Why Man Utd should AVOID making Tuchel their Ten Hag replacement

Suraj Radia

• 22 Feb 2024 18:27 GMT
• 4 min read

There is expected to be a managerial merry-go-round between top European sides this summer, with Thomas Tuchel the latest to hop on board after Bayern Munich announced he would be leaving at the end of the season.

Tuchel has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, having fallen eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race and losing to Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie.

Bayern are expected to pursue Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso as a replacement, although they will face competition from Liverpool, who see the Spaniard as a natural successor to the outgoing Jurgen Klopp, while Tuchel has been linked with Barcelona as speculation rages on, with Xavi also set to depart in the summer.

The managerial shuffle has led to intense speculation for all parties and Sky Sport Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has claimed that Tuchel ‘can imagine coaching’ Manchester United, with the Bayern boss believing his mission in the Premier League is still incomplete.

United’s current manager Erik ten Hag has also faced pressure this season, with the club sitting sixth in the Premier League and having had a dismal group stage exit in the Champions League.

However, while Tuchel could prove to be a tempting appointment for a host of teams, having built his reputation off his 2021 Champions League title with Chelsea, the German’s career since then has cast too many doubts to make him an natural replacement for Ten Hag.

Tuchel’s repeating history at Bayern after Chelsea downfall

Tuchel’s has enjoyed success wherever he has been and has been praised for his desire to focus on coaching his players to bring success on the pitch instead of dealing with the politics off it.

Indeed, it was rumoured to be Tuchel’s dismissive attitude to Todd Boehly’s transfer business that led to the Chelsea owner deeming the manager to be a poor fit for his vision within months of his takeover.

However, part of Tuchel’s downfall was his team’s drop off in performances, with players also said to have been losing faith in his methods – something which he is also facing at Bayern, hence the decision for him to leave at the end of the campaign.

Tuchel led Bayern to the Bundesliga championship last season despite some unconvincing results, largely due to Dortmund losing their grip on the title, while the club’s ambitions of a treble were ended within weeks of his appointment in March after quick-fire exits in the Champions League and DfB Pokal.

It has been a similar story this season for Tuchel, with Bayern in danger of finishing without a major trophy for the first time in 12 years after another humiliating exit in the DfB Pokal in the second round to lower league side Saarbrucken.

With Tuchel also said to have lost the dressing room and fallen out with key players such as Joshua Kimmich, the 50-year-old appears to be on a downtrend in his career and would prove a huge risk for any side, particularly one like United, who are at a pivotal point following the partial takeover of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

United, at least in the short-term, have improved results and performances under Ten Hag and a recent seven match unbeaten run in all competitions have eased the pressure on the Dutchman.

Ultimately Tuchel, despite his credentials, does not represent an obvious upgrade on Ten Hag considering the turmoil that has ended his time at Chelsea and Bayern and United should resist the urge to force a change until they feel it is necessary rather than disrupting their current situation to bring in the Bayern man.