At Bayern Munich, the upcoming coaching hire is one where the club absolutely cannot afford another miss.
After the relationship between head coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić dissolved over the course of the 2020/21 season, Bayern Munich has been in a non-stop process of grasping at straws, overreacting, and not having the big picture in mind.
Hiring Julian Nagelsmann after Flick made perfect sense. A native Bavarian, who is young, eager, smart, and innovative seemed like a great step for a generational passing of the torch.
Not everything worked, though.
Nagelsmann’s new age style did not always jibe with the front office or the locker room and his vision for a five-year project was cut short when things were not fully trending in the way that the front office combination of CEO Oliver Kahn and Salihamidžić wanted.
The C-Suite duo ultimately fired Nagelsmann after a year-and-a-half and hired Thomas Tuchel — because they were scared they would lose the chance to bring Tuchel to Säbener Straße if he spent any more time on the open market.
A panic move at the worst time…and it failed as Tuchel needed a last minute miracle from Jamal Musiala and a collapse from Borussia Dortmund just to win the Bundesliga.
Those two moves — when combined — sent Bayern Munich in a downward spiral that wrecked the strategic vision of the club, caused three total seasons worth of treading water from an organizational standpoint, and resulted in a 1 for 7 trophy success rate over the last two campaigns.
Simply put, the decisions made — on coaches and personnel alike — have put Bayern Munich in a position where it needs stability and a surefire selection for its next coach. Bayern Munich cannot afford to miss on this hire under any circumstance.
Rising from the ashes of Burnley’s relegation is manager Vincent Kompany, who has become one of the frontrunners to land the Bayern Munich gig seemingly out of nowhere (and after at least half-a-dozen other candidates rejected the club or who the club ruled out proactively).
On the surface, Kompany seems to have the ability to command a locker room (and certainly has the playing experience that players will respect) and also seems to have a philosophy that would line up with Bayern Munich’s organizational ideology.
It seems like it could work.
Maybe.
Hopefully?
The bigger question, though, is whether Bayern Munich can afford to take a risk on a relatively unproven commodity. The club took a chance on a young, up-and-comer like Nagelsmann and it did not work (for whatever reason you want to name). It then pivoted to a very precarious candidate in the intelligent, yet abrasive Tuchel, whose unique ability to turn some of the locker room against him again reared its ugly head in Bavaria.
For three seasons, those two men oversaw winning four of a possible 12 trophies (two Bundesliga crowns, two DFL-Supercups — and yes, that is a glorified friendly). For Bayern Munich, that simply is not good enough.
Is Kompany the best candidate to come in and provide, stability, control a high maintenance locker room, and manage the rigors of competing in the Bundesliga, DFL-Pokal, and Champions League? After a stint with Burnley that resulted in a lot of style points, but not a lot of on-field success, it is more than a fair question to ask.
At some point, Bayern Munich needs to hire a coach and Kompany could turn out to be a great choice — or just the latest mistake. For this hire, there is no in-between.
Are you comfortable with taking the leap with Kompany?
Poll
Would the hiring of Vincent Kompany work at Bayern Munich?
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Yes – for sure! Bring on the trophies.
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I think so, but am not totally sure.
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I don’t know.
(0 votes)
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No, this is not a great long-term solution.
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No, this will flameout terribly.
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0 votes total
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How did Bayern Munich get to this point? Is a banter era nigh? We discuss that very thing on our newest podcast episode! Listen to it below or on Spotify.
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