Report: Bayern Munich bosses call for players to improve finishing, be more physical, and also better strategy from Julian Nagelsmann

There’s not just one, lone reason to account for Bayern Munich’s wretched run of form in the Bundesliga. Rather, there are a handful of factors that have contributed to four league matches without a win, the most recent of which was a 1-0 loss at Bavarian rivals FC Augsburg.

In collaboration with the club’s front office, Julian Nagelsmann has been trying to analyze and dissect just what, exactly, is going wrong that’s causing Bayern to not take full points against sides they really should be. Per Sport Bild (via @iMiaSanMia), Nagelsmann and the front office are rather concerned with how much the attacking players are over-complicating things in the final third:

In the bosses’ opinion, the players are complicating things in the final third. The higher ups are in agreement that the players must correct that, that they’re on big contracts and have to deliver, the squad is of extreme high quality and there are no more excuses.

With the quality Bayern’s attacking players possess, as has been shown in their Champions League wins over Inter Milan and Barcelona, the front office expects this precision in front of goal to change — it needs to, and fast.

Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua via Getty Images

There is also a viewpoint from Bayern’s front office that their opponents are making a conscious point to use physicality against them:

Second problem in the bosses’ eyes is that there’s a current trend where opponents are attacking Bayern players on the pitch & fouling them to break their rhythm (examples, Mazraoui, Davies). Salihamidžić demands more physicality from the players but also protection from the refs.

Purposely fouling players in a non-violent way is, of course, running a risk of being carded, but there’s also tactical ways to do it without getting booked and using it to break up Bayern’s rhythm and momentum. This was particularly noticeable against Augsburg with the number of times players like Noussair Mazraoui and Alphonso Davies were fouled on the right and left flanks, respectively.

Lastly, there is still onus on Nagelsmann himself. The front office feels that his ideas and match plans have to be effectively communicated to the players so that they’re all on the same page:

Third point discussed concerns Nagelsmann. The coach is also tasked with giving his players a plan and solutions to impose a dominant style and reduce unnecessary ball losses in the future,

Between last season and this season, a handful of players have questioned Nagelsmann’s accountability in that regard, so it’s clear that it’s not just the front office that holds this opinion.