Bayern Munich players Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich have stated that the club’s players were shocked about the sacking of former head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
The 35-year-old German tactician was relieved of his duties by Bayern on Friday, despite what appears to be a successful season with the Bavarians still in the title race and the Champions League quarter-finals.
In his place, former Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel have been hired, with club CEO Oliver Kahn claiming that a change was needed after Bayern began playing less successfully and less attractively.
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Following Naglesmann’s sacking, there were widespread rumours that the Bavarians sacked him because of a rift between the manager and board and several players seemingly losing faith.
However, midfielder Joshua Kimmich has rubbished those claims, insisting that Nagelsmann is one of the three best coaches he has worked under.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Kimmich said.
“‘The reasons are that we didn’t win enough games and weren’t successful enough.
“Of course, we are represented in all competitions. You could see that we didn’t perform properly in the Bundesliga. We only won five out of ten games.
“But I can say that the coach has not lost the dressing room. I’ve already been through a couple of coaching changes: it wasn’t the case that it was indicated internally in the dressing room because the players were dissatisfied. We were surprised.”
Fellow Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka echoed Kimmich’s sentiments, revealing that he and several players were shocked about the news.
“I didn’t have any problems with Nagelsmann. I don’t know how it was with others — but I can say that he didn’t lose the dressing room. The news of Julian being sacked was a shock! We (players) were all surprised.
“I would be lying if I said the last few days hadn’t affected me. It was extremely difficult. We’ve had a very close relationship with Julian. I probably saw him more than my family.”
