On matchday 32 of the Bundesliga, second placed Bayern Munich travelled to the MHPArena to take on third placed VfB Stuttgart. With injuries continuing to be a source of bother and with one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League second leg semifinal against Real Madrid, Thomas Tuchel had no choice but to ring in the changes on Saturday.

Six changes were made to the XI that started against Real Madrid in the first leg. In defense, Alphonso Davies replaced Noussair Mazraoui at left-back. In midfield, Raphael Guerreiro and Aleksandar Pavlovic started in place of Konrad Laimer and Leon Goretzka. While Serge Gnabry, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Mathys Tel joined the Bayern attack behind Harry Kane.

With bigger fish to fry on Wednesday, Bayern had to adopt a more conservative approach. And it resulted in a rather disappointing defeat, leaving the Bavarians with work to do to secure second place in the Bundesliga. Let us take a look at some key takeaways from Bayern Munich's 3-1 loss in Stuttgart.

Injuries strike again at the worst possible time

With less than fifteen minutes played, Eric Dier needed medical attention for a wound suffered during a clash of heads with a Stuttgart player. Soon afterwards, Raphael Guerreiro injured his ankle and had to be replaced by Leon Goretzka. The Portuguese international will be out for several weeks as a result of the injury.

Before the half-hour mark Eric Dier was again in need of medical attention after he headed clear a scorching goal-bound volley from Serhou Guirassy.

The English defender was visibly shaken up from the impact of the ball as it reopened the wound on his head. Whilst Bayern were temporarily reduced to ten men, Stuttgart opened the scoring. A heavily bandaged Dier returned to action just moments after goal, but he was substituted during the half-time interval by Dayot Upamecano.

It looks like Matthijs de Ligt and Jamal Musiala will return for the second leg vs Real Madrid, but Bayern Munich's injury woes have certainly cost the team heavily this season.

After failed pursuits of three head coaches, Bayern Munich are reportedly considering the possibility of sticking with Thomas Tuchel for one more season.

Bayern Munich open to sticking with Thomas Tuchel for next season.

It has been a turbulent season for Bayern Munich. After an inconsistent run of results at the start of Ruckrunde, Bayern decided to part ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season. The Bavarian club started their search for a new coach after Max Eberl was appointed as director of sport.

The search for a new coach has been a farce for Bayern. They failed to convince Xabi Alonso, their top target, to leave Bayer Leverkusen. The record Bundesliga switched their attention to bringing Julian Nagelsmann back to the club 12 months after sacking him. Nagelsmann ended up signing a contract extension with DFB until 2026.

After rejection from Nagelsmann, Bayern worked on a deal to appoint Ralf Rangnick as their new head coach. The experienced German coach looked close to becoming Bayern’s head coach at the start of the week. However, a sudden turn of events led to Rangnick deciding to stick with the Austrian National team.

Bayern will look at plan D in their search for a new coach. Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi reportedly held talks with Eberl during the last international break. He is naturally the next coach in line for Die Roten, but the Italian boss told the media on Friday that he would like to stay at Brighton.

Sky Sports in Germany have reported contact between Bayern and Julien Lopetegui. The Bavarian club is touching base with multiple coaches instead of focussing on one particular target. As things stand, it will be a big surprise if Die Roten have a deal in place for the new head coach by the end of the season.

As per Sky Sports, Bayern are also considering sticking with Thomas Tuchel until the end of next season. Eberl and Christoph Freund are open to working with Tuchel next season. Meanwhile, Tuchel didn’t rule out the possibility of staying in Munich while talking to the media on Friday.

Manchester United are eyeing a move for Tuchel to replace Erik Ten Hag. The German coach is reportedly keen on managing in the Premier League. Bayern will have to make their move soon if they want to stick with Tuchel.

It doesn’t make sense for Bayern to hire their fourth or fifth-choice head coach option. They should swallow the bitter pill and start mending their relationship with Tuchel. The German coach has assessed the squad over the last 12 months. 

He is better placed than all other available coaches to help Bayern to complete the squad overhaul in the summer. Tuchel can still end this season strongly by winning the Champions League. Bayern need a win in the second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday to book a place in the final.

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