REPORT: Despite his connections to Manchester United and Barcelona, Bayern Munich’s coach claims he is sure about his future.
It has only been a few days since Bayern Munich announced their decision to part ways with Thomas Tuchel after the end of the season.
But the rumour mill has already started linking Tuchel with his next job, with the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United emerging as potential destinations.
As speculation continues, the German has recently opened up about his future, clarifying that he remains committed to Bayern and does not want to talk about his future until the summer.
Tuchel on his future
“Nothing’s going to happen with me before the end of the season,” Tuchel said (h/t Fabrizio Romano) in a recent press conference.
“I have a very high professional expectation of myself and that’s completely dedicated to Bayern Munich until the end of the season,” the German tactician added.
Tuchel’s comments on his future, though, are rather redundant at this point, considering the fact neither Manchester United nor Barcelona have shown any interest in hiring him before the season ends.
Both clubs are keeping tabs on the German only as a replacement for their existing managers, in the form of Xavi and Erik ten Haag and are only expected to hire in the coming summer.
Will Tuchel accept the Barcelona job?
While Barcelona are certainly keeping an eye on the future of Tuchel, they remain undecided about their preferred replacement for Xavi.
The Catalans are studying other potential alternatives including Hansi Flick, who is rated quite highly by the Barça board.
Tuchel, for his part, though, is reportedly keen on jumping on a big project, especially at a club where he can get a lot of decision-making freedom.
Barcelona, to that end, might fit the bill perfectly. However, as mentioned earlier, the Blaugrana have not decided yet and will thoroughly study other options before making the final decision.
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Thomas Tuchel can’t stop taking unnecessary shots at his own players
Embattled Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel will already be on his way out the door after the 2023/24 season ends, because he has lost complete control of the locker room.
It’s the latest blow-up for the German manager, who is developing a reputation behind doors for being too peculiar and difficult to work with.
Bayern don’t exactly have the best track record with working with managers, whether it is “player power” concerns or board incompetence, with the latter driving out three elite managers in Carlo Ancelotti, Julian Nagelsmann, and Hansi Flick.
This time, it looks like Tuchel only has himself to blame. He nearly blew the Bundesliga title to Borussia Dortmund last season and has seemingly already blown the race to Xabi Alonso’s far more impressive Bayer Leverkusen.
Yet Tuchel still can’t help but portray a headstrong figure in press conference, responding to a question from a reporter about the possibility of him losing authority since everyone knows he is a “lame duck” who will leave in a few months.
Tuchel replied, “That would say more about the players than about my authority.”
On the one hand, Tuchel may be right in taking this shot at the players for not being on board with the manager than anything about his own authority lacking as a “lame duck” coach.
On the other hand, Tuchel isn’t exactly in a position to be implying the players would be lazy or insubordinate when he has been benching some of his best options and playing favorites against more proven players.
Joshua Kimmich and Matthijs de Ligt are two of the best players in European football at their positions, yet Tuchel has cast them out even though they have performed whenever they do start.
It is also not as if his preferred options are superior. Nobody would put Eric Dier, Aleksandar Pavlović, or Leon Goretzka on the levels of those two, for example, and Dayot Upamecano has been more mistake-prone than de Ligt.
Tuchel is making his own bed. There are times when a manager has the ability to make strong statements or implied shots at press conference, but, now, he needs to learn when is the right time to be humble and take the high road.
He has burned too many bridges in Bayern. There is already no turning back, and if Tuchel wants to maintain his reputation for his next job, he must tread carefully.
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