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So how foolish do Kahn, Salihamidzic and Hainer look now?
Bayern Munich’s decision to sack Julian Nagelsmann and the furore behind their methods and thinking have been brought into question in light of the Pokal exit at home to SC Freiburg. Fear of missing out on the league/double/ possible treble was one of the factors leading to the firing of Nagelsmann, but the win over Dortmund combined with the loss to Freiburg put the Rekordmeister back to square one.
Thomas Tuchel is not going to be able to work miracles in the time he has been given, so the blame cannot be laid at his door. But the question needs to be asked whether the club would be any worse off now under Nagelsmann and whether just a little more time would have been prudent before sacking him.
Time will tell, but the triumvirate of Oliver Kahn, Hasan Salihamidzic and Herbert Hainer haven’t emerged from the whole situation covered in glory.
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Would the real RB Leipzig please stand up.
Marco Rose stated in his pre-match press conference ahead of the DFB Pokal match-up with Borussia Dortmund that a reaction was needed and there was a danger that the sky was going to fall in on Leipzig’s season.
He got a reaction and how. The Saxony side came out of the blocks flying and their energetic press caught BVB by surprise and pretty much kept them on the defensive for the entire first half. The difference between this display and the insipid performance from the weekend defeat to Mainz was astronomical. Was this really the same team?
It could have and should have been a much bigger margin of victory than just 2-0, but the Roten Bullen move one step closer to defending the trophy they won last year. The task now is to take this raised performance into the remaining league fixtures.
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Can Freiburg really go one better this season?
Last season saw Freiburg reach the DFB Pokal only to fall on penalties to RB Leipzig, but after eliminating Bayern on Tuesday the feeling that the Breisgauer can go one better this season and win the cup for the first time in their history is surely growing.
To beat Bayern is one thing, to do so at the Allianz Arena after they had so comfortably won der Klassiker is another. Christian Streich will no doubt play down his side’s chances, but few fans of the Bundesliga would want to deny them or their charismatic coach their moment of glory should it come at the Olympiastadion at the end of the season.
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Is the Stuttgart win just papering over the cracks?
Ask any Stuttgart fan whether they would take a Pokal final appearance or Bundesliga survival and the answer in the cold light of day would surely be the retention of their top-flight status. The question is whether the win over Nürnberg is a new dawn under new coach Sebastian Hoeneß, or whether the defeat of a struggling 2.Bundesliga side is just short-term relief from the current decline.
The relegation six-pointer against VfL Bochum on Sunday will give us more of an idea
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Where would Frankfurt be without Kolo Muani?
The pessimistic mood at Eintracht Frankfurt would have been lifted on Tuesday following the 2-0 win over Union Berlin which booked the Adler’s semi-final berth. Randal Kolo Muani grabbed both goals and the club’s reliance on the young Frenchman for goals is becoming ever more apparent.
Just where would they find themselves without the best free signing ever and where could they find themselves next season if he were to be lured away (as is looking increasingly likely)?
