Man City Defeat Has Opened Pandora’s Box Of Endless Criticism

When the dust ultimately settles on the Champions League quarterfinals, the Bayern Munich bosses will have to ask themselves: “Was it worth it?” Was it worth replacing 35-year-old Julian Nagelsmann, signed on a record deal from RB Leipzig in 2021, with Thomas Tuchel two weeks ago? Especially when one considers that a significant argument for the change was the Champions League quarterfinal fixture against English champions Manchester City.

One thing is certain: the bosses at the Säbener Straße will now have to answer some serious questions after the first leg against Man City, in which Bayern Munich was smashed 3-0. What makes the final score worse is that only the first goal scored by Rodri (27’) was not the result of a catastrophic defensive mistake.

“We were punished in phases in which we were the better team,” Bayern head coach Tuchel said to UEFA.com after the final whistle. “We were simply brutally punished. I thought our performance was very good until 2-0. I don’t want to talk down the result; I saw a very good performance until the 70th minute.”

Bayern did indeed keep pace until the second goal, which directly resulted from a Dayot Upamecano mistake. The Bayern defender needlessly gave the ball away after stumbling in the buildup and would eventually end up with Bernardo Silva to make it 2-0 (70’). Then just six minutes later, Erling Haaland was the benefactor of yet another Upamecano mistake.

“I think we deserved at least one goal and gave away one or two too many,” Tuchel said. “I think my players were lacking in confidence and form. Of course, the result is bitter. But I fell in love with my team today, the way they performed. Even if it sounds strange, that was a lot of fun.”

Shortly after a 3-0 defeat, those comments by Tuchel will provide some headshakes by observers in the Bavarian capital. But on a second look, Tuchel is not all wrong. Bayern had good spells, they looked dangerous in the attack, and Man City benefited significantly from defensive mistakes.

The truth, however, also is that Bayern offered up more than just the two errors that led to the goals scored in the 70th and 76th minute. Haaland missed a massive chance in the first half, and then there was the moment in which Upamecano and Alphonso Davies ran around the 18-yard box like headless chickens. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in midfield, too, provided plenty of calamities, and everything considered, Bayern was somewhat fortunate not to have lost by more than 3-0.

You can also flip that around to the attack. There were good spells whenever Bayern went forward. But the brutal truth is that the Rekordmeister lacked a proper outlet whenever they had moments going forward.

Whether it was Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané, or Kingsley Coman, the forward line behind Serge Gnabry, who was utterly invisible, had great ideas and moments but no one to play the ball to in the final third. Indeed many of the crosses floating into the box seemed to be aimed at Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who was missing this game with an injury.

Gnabry’s performance, particularly, will draw criticism as he started instead of Thomas Müller. One can understand the logic behind that choice; Gnabry, in theory, offers more pace and would have been a tremendous counter-attacking option.

Hindsight is 20-20, but looking back, Müller might have been the better option. While still not an ideal no.9, one would have expected the 33-year-old to be more active in the penalty box and offered a better outlet for the other three attacking players positioned behind him.

Müller would eventually come on, together with Sadio Mané. While Müller did try—his effort seemed too little too late—Mané was almost lost, put in a place where he could not offer much to a Bayern side looking for answers. Unless Mané leads the line for a big comeback in Munich next week, the sense of his transfer will continue to be a mystery only known to the Bayern bosses.

Either way, whether it was Tuchel, Müller, or Kimmich. The players voiced their belief that they could still turn this around in Munich. “It will be a difficult task, of course,” Tuchel said. “Football is football. And a match in Germany is a match in Germany. Everything can happen. It will not be over until we are under the shower.”

That is certainly true, but it would take a big effort by Bayern to turn this around. And to make matters worse, without that miracle, questions will be asked about whether it was right to replace Nagelsmann with Tuchel, CEO Oliver Kahn, and director of sport Hasan Salihamidzic. The first-leg result against Man City has opened Pandora’s box of endless criticism, and closing it will require a miracle at the Allianz Arena.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth