The hunt for Xavi Hernandez’s successor at FC Barcelona is continuing unabated. New names are being linked with the Catalan club in this regard with every new day, while some previously linked names have been discarded by the club.
One of the latest managers to have been linked for a job at Barcelona next season is the current Bayern Munich coach, Thomas Tuchel. The German has been reported to be going through a moment of high tension in Bavaria, and his future at the club is somewhat uncertain.
As SPORT has noted, this tension at Bayern Munich is clearly noticeable from the criticism that has been thrown Tuchel’s way in the last few days. For instance, one of Bayern Munich’s legends, Lothar Matthaus, criticized the coach for his team selection in the 3-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen:
“I was very surprised that Bayern did not rely on the stars with Bavarian DNA in the matches. If I were Tuchel, I would have trusted De Ligt, Kimmich, and Müller, especially against Leverkusen. But no, Bayern has been playing with a back four for a year, and when the team needs security the most, it switches to a back three.”
The General Director at Bayern Munich, Jan-Christian Dreesen, was quick to rule out any likelihood of Tuchel being shown the door, but Matthaus was convinced that internal discussions are already taking place at Bayern to assess Tuchel’s performance:
“It wouldn’t be miraculous if it were. There will be internal discussions, there must be. Anything else would not be characteristic of Bayern.”
Facing such a situation in Munich, Tuchel has already been added to the long list of possible managers who can replace Xavi at Barcelona. The decision-makers at the Catalan club have some favorites on the list, but a final name is yet to be arrived upon.