You can't give a serious answer to the following question – and that's probably why you should ask it: How would this duel have ended if Julian Nagelsmann had still been FC Bayern's football coach?
It is part of the great game for the sovereignty of interpretation that one always interprets even the smallest findings in one's own sense. And since this Bundesliga evening, on which the new table leader from Munich won 4:2 against the old table leader from Dortmund, the protagonists have some interpretation possibilities.
Chairman Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić could now say that their decision to replace coach Julian Nagelsmann with coach Thomas Tuchel in the middle of the most important weeks of the season was right (whether the way they communicated the decision to Nagelsmann was right remains to be discussed).
The extent of Bavarian dominance
The proponents of the decision could say that the first effect of the coach change can already be seen, including Leroy Sané, who played fantastically in several moments (decisive sprint to 1:0, decisive shot to 3:0, decisive pass to 4:0).
And the opponents of the decision could say that this game – Tuchel in, Tuchel here – was defined by the mistake of Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel, who stormed out of his goal in the 13th minute and did not hit the ball with his foot. You couldn't really disagree with anyone.
No, it is not possible to say seriously how this duel would have ended if Julian Nagelsmann had still been there. And yet one can take a realization from the coach exchange even without interpretation. It reveals nothing new, but something essential: Why Munich is again at the top of the most important German competition – ahead of Dortmund and everyone else.
The extent of Bavaria's dominance in the Bundesliga is not reflected in the highs, but in the lows: the dismissals of coaches. In September 2017, they hired Jupp Heynckes for Carlo Ancelotti and won the championship by 21 points.
In November 2019, they hired Hansi Flick for Niko Kovač and won the championship by 13 points. In March 2023, they hired Tuchel for Nagelsmann – and although the championship is still open, a new benchmark seems to have emerged in this regard.
Who else in Germany can afford to dismiss (and continue to pay) a coach who cost more than 20 million euros after only 21 months and replace it with a coach who, according to the "Bild" newspaper, should earn between ten and twelve million euros per season?
It should therefore not be this 4:2 that seems overwhelming for all those who believe in a new champion in the Bundesliga, it should be this realization: that FC Bayern can afford not only the most expensive players and the most expensive coaches – but also the most expensive mistakes.