AYou can’t give a serious answer to the following question – and that’s probably why you should ask it: How would this duel have ended if Julian Nagelsmann had still been the football coach of FC Bayern?
It is part of the big game about interpretive sovereignty that one always interprets even the smallest findings in one’s own sense. And since that Bundesliga evening, when the new top of the table from Munich won 4-2 against the old top of the table from Dortmund, the protagonists have had a number of possible interpretations.
CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić could now say that their decision to replace coach Julian Nagelsmann with coach Thomas Tuchel in the middle of the most important weeks of the season was the right one (whether the way, when and how they communicated the decision to Nagelsmann was correct, this will still have to be discussed).
The extent of Bavarian dominance
The supporters of the decision could say that the first effect of the coaching change can already be seen, including Leroy Sané, who played fantastically in several moments (decisive sprint to 1-0, preliminary shot to 3-0, crucial pass to 4: 0).
And opponents of the decision could say that this game – Tuchel or not – was defined by the error of Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel, who stormed out of his goal in the 13th minute and missed the ball with his foot. You really couldn’t disagree with anyone.
No, it cannot be said seriously how this duel would have ended if Julian Nagelsmann had still been there. And yet one can learn from the exchange of coaches without interpretation. It reveals nothing new, but something essential: Why Munich is back at the top of the most important German competition – ahead of Dortmund and all the others.
The extent of Bavarian dominance in the Bundesliga is not reflected in the highs, but in the lows: the dismissals of coaches. In September 2017 they hired Jupp Heynckes for Carlo Ancelotti and clinched the championship by 21 points.
In November 2019, they hired Hansi Flick for Niko Kovač and clinched the championship by 13 points. In March 2023 they hired Tuchel for Nagelsmann – and although the championship is still open, a new benchmark seems to have emerged in this regard.
Who else in Germany can afford to dismiss (and continue to pay) a coach who cost more than 20 million euros after just 21 months and to replace him with a coach who, according to the “Bild” newspaper, should earn between ten and twelve million euros per season?
So it shouldn’t be this 4:2, which is overwhelming for everyone who believes in a new champion in the Bundesliga, it should be this realization: that FC Bayern not only afford the most expensive players and the most expensive coaches can – but also the most expensive mistakes.
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