Bayern Munich have won their 34th German national title, the 33rd of those in the Bundesliga era. Yet, there is still a sense of underachievement, given that for the fourth time in the last five seasons, the Bavarians have been eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. In this piece, we will look at some of the reasons why and examine what Bayern need to consistently challenge in Europe for the most coveted trophy in club football.
What Bayern Munich Needs to Challenge in Europe
Bayern Munich in Europe: Smarter Spending, Not Just Bigger Budgets
Of course, it would be nice if the club could have a virtually limitless supply of cash, given to it by a mogul owner or ownership group, as with the likes of PSG, Manchester City, or Newcastle United.
But given that the 50%+1 rule prohibits majority private ownership of German clubs and most Bundesliga fans consider that rule sacred, that isn’t an option and likely never will be.
Also, considering that the Bavarians also have six European Cup/Champions League trophies to their name, while the above-mentioned trio have a combined total of one so far, shows that even that kind of money doesn’t guarantee results. What is needed are intelligent manoeuvres on the transfer market.
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In recent years, Bayern have been actively recruiting talented youngsters, whom they then often send on loan to get experience playing at a high level. Unfortunately, this practice has yet to produce any meaningful results.
Club legends like Philipp Lahm and David Alaba are living proof that this method certainly can work, but the football world is, of course, constantly evolving.
Bayern Munich in Europe: Restoring Leadership Stability
Bayern need clear leadership from the boardroom to the dressing room. In recent years, they have lacked that to a great extent. Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had led the club for decades in various roles.
Yet, they have consistently failed to fully let go and give a younger generation the chance to run the organisation. That has led to friction within the Bayern family. One set of individuals are in charge on paper, while others constantly try to pull the strings from behind the scenes.
This has a grave impact on all businesses, from the hiring and firing of coaches to the signings, sales, and contract extensions of players.
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The arguable low point of this so far came in the spring of 2023, when then-CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić decided to fire coach Julian Nagelsmann, despite the team having been competitive in the Bundesliga, the Champions League, and the German Cup at the time.
They did so without consulting anybody else at the club. They hired Thomas Tuchel to take the current German national team coach’s place.
After the side only barely won the Bundesliga title on what was virtually the last kick of the final game, while crashing out of both the Champions League and the Cup soon after Tuchel’s arrival, both Kahn and Salihamidžić were let go at the end of that season.
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The following year, Tuchel had to work with a new board that did not hire him. The result was disastrous, the first season without silverware in 11 years.
When the club decided that they would stop working with Tuchel toward the end of the 2023/24 term, they received a flood of rejections from many potential candidates, as no one seemed to want to work under those volatile conditions, until they eventually settled on Vincent Kompany, the current boss.
At the time, the Belgian seemed too young, inexperienced, and had just led Burnley to relegation from the English Premiership.
These problems are somewhat reminiscent of the 1990s, when there was constant infighting between players that earned Bayern the nickname FC Hollywood, coined by the German tabloid press. This type of inner conflict has now largely been going on at the leadership level of the club for years.
Injury Management Must Improve
During the last two seasons, the Bavarians have been plagued by injuries to key players at the most important time of the year.
This time around, they needed to face Inter Milan in the quarter-finals of the Champions League without goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano, Hiroki Ito, and most of all, star-playmaker Jamal Musiala.
Read More: Bayern Munich Shocked by Injury to ‘Star’ Playmaker
Under those conditions, success against Inter seemed almost impossible, and yet the team were just one goal on aggregate away from forcing extra-time.
Kompany Brings Unity and a Fresh Start
Kompany’s way of doing things has brought a breath of fresh air into the club.
Team leaders such as Thomas Müller and Joshua Kimmich have told the press that there hasn’t been so much unity and harmony inside the entire organisation since the days of Pep Guardiola as coach in Munich.
During the Spaniard’s three-year reign, the Bavarians reached the Champions League semifinals every year, besides winning the Bundesliga all three times and the German Cup on two occasions.
Even if the results in the knockout competitions weren’t perfect this season, what Bayern need most of all is time and patience. If they can give the coaching staff and the current board these two things, this could be the start of a great new era of success.
