Bayern’s Problems Persist As Bundesliga Race Hangs in the Balance

Bayern Munich is top of the Bundesliga. The way is clear again for it to win an 11th Bundesliga title in a row, which is where the problem lies. The Bundesliga title is taken for granted—as it should be when Bayern’s annual revenues are 83% greater than that of its nearest rival, Borussia Dortmund. Not to win it would be an embarrassment. That makes assessing how the team is doing extremely difficult—and that, really, is what underlies the present mess.

Thomas Tuchel’s eight games since replacing Julian Nagelsmann have brought three defeats and two draws. In a month under Tuchel, Bayern has dropped out of the Champions League quarterfinals to Manchester City, out of the DFB-Pokal quarterfinals to Freiburg and, temporarily, lost first place in the Bundesliga. Worse, Sadio Mané has been suspended for allegedly striking Leroy Sané and there have been rumors that Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić could be ousted.

Tuchel seemed like the dream candidate for Bayern, but he has won only three of his first eight games.

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