Bayern’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen has confirmed there are no plans to sack boss Thomas Tuchel despite 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern were completely outplayed by Leverkusen and looked short of ideas as the league leaders romped to a 3-0 victory. With Bayern already out of the German Cup and with the league title slipping from their grasp, pressure is mounting on Tuchel to turn their fortunes around.
Bayer Leverkusen stamped their authority on the Bundesliga title race by comprehensively beating defending champions Bayern Munich 3-0 at the BayArena, moving five points clear at the summit while extending their unbeaten start to the campaign to an incredible 31 matches.
Visiting boss Tuchel sprung a surprise with his team selection, opting for three centre-backs to match up Leverkusen’s shape, who themselves had boldly left Jeremie Frimpong and Jonas Hofmann on the bench. Anticipation was at fever-pitch at the BayArena, but supporters were made to wait as kick-off was delayed thanks to supporter protests against the DFL.
Josip Stanisic, the man on loan from Bayern, opened the scoring in the 18th minute before Alex Grimaldo doubled the advantage five minutes into the second half, but Jeremie Frimpong added an exclamation mark after Manuel Neuer came up for a corner and Leverkusen broke to punish him.
Bayern had more of the ball but throughout the night it always felt as though Xabi Alonso’s side were the more dangerous, and this was a huge statement in their bid to win a first Bundesliga title and banish the nickname Vizekuzen – a mark of the five times they have finished runners-up.
The match at the BayArena kicked off eight minutes late after fans threw toy balls and other items onto the pitch as part of ongoing protests against the prospect of outside investment into the Bundesliga, and once play began it was Bayern who appeared to be on the front foot.
Despite heavy investment in the summer, Tuchel’s side have struggled for consistency and their usual ruthless edge. Even with a record-breaking Harry Kane in their side, the German champions have been left chasing a still unbeaten Leverkusen.
