Originally, this text was supposed to be about the fact that not everything on Säbener Strasse in Munich is tiptoppi, but there is also no reason for hangovers. You can lose a cup game by a hair’s breadth. There is also no shame in being eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals, especially when the opponent is Manchester City. Finally, the Bundesliga remains as a safe bet. None of Bayern’s pursuers there seems to have any serious interest in the German championship. Until now, until the 29th matchday.
Maybe one day you’ll get bored of this constant bowl-in-the-height gimmick – but for 99 percent of all football players this dream will never come true. Just as little as the eight Champions League semi-finals in the past 20 years. Or the ten triumphs in the DFB Cup in the same time. People like Oliver Kahn or Manuel Neuer may take it all for granted. But it isn’t, not even in a European comparison.
Originally, therefore, the question was to arise in this text as to whether it is these long-term successes that arouse ever higher expectations, and whether the problem is their non-fulfillment or rather the bizarre attitude behind them. Of course, athletes want to win the competitions they compete in. From this point of view, it is also logical that CEO Oliver Kahn, without irony, stated at the beginning of the season the goal of “winning the Champions League every year”. This kind of pressure may have always motivated him personally. His players down on the pitch probably don’t.
Whereby: Before the defeat against Mainz, Bayern were still in an okay position given the circumstances. Of course: a clipper is missing at the front, the self-confidence of a Manuel Neuer at the back and generally the desire to kick the ball. He misses the “charisma of the team”, Kahn complained after the game. For once, coach Thomas Tuchel didn’t talk nice about Bayern’s appearance, but said that too much had happened, the “team needs some distance now”. Perhaps this banal realization sums up the (still very manageable) dilemma of FC Bayern Munich in April 2023 perfectly.
Top performers like Joshua Kimmich have already played 42 games this season, a change to an apparently very important goalkeeping position, and a change of coach at the worst possible time. But there is a top management in front of them that takes every goal they concede as a personal insult and wants nothing less than to win the Champions League every year. Is it maybe a size smaller? The company on Säbener Straße certainly doesn’t need pity, but perhaps a little distance and humility will help: to the game, to the Bundesliga, to pointless pressure and exaggerated goals.
However, you are welcome to take your time with this. Because a lot of football fans also need distance: from a champion who comes from Munich.
