“If Leverkusen wins the Bundesliga, it won’t be dramatic for Bayern”
Words by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, former CEO of Bayern
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, former CEO of Bayern, spoke this Tuesday on the “Tomorrow Business & Style” podcast about the crisis the Bavarian giant is going through.
Remember that the Munich giants are at risk of being eliminated by Lazio in the round of 16 of the Champions League (they lost 0-1 in the first leg in Rome) and, for the first time in 11 years, not being crowned champions. German (is 10 points behind leader Bayer Leverkusen) at the end of the season.
A dark moment that, for Rummenigge, is due to the “lack of hierarchy” in the Bavarian team.
“I am absolutely in favor of hierarchy. A team with a clear hierarchy will always work. In 2020, we had a superior hierarchy: Manuel Neuer in goal, David Alaba in defense, Thiago in midfield, Thomas Muller in the center of attack and Robert Lewandowski in attack. In my opinion, a big mistake was made by letting go of a top hierarchy unnecessarily. I arrived at Bayern when I was 18 and there were Maier, Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, the camp bosses. Everyone was behind them and it always worked. Whenever we had a functional hierarchy at Bayern, we were successful”, he defended.
The German club’s former top manager also considered that the team is missing a coach who better fits their style of play, such as Jupp Heynckes or Pep Guardiola.
“It is a fact that we now change coaches very frequently. In the past, we had moments when continuity was better, also because we had coaches who suited Bayern better, like Jupp and Pep. It’s no coincidence that we still remain friends, because what united us was more than football. I had dinner with Pep almost every week, we drank a nice bottle of red wine and talked about God and the world. We had a wonderful, trusting relationship. We need to find that type of coach again, which will be difficult”, he admitted.
In conclusion, Rummenigge left great praise for the work done by Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, also guaranteeing that, if he wins the first German championship in the club’s history, it will not be a disaster for the reigning hegemonic champion.
“Everyone in Germany is celebrating now because they tried [to win the Bundesliga] for 11 years, but they couldn’t. Now Leverkusen will probably win and they deserve it, because not only are they being successful but they are also playing attractive football. If Leverkusen ends up winning the title, I don’t think it will be dramatic for Bayern. We have to accept defeat with style and say: ‘We won 11 times in a row, but we didn’t get the 12th’. Now we have to work hard and improve to win again in the coming years, so that people continue to celebrate, even if they have no reason to do so now”, he concluded.
