Thomas Tuchel used the first speech to his players after being sacked by Bayern Munich to send a message to those in the dressing room who were keen to see him go, according to reports in Germany.
The former Chelsea manager was given his marching orders last week amid a turbulent run of form for the Bundesliga giants, but will stay at the club until the end of the season while the club looks for his successor.
Defeats by league leaders Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Bochum in the German top-flight and a shock loss against Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie helped sharpen the board’s resolve to let Tuchel go after weeks of speculation in Bavaria.
One of the key reasons for the 50-year-old’s departure is thought to have been his soured relationships with a number of established stars, such as Joshua Kimmich.
And in a bid to motivate those players for the sharp end of the season, Tuchel’s first meeting with his players last Wednesday in the wake of news breaking contained a special directive for stars who may be pleased to see him go.
As per BILD, Tuchel gave a speech in a bid to provide clarity over the situation, stating: ‘There are no longer discussions every week, everyone knows about it.
‘We can still achieve something, we have to win.’
The former Paris Saint-Germain head coach was reportedly upbeat and combatative, singling out dissenting players with the suggestion: ‘Everyone can show up for the new coach now’.
Tuchel was joined by Bayern’s chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen, who had another ominous portent for those who might have been underperforming under their current manager.
‘We will now look closely,’ he is believed to have said. ‘You are responsible!’
Dreesen later told the publication that the players will have to put the club first in a bid to save their spots in the squad ahead of the summer window.
‘I told the players emphatically that their personal interests must come second to those of the club and the team,’ Dreesen stressed. ‘The most important thing is FC Bayern.
‘The players must now bring the quality to the pitch that they undoubtedly have and they must feel grabbed by the honour.’
Although Tuchel has cut a divisive figure in the dressing room during his 10-month tenure in Munich, one key player stated that he was disappointed that his time at the club would be coming to an end.
The head coach fought hard to secure the signature of Harry Kane over the summer and the England captain has flourished under him this season, scoring a mammoth 31 goals and registering an additional eight assists since his blockbuster move from Tottenham.
After scoring both goals during Bayern Munich’s helter-skelter 2-1 win against RB Leipzig on Saturday evening, Kane lauded his coach as a ‘top manager and a really good guy’.
‘The club made a decision,’ Kane said. ‘We players have to show our responsibility to the manager, our responsibility to the club, to give everything we have for the season.
‘Of course we have sadness because he’s a top manager and a really good guy. The club made a decision to part ways in the summer, and that’s football.
‘We’ve got good characters. That’s all we can do, keep working, keep pushing.’
Victory against Leipzig leaves Bayern eight points of Bayer Leverkusen, whose head coach Xabi Alonso has been earmarked as Tuchel’s replacement.
For his part, the German manager is thought to be keen to return to Premier League football after his spell at Chelsea was cut short by incoming co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Egbali in September 2022.
Liverpool, Manchester United, and his former club are amongst those who could be looking for a new manager at the end of the season.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
