MIASANROT-AWARDS 2022/2023: FC BAYERN – DEPARTURE OF THE SEASON
June 12, 2023 This year however was not all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Bayern won the league on the last day thanks to BVB choking their way to a 2-2 draw against Mainz leaving the two sides level on points and Bayern the winner thanks to goal differential. Which was not exactly the way things were planned last summer.
Not So Perfect Timing
As a result, truthfully one of many reasons, heads were going to roll. And as they’ve been wont to do for the last year, those in charge wasted no time at all sacking both Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidžić just minutes after the final whistle blew.
Kahn in fact was already aware of his plight prior to kickoff as he wasn’t even allowed to travel to watch the match. It’s unclear to me if Brazzo was aware of his fate as well but deemed more rational and less likely to kick someone in the chest or if he was simply left in the dark.
Either way, Bayern had a quick plan of succession for Kahn in Jan-Christian Dreesen, which could be the real reason Kahn wasn’t there, because they certainly did not have a plan to replace Salihamidžić.
Of course it makes it quicker and easier to hire someone when you’re simply looking around the office to fill a position, but still it raises questions as to the plan and thought regarding Brazzo.
Similarly to when he and Kahn (scapegoating) made the decision to remove Nagelsmann from his position in March right before the most important stretch of the season, the timing of this seemingly couldn’t be worse.
To head into the time of year when it is most important to have a sporting director, the person who is the point of contact and strategist for all things related to transfer and player decisions/movement, is a bold decision.
So What Now?
Of course they made the ever so safe decision to bring back Kalle and Uli (as if they’ve ever truly left, I’m pretty sure they were at more games this year than Kahn by at least one now). Presumably that is to utilize their “extensive network” and “experience”.
While that is all well and good, it does beg the question as to how well this summer is going to go. Who is determining the plan? Who is the point of contact at this point? What does it mean for contract extensions, loans and other player movements? Who is going to get the blame if things don’t go to plan?
While Brazzo certainly was the recipient of a lot of skepticism and criticism, some very just, some not so much, he did tend to make things happen. Back in August, nearly every person that considers themselves a Bayern supporter was ecstatic about the transfer window, especially the coup de grâce that came in the form of Matthijs de Ligt.
Hell, even the winter moves bringing in João Cancelo seemingly out of nowhere and fortifying an injury plagued central defense with Daley Blind for free seemed like a solid bit of business. Of course not all of those worked out, but that is always going to be the case. Not every transfer will work, even if the players are talented.
And of course we also went into the season without a true replacement for Robert Lewandowski, which was always an insane decision. However, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to question who exactly is responsible for that blunder.
Perhaps it was Brazzo. Maybe he got together with Kahn and Nagelsmann and they all decided that Gnabry, Sané, Mané, Coman and Musiala were each going to score 20+ goals this season to replace the 50 left by their outgoing talisman.
However, it’s more equally likely that he was given a budget that simply was not suited to perusing an adequate replacement and therefore he, Kahn and Nagelsmann talked themselves into those five players scoring at rates they never have and instead used that money to fill other positions of need.
Vision For the Future
At this point, I basically sound like I’m doing PR for Brazzo and I suppose I inadvertently I am, but whenever a club makes a decision like this I think it’s important to look at things from as objective a perspective as possible.
Did Salihamidžić deserve to get sacked? Perhaps. Was it the right decision? Maybe. Was the timing right? Ehhhh….. Is he (or Kahn for that matter) solely responsible for the mess that was the 2022/23 season? Absolutely not. Every last person on the board and in a position of authority at that club had a hand in this season. But Brazzo was always going to be the easy scapegoat. It was his turn and things were bad enough that Kahn got dragged out with him.
Long term, I certainly won’t argue that this might be a good for the club. While I have spent most of this article questioning the decision, there were a lot of red flags throughout his six years at Bayern. There were plenty of times that his lack of experience and professionalism shown through.
Bringing in someone who has been properly trained to perform that role, has experience at the highest level and who is not seemingly a lackey for those in charge should be a positive change. However, it can’t be ignored that they are putting themselves in an awkward position this summer and risk things going further awry next season.
Business will get done. Bayern will sign players. They will make a big deal out of it. We will all talk ourselves into them before the start of the season. All I hope is that we’re not back here having the same discussion next season, and Herbert Hainer better have his Glücksbringer out and ready as well or he may be the subject of this article in twelve months time.
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