Oktoberfest is in full swing in Munich, but Germany's most successful soccer team isn't in the mood to celebrate. Bayern Munich is in turmoil after losing four straight Bundesliga games. Doubt, skepticism, disbelief — and rage. Since Bavarian rival Augsburg defeated Julian Nagelsmann's star-studded team 1-0 on Saturday, they've all been on display at the club.
The players and officials wore traditional Bavarian attire to the Oktoberfest on Sunday, but there was little cheer. The 10-time reigning champions had started the season splendidly, scoring 15 goals and conceding only one in their first three games, the best start by any club in Bundesliga history. Bayern hasn't won since; they've been held to three straight draws by Borussia Mönchengladbach, Union Berlin, and Stuttgart. Before Saturday's upset, Bayern had scored in 87 straight games, a Bundesliga record. On February 9, 2020, Leipzig became the final team in the Bundesliga to shut out Bayern.
"We didn't give the opponents any chance for the first three, four, or five weeks," Bayern midfielder Marcel Sabitzer recalled, "but then everything was gone." It's not the first time Bayern has suffered from a hangover ahead of the annual Oktoberfest celebrations. Niko Kovac's squad lost ahead of festival visits in 2018 and 2019, and Carlo Ancelotti was fired immediately after the team's visit in 2017. In 2015, Pep Guardiola was the last Bayern Munich coach to oversee a victory just before Oktoberfest. Due to the unpredictable spread of COVID-19 infections and limitations, the event was postponed from the previous year and that one. Nagelsmann, who was anticipated to guide Bayern to more than "just" the Bundesliga in his second season in command, is perplexed and searching for explanations amid his team's decline.
In the Saturday post-game press conference, an irate Nagelsmann said, "I need to think about everything, about myself, the situation, about everything. When asked if the squad missed Robert Lewandowski, who left for Barcelona in the offseason and has continued his goal-scoring ways in Spain, Nagelsmann reacted angrily. Nagelsmann stated, "It's the same as what I say." If I respond "no," everyone would say "he doesn't know the problem," and if I respond "yes," everyone will say "he misses Lewandowski." The solution is irrelevant. Bayern, though, obviously struggles with opportunity conversion. In the end, Rafal Gikiewicz, Manuel Neuer's rival, was the one celebrating numerous superb saves despite the team's 19 attempts on goal against Augsburg, two of which were blocked by the Bayern goalkeeper.
Following the third draw, Bayern veteran Thomas Müller declared himself "mad." We're standing here surprised and disappointed after the fourth game without a victory, he remarked. The weather-appropriate change in lightness First time since his transfer from Liverpool, Sadio Mané has drawn criticism. The sensation from Senegal scored three goals in his first three Bundesliga games, but none after that. There has also been a rumor about Nagelsmann's future, with some tying the team to former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel. Following his firing by Chelsea earlier this month, Tuchel is now available.However, the club's president Herbert Hainer and CEO Oliver Kahn of Bayern Munich both stated that they were backing Nagelsmann and had not even considered a move.
"We're entirely convinced by Julian Nagelsmann and our entire team," Hainer told the Münchner Merkur and TZ newspapers. "The season has only just begun, and we know we have the potential to fulfill our lofty objectives." While Bayern is struggling in the Bundesliga, the team's Champions League season has begun with victories over Inter Milan and Barcelona at home.
The world and Europe have already reached their highest point. They surprised us, overran us, and showed twice the savagery we did. But there were red flags everywhere in Bayern's 2-0 triumph over Barcelona last week when the visitors created more chances but were caught off guard by quick-fire goals after the break. Then came the season's first defeat, at Augsburg. The international break allows Bayern's players and officials to reflect on the situation. Having lost four straight Bundesliga games, Bayern Munich is in trouble
Yash Ranjan09/22/2022
Oktoberfest is in full swing in Munich, but Germany's most successful soccer team isn't in the mood to celebrate. Bayern Munich is in turmoil after losing four straight Bundesliga games. Doubt, skepticism, disbelief — and rage. Since Bavarian rival Augsburg defeated Julian Nagelsmann's star-studded team 1-0 on Saturday, they've all been on display at the club.
The players and officials wore traditional Bavarian attire to the Oktoberfest on Sunday, but there was little cheer. The 10-time reigning champions had started the season splendidly, scoring 15 goals and conceding only one in their first three games, the best start by any club in Bundesliga history. Bayern hasn't won since; they've been held to three straight draws by Borussia Mönchengladbach, Union Berlin, and Stuttgart. Before Saturday's upset, Bayern had scored in 87 straight games, a Bundesliga record. On February 9, 2020, Leipzig became the final team in the Bundesliga to shut out Bayern.
"We didn't give the opponents any chance for the first three, four, or five weeks," Bayern midfielder Marcel Sabitzer recalled, "but then everything was gone." It's not the first time Bayern has suffered from a hangover ahead of the annual Oktoberfest celebrations. Niko Kovac's squad lost ahead of festival visits in 2018 and 2019, and Carlo Ancelotti was fired immediately after the team's visit in 2017. In 2015, Pep Guardiola was the last Bayern Munich coach to oversee a victory just before Oktoberfest. Due to the unpredictable spread of COVID-19 infections and limitations, the event was postponed from the previous year and that one. Nagelsmann, who was anticipated to guide Bayern to more than "just" the Bundesliga in his second season in command, is perplexed and searching for explanations amid his team's decline.
In the Saturday post-game press conference, an irate Nagelsmann said, "I need to think about everything, about myself, the situation, about everything. When asked if the squad missed Robert Lewandowski, who left for Barcelona in the offseason and has continued his goal-scoring ways in Spain, Nagelsmann reacted angrily. Nagelsmann stated, "It's the same as what I say." If I respond "no," everyone would say "he doesn't know the problem," and if I respond "yes," everyone will say "he misses Lewandowski." The solution is irrelevant. Bayern, though, obviously struggles with opportunity conversion. In the end, Rafal Gikiewicz, Manuel Neuer's rival, was the one celebrating numerous superb saves despite the team's 19 attempts on goal against Augsburg, two of which were blocked by the Bayern goalkeeper.
Following the third draw, Bayern veteran Thomas Müller declared himself "mad." We're standing here surprised and disappointed after the fourth game without a victory, he remarked. The weather-appropriate change in lightness First time since his transfer from Liverpool, Sadio Mané has drawn criticism. The sensation from Senegal scored three goals in his first three Bundesliga games, but none after that. There has also been a rumor about Nagelsmann's future, with some tying the team to former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel. Following his firing by Chelsea earlier this month, Tuchel is now available.However, the club's president Herbert Hainer and CEO Oliver Kahn of Bayern Munich both stated that they were backing Nagelsmann and had not even considered a move.
"We're entirely convinced by Julian Nagelsmann and our entire team," Hainer told the Münchner Merkur and TZ newspapers. "The season has only just begun, and we know we have the potential to fulfill our lofty objectives." While Bayern is struggling in the Bundesliga, the team's Champions League season has begun with victories over Inter Milan and Barcelona at home.
The world and Europe have already reached their highest point. They surprised us, overran us, and showed twice the savagery we did. But there were red flags everywhere in Bayern's 2-0 triumph over Barcelona last week when the visitors created more chances but were caught off guard by quick-fire goals after the break. Then came the season's first defeat, at Augsburg. The international break allows Bayern's players and officials to reflect on the situation. 
