3 managers who could take over at Bayern Munich

Emphatic performances in the last four games have helped Bayern Munich regain their lost confidence. Despite bragging one of the best squads in Europe, Bayern had lost their way in the league and, at one point, were seventh in the Bundesliga. A crushing defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt was manager Nico Kovac's swansong and spawned a void that sent ripples down the managerial ranks of the world football.

It is not easy to take over the onus of leading Bayern Munich that has once been spearheaded by legends of the game like Jurgen Klinsmann, Franz Beckenbauer, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Ottmar Hitzfeld. With the calling of the Bayern preceptor, comes a sense of great responsibility and probably a need for strategies unparalleled by any technical counterpart in football.

Hans-Dieter Flick has been currently shouldered with the charge of supervising the Bavarians till the end of the season where a review of his performance will be done. Flick has put up a decent show until now which includes a 6-0 thrashing of their Champions League opposition Crvena Zvezda, a humiliation of Werder Bremen and convincing victories against formidable opponents like Tottenham Hotspur and their arch-rivals, Borussia Dortmund.

Despite being tamed by Monchengladbach in a high-octane encounter, and by a numerically undercooked Bayer Leverkusen, Flick has focused on the importance of speed to this side. As a reward of his perseverance, Bayern has shown faith in him until the end of this season before they make a call.

A side that breathed fire on the wings through Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, at times teasingly called ‘Robbery’, faltered after both the veteran wingers bade adieu. To add woes to Bayern’s misfortunes, Kovac couldn’t come up with a substitute for both these heroes of the wing.

When left at the disposal of Flick, he had to do a lot of contemplation to restore Bayern to their former scintillating greatness. With a steady statement until now, if he can keep up the momentum, Bayern may look forward to resorting to this man permanently. However, with the cut and run competition in the Bundesliga and with the variety of opponents faced by the German stalwarts, the management will probably resort to someone more experienced than Flick in the summer to arrive. We will look at three most potential candidates who can gobble up the prestigious role of being a manager at this illustrious club if Flick fails to live up to his billing.

3. Thomas Tuchel

A name that is synonymous to the development of young German football players such as the likes of Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber, Thomas Tuchel hasn’t been in good touch of late with French giants, Paris Saint-Germain.

Hailing from Krumbach, Tuchel spent his playing years at Stuttgarter Kickers and SSV Ulm. Upon his retirement, Tuchel expressed his proclivity for the managerial role at the club. His career started with the U-19 squad of VfB Stuttgart, where he latched on to the position for a whopping five years before returning to Augsburg.

Impressed by his coaching flair, Augsburg deployed him as a youth team coach. After a relentless pursuit of brilliance at Augsburg, he finally headed to Mainz, in an attempt to fill in the boots of Jurgen Klopp. With very limited resources at hand, and with an uphill task of keeping Mainz alive in the Bundesliga, not only did he propel them to a respectable ninth-place finish, but he also gifted Germany an exciting crop of young players which features a name like Andre Schurrle.

With a staggering number of 72 victories under his tutelage at Mainz, he was approached by Borussia Dortmund. Despite ending up in a failed experiment at Westfalenstadion, Tuchel introduced talents of the highest order to the world that includes the likes of Christian Pulisic, Ousmane Dembele, and Raphel Guerreiro. His figures at Dortmund read 68 victories with an astonishing win percentage of 62.96, an enviable figure for any manager.

After his stint at Dortmund, he was summoned by PSG to replace Unai Emery. He is currently at the helm of the Parisiens with some brilliant numbers to back his cause. With 62 victories along with just 11 defeats and 8 draws, Tuchel has relished a win percentage of 76.54 at the club.

Now with the German's well-known ability to hone young players beyond unfathomable greatness, Bayern Munich will be an idyllic place for the manager to bask in. With versatile players like Benjamin Pavard, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich and more up his sleeves, Tuchel will be able to strike a perfect combination with legends like Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, and Ivan Perisic. Tuchel’s playing style features possession football with quick attacking patterns.

With a battery powered by Lewandowski and Perisic, Tuchel will find the most powerful duo of Germany in the context of clubs.

There is one astonishing sight at Bayern which we have observed over the past couple of years. Tuchel also has a name for great reading of the situation. If Tuchel takes over the reins of the club, this would probably not be something that Bayern will have to worry about. With his adept game reading prowess, he can strike the perfect changes needed to the side to take back the control.

Given his meteoric rise and establishing himself at renowned clubs, one won’t be surprised if Bayern rope him in for the next season as their boss.

2. Erik ten Hag

Hailing from The Netherlands, Erik ten Hag is an extremely special manager whose technical brilliance helped his club overcome incredible odds in the previous edition of the Champions League.

Ten Hag helped a young Ajax outfit to infiltrate many European elites with swagger. A team that boasted the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Donny Van de Beek, Matthijs de Ligt, and more went on to knock out defending champions Real Madrid and a soaring Juventus. The Amsterdam side were on the brink of penning history but were defied in the dying embers of the second stage of UCL 2018-19 semi-final via an excellent Lucas Moura hat-trick.

The Dutch manager kickstarted his managerial career with Go Ahead Eagles. After a decent stint with Eagles, he was quickly snapped up by Bayern to lead Bayern Munich II, superseding Heiko Vogel. After a successful stint at Bayern, he went on to spearhead Utrecht.

Propelling Utrecht to a respectable fifth in the first season followed by an improved fourth in the ensuing one, ten Hag was sparking fanfare for all the right reasons.

After some spectacular performances from his side, big clubs came calling for the Dutchman. Ajax Amsterdam was his next destination where he has propelled the club to unparalleled heights. Despite crashing out of the Champions League this time after suffering a defeat at the hands of the Catalans, their blistering form in Eredivisie continues. With an Eredivisie and a KNVB Cup already to his name in just two and a half years, ten Hag makes a very strong case for the position of Bayern Munich's manager.

Ten Hag has a knack for trophies. Bayern has a hunger for them. You won't find better chemistry between the club and the manager. With illustrious players at his disposal, ten Hag can conjure up some magic even on the worst days for the Bavarian outfit. With his inclination towards technical brilliance, the Dutchman will look forward to what is the next step, given the current crop of players at Bayern.

With a win percentage of 74 at Ajax that showcases 76 victories and 293 goals scored under his watch, he would be an exciting choice.

With a crop that showboats promising youth and with a financial back up to defend these young players for at least five to six seasons, ten Hag can be the man for Bayern.

1. Pep Guardiola

A football career that spanned over eighteen years at illustrious clubs, he was the man who went on to build an empire at Barcelona and Bayern. Currently at the Etihad and spearheading Manchester City to invincibility, Pep Guardiola needs no separate introduction.

But before we talk about this legendary Spanish manager, currently stowed in the comfort of Manchester, we should know that he is still very much bound by contractual obligations at Manchester City and with half the season pending. Given his professional stature, he would probably shun any distractions that may entail him moving back to his erstwhile club.

Now coming to his football days where he held unparalleled sway in the defensive third of Camp Nou, Pep went on to play 263 games for Barcelona, before brief stints at Brescia and Roma.

With age catching up with this strapping defensive midfielder, Guardiola entered management, starting his career with Barcelona B. After an impressive start to his managerial career, the Catalans promoted him to the first-team manager for Barcelona.

In a span of four years at Camp Nou, Guardiola went on to win 172 games, losing only 21 and drawing 48. With a win percentage of 72.5, his next venture was waiting for him in Germany.

In three telling years at the Allianz Arena, Guardiola led Bayern to a Club World Cup triumph in 2013, taming Raja Casablanca by a solitary goal. Next arrived at the club under his tutelage, the 23rd Bundesliga title.

With figures of 161 victories and 19 defeats, Guardiola bade adieu to Germany. In a barnstorming communique that sent ripples down the English football roster, Guardiola was appointed as the coach of Manchester City.

Needless to say, he has led City to two consecutive Premier League titles. Despite savouring limited European success after joining Manchester City, Guardiola is doing everything possible to set things right.

However, for the first time in the last three years, City haven't been their usual scintillating selves, lingering in the third position of Premier League, 14 adrift of league leaders Liverpool.

Now Bayern with a relatively young squad, a return will be highly enticing for this Spanish manager, provided City lets him go, bored from mediocrity in the current season. City possess a squad that can upturn any given squad on its heyday. However, in this season, the Cityzens have tasted surprising defeats at the hands of Manchester United, Wolves and drew with an ailing Burnley, which hasn't sat well with the club management. Now, if the slump continues, Guardiola will need a new club by the end of the year, as the management of City isn't known for their forgivable nature.

A couple of notable mentions for this job will also include Mauricio Pochettino, known for his notable exploits with Tottenham Hotspur and Massimiliano Max Allegri known for his heroics with the Old Lady. Now all of this will solely depend on the fact that Flick fails at Bayern and history repeats itself.

Edited by Sai Teja