Bayern Munich squad at WAR over Thomas Tuchel

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 22 Feb 2024 14:25 GMT
• 3 min read

Bayern Munich’s poor form has reportedly left the dressing room divided over whether Thomas Tuchel is the best man for the head coach job.

Tuchel, 50, replaced Julian Nagelsmann in the Allianz Arena hotseat mid-way through last season and he guided them to the Bundesliga title on the final day of the campaign after a Borussia Dortmund slip-up.

However, the Bavarians have lost their last three games in all competitions and are now eight points behind high-flying Bayer Leverkusen in the German top flight table.

They are also 1-0 down after the first-leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Lazio and have already exited the DFB-Pokal after a humiliating defeat to third-tier Saarbrucken.

As a result, their chances of winning a trophy this season are slowly slipping away.

Bayern have picked up at least one piece of silverware every year since 2011, so failure to do so would be a catastrophic disaster for the German giants.

Tuchel is under increasing pressure in Munich and all eyes will now be on their crucial Bundesliga clash against RB Leipzig on Saturday. If Bayern fail to pick up all three points, then Tuchel could very well be sacked.

His only saving grace could come via the fact Bayern’s replacement options are limited right now. Zinedine Zidane is unlikely to return to management yet, Jose Mourinho is an underwhelming choice right now, while Jurgen Klopp has stated that he wants a career break when he leaves Liverpool this summer.

Xabi Alonso is their best option, but he won’t leave Leverkusen mid-season given they are on course for a first Bundesliga title and could well be one of the favourites for Europa League glory too.

Despite this, Bayern’s dressing room is divided according to Bild, via iMiaSanMia.

Bayern squad on the brink of war?

As per the report, there are six players currently backing Tuchel to remain in charge and six who want him sacked.

Manuel Neuer, Raphael Guerreiro, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane, Harry Kane and Eric Dier still believe Tuchel should be given the chance to fix Bayern’s issues, but Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Thomas Muller, Matthijs de Ligt, Mathys Tel and Serge Gnabry disagree.

A split dressing room is never a good thing and Bayern must make a decision soon or things could turn sour in Bavaria. The ideal situation would be for Tuchel to fix the current problems at the Allianz Arena and lead a surprise charge for the title, but defeat against Leipzig could see him shown the door.