Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said he was not the only one responsible for his team’s bad form and hoped the club’s decision to part ways with him at the end of the season would liberate him and his players for the remainder of the campaign.
The Bavarians this week decided to cut ties with Tuchel at the end of the current campaign despite his contract running until 2025 following a three-game losing run in all competitions.
Bayern, which won the previous 11 league titles, is in second place in the Bundesliga, eight points behind leader Bayer Leverkusen.
“It does not matter if I understand the decision of the club or whether I am happy with it,” Tuchel told a press conference ahead of Saturday’s match against RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
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“The only thing that matters now is that there is clarity. Clarity brings freedom and it is good for the matches and the training.”
“Freedom for the coach on how to act. You don’t have to think about long-term consequences of your choices,” he said. “You can be a bit more reckless.”
Tuchel had taken over in March 2023 from Julian Nagelsmann with high expectations but he suffered a bumpy start, crashing out of the German Cup and the Champions League before snatching the Bundesliga title from Borussia Dortmund on the final matchday.
This season it has been equally unpredictable, showing only glimpses of the form that saw it dominate German football for more than a decade.
It was eliminated from the German Cup by third-tier club Saarbruecken and also lost its Champions League Round of 16 first leg 1-0 at Italy’s Lazio last week.
“I never felt that we as coaching staff stopped reaching the team,” Tuchel said. “But we have a discrepancy from training to matches and the coach is responsible.”
“I don’t think I am the only problem but I accept my responsibility. I am not satisfied with the way we play and have been unhappy for quite some time.”
“Now we have a new situation but the situation has been solved and communicated but I don’t think I am the only problem,” he said.
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