striker.
And it’s not that Nagelsmann is deprived of options. At his feet are futures Mathys Tel, Ryan Gravenberch, Paul Wanner, Arijon Ibrahimovic, just to name a few, who have only managed two league starts between the four.
Gravenberch in particular is one that will confuse fans, after the club paid Ajax more than £16m for the midfielder, a move that led them to lure him to Bavaria amid great interest from a host of European giants.
When a manager places so much emphasis on results, rather than developing a new generation of stars, those results have to be airtight. A look at the Bundesliga standings will tell you that’s not the case.
The German league is synonymous with introducing the world to some of Europe’s best talent for years to come, and it’s not just in the Bundesliga that Bayern now lag behind Dortmund.
Even the most established names to come to the club in the last 12 months have had issues with Nagelsmann, raising questions about his people management skills and ability to coach the best players on a fundamental level.
Sadio Mane, one of Europe’s deadliest strikers for several years, was brought in to soften the blow of Robert Lewandowski’s departure, and yet the Senegalese midfielder has managed just six Bundesliga goals, and none since October.
It’s widely believed that Musiala is the only prospect given a chance to become a regular.
Nagelsmann prioritized results over youth development, but the results on the pitch were far from perfect.
That’s a return that goes beyond poor form and is one that stands in stark contrast to mismanagement. Mane is not a natural center forward, but the ability to get the best of an out-of-position star is what separates the elite coach from the good. Just ask Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola.
Joao Cancelo joined the club on short-term loan in January and rumors have already started circulating that he has a problem with the playing time he has been given, but when he does he stands out with four assists and one goal in nine. . He raises the question: why doesn’t he start more often?
Nagelsmann isn’t a bad coach, even a team with Bayern’s plethora of stars couldn’t win the league with poor management on the bench. And it’s important to note that the German is just 35 years old with 243 Bundesliga appearances to his credit.
But it was likely that such an inexperienced coach would always find it difficult to assert himself in a team full of world leaders, with egos to match, and by his own admission, Nagelsmann knew his communication skills were something that needed improving.
“I probably underestimated that the one-on-one conversation in the office is more important to some players than I could have imagined as a coach,” he said. FACE in an interview last year.
‘Consequently, I haven’t had enough conversations that are important to the players. They have to feel like they are being noticed. That was an important lesson.
Sadio Mane was brought in to help soften the loss of Robert Lewandowski, but he has only managed six league goals.
Nagelsmann himself admitted that he underestimated the importance of one-on-one conversations.
Unfortunately, it appears to have been a lesson he was unable to master in time to salvage his future at the club, with reports various issues erupting between the manager and the board, and several players seemingly losing faith.
Nagelsmann undoubtedly has a bright future in the game ahead of him, but his time at Bayern has shown that he still has a lot to learn before he can earn his place as an undeniably elite manager in Europe.
Elite management is a tightrope walk; an important part of being at that top level is knowing how to juggle the wills of the board and your own spirit and ambitions, as well as somehow keeping the locker room aside.
And if there is something that we have learned in football, it is that once the trust of the players and the hierarchy are lost, the coach is not usually left behind.