BAYERN DIVIDED Hostility breaks out between Tuchel and Hoeneß before the semifinal

• Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel (50 years old) has been publicly critiqued by the club’s honorary president, Uli Hoeneß (72 years old).
• The German manager responded to Hoeneß, expressing disappointment in his words and timing.

Last Friday, the German news website Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) organized an event, where the Honorary President of Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeneß had plenty of outrageous things to say regarding the manager of the football club, Thomas Tuchel.

First, he said that Tuchel is incapable of developing young players and he prefers to buy other experienced players rather than helping them grow.

• QUOTE: “I think you should work hard on them and give them confidence” - Uli Hoeneß

Moreover, the President used Alphonso Davies (23 years old), Jamal Musiala (21 years old), and Aleksandar Pavlović (19 years old) as specific examples. The facts, on the other hand, are not on Hoeneß’s side.

Davies made 37 appearances this season while having good competition in his position, Pavlović has 21 appearances, but given his age, most people would argue it’s a fair amount.

Last but not least, Musiala, one of the best players of Germany’s next generation, has played 36 matches, scored 12 times, and assisted 7 times. These are very impressive stats for a player this young in a strong league.

Tuchel strikes back!

The following day, after word got out, Thomas Tuchel used some of the time from the press conference regarding Bayern’s 5-1 win over Union Berlin to address the situation and give a response to the accusations. 

• QUOTE: “It’s so far removed from reality… I don’t know how I should answer" - Thomas Tuchel

First, the German coach said he felt insulted by the President’s words, especially the part where he said he doesn’t favor young players. Second, Tuchel said that if it was anybody else trying to critique him besides Hoeneß he would not care or respond, but coming from him is even more hurtful.

Last, Bayern’s manager condemned Hoeneß for his extremely poor timing, spreading hateful comments just days before a very important match, which was the Champions League semifinal versus Real Madrid.

Bayern’s last chance

Bayern Munich’s season was one to forget. Their dominant reign over the Bundesliga was cut short by Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, who had an incredible season by currently being unbeaten and stopping Bayern from getting their 12th consecutive title.

The Munich giants also had a terrible cup run, being shockingly eliminated in the round of 32 by third-division side Saarbrucken. In addition, they also lost the Supercup final against RB Leipzig, with a clear score of 0-3. Therefore, the Champions League remains Tuchel’s only chance of not leaving Bayern with no trophies in his last season.

Thomas Tuchel announced earlier this season that he will not continue coaching Bayern Munich from next season, even if his contract expires in 2025. Both he and the CEO of the club confirmed it was a common decision that was taken for the good of every party involved.

Liverpool icon Jürgen Klopp (56 years old), but also Ralf Rangknick (65 years old) are some of the candidates for the next season, but nothing is confirmed yet.