FC Bayern: “Tuchel can not do anything for the legacy!” Olaf Thon defends Tuchel, Kahn and Salihamidzic

FC Bayern is in a sporting crisis, not least because of the draw against TSG Hoffenheim. In the SPORT1 interview, Olaf Thon talks about the record champions’ problems and looks at the game against Manchester City. The ex-Schalke also commented on BVB.

FC Bayern is currently going through a serious sporting crisis.

After losing the cup and losing 3-0 at Manchester City, Thomas Tuchel’s team couldn’t get past 1-1 against TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.

For Olaf Thon, the current situation at the German industry leader is not as bad as it is made out to be.

The 1990 world champion, who wore the Munich jersey from 1988 to 1994, speaks in the SPORTS1-Interview about the role of Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic, the work of Thomas Tuchel and the quarter-final second leg in the Champions League against Manchester City. He also puts forward a daring thesis on BVB.

SPORT1: Mr. Thon, FC Bayern put in a somewhat frightening picture against Hoffenheim and underpinned their past performances. What do you think of when you see your former club play?

Olaf Thon: I don’t think it was scary, but it wasn’t surprising to me either. I have to say you can play a lot worse. They didn’t totally fail in the game at Manchester City either. They could have taken the lead at the beginning and they could have made it 2-1. So for me the situation is not that dramatic, also with regard to the situation around Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic. Following in the footsteps of the very greatest is a mammoth task. In my opinion they are actually doing very well. I don’t think BVB will win five of the last six games. That’s why there will be champions Bayern again, although we would all like to see a different champion. But the excitement is fun. Of course they could have lost the game against Hoffenheim in the end, but they also had a lot of chances. I don’t see it that dramatically, but very positively for German football.

SPORT1: Why can Thomas Tuchel do nothing against this downward trend?

Thon: Because he has to clear away the ballast. He has to get the brawlers apart. These are all old stories that have pent up and now exposed themselves like a volcano, even with physical altercations. Maybe the two were (Sadio Mané and Leroy Sané, Anm. d. Red.) didn’t really fall out with each other, but maybe there was jealousy or something. Why is FC Bayern in this position? A lot of things came together. For example: You no longer have two world-class people in your ranks. They no longer have the best goalkeeper in the world in goal, they are having a very good summer. Now that Choupo-Moting is gone, they don’t even have a real centre-forward. They could have tried to get someone like Vollkrug for the winter break. They also have good young people behind them, but they are not Lewandowski. That’s why Bayern are struggling in the league and will most likely be eliminated by Manchester City.

SPORT1: But isn’t Salihamidzic responsible for that? He finally let Lewandowski go and didn’t get a backup for Choupo-Moting either.

Thon: No, because he does not decide alone. There is still a CEO who has the hat on. In the Management Board and the Supervisory Board, a far-reaching, important decision is discussed together. There are certainly recommendations, but Lewandowski didn’t want to do more and you shouldn’t stop a running horse.

SPORT1: How do you feel about the criticism of Yann Sommer? is she unfair

Thon: Yes. He now has to take the brunt of what’s hitting the team. It is very rare for Bayern to change coaches during the season, but it has happened several times. For example with Erich Ribbeck, with Sören Lerby, but also with Otto Rehhagel. Then the ballast that has accumulated must first be dismantled. That’s why a Tuchel has nothing to do with it at all.

SPORT1: Should Tuchel’s work only be properly evaluated in the next season?

Thon: Of course. He has to deal with these things first. He will now be judged on how he handles the disputes that can plague a team and club and whether he can still clinch the title. He can do nothing for the legacy. But he was brought in as an experienced coach by champion teams and I think FC Bayern struck just in time. Nagelsmann was exhausted by the many other things that have nothing to do with football.

SPORT1: In the CL second leg against City, Bayern needs a small miracle. Do you still have hope?

Thon: Yes. The first leg showed that you can get chances against City, they’re not a wall team. If they score an early goal, FC Bayern is always able to make up three goals. When I was in Munich we lost 2-0 to Inter Milan and then won 3-1 in Milan. Lothar Matthäus and Andreas Brehme played on the other side. FC Bayern has often shot games like this, but this time the probability is less than ten percent.

SPORT1: What do you say about BVB, who, according to their own coach, are too stupid to benefit from Bayern’s blunder?

Thon: Well, there’s really nothing to add to that, although I don’t want to call it stupidity. We saw that BVB had to set up a completely different central defense due to injury, and Kobel was also absent for a while. Dortmund replaced the young Coulibaly in central defense against Stuttgart, who made the buck to equalize. So it can also be explained. But I am sure that if they still had Haaland on their team, they would become German champions.