Thomas Tuchel to step down as Bayern Munich manager at end of season
Thomas Tuchel and Bayern Munich have agreed to part of ways at the end of the season after a dismal series of results.
Tuchel, appointed as Bayern’s manager last March on a contract to 2025, has been under increasing pressure with the team eight points behind the Bundesliga leaders, Bayer Leverkusen, and trailing 1-0 to Lazio in their Champions League last-16 tie after the first leg in Rome.
Bayern’s 3-0 loss at Leverkusen two weekends ago began a sequence of three straight defeats, with the game at Lazio preceding last Sunday’s 3-2 reverse at Bochum. After the Bochum game Joshua Kimmich, who had been substituted, had to be pulled apart from Tuchel’s assistant Zsolt Löw as they rowed.
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Tuchel took over from Julian Nagelsmann and secured Bayern’s 11th consecutive Bundesliga title on a dramatic final day of last season. Harry Kane was the keynote summer signing and although he has scored 25 league goals, the team have failed to function as expected.
Bayern said Tuchel’s summer departure had been settled upon after the manager held talks with the CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen.
“We have agreed that we will end our working relationship at the end of this season,” Tuchel said. “Until then, I will of course continue to do everything I can with my coaching staff to achieve maximum success.”
Dreesen said: “In a good, open discussion, we came to the decision to end our working relationship by mutual agreement in the summer. Our goal is to pursue a new footballing direction with a new head coach for the 2024-25 season. Until then, every individual at the club is expressly called upon to achieve the maximum possible in the Champions League and Bundesliga.
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“I also explicitly hold the team accountable in this regard. In the Champions League in particular, after losing 1- 0 in the first leg at Lazio, we are convinced we will reach the quarter-finals at a packed Allianz Arena with our fans behind us.” That second leg is on Tuesday 5 March.