Bayern Munich relieved Julian Nagelsmann of his duties in March 2023 while he was on a skiing holiday, and the club's handling of the situation was criticised by his former team psychologist, Dr Maximilian Pelka.
The situation at Bayern
Speaking to Kicker, Pelka said: “Perhaps we need to explain again what situation the club was in at the time. The team were in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup and had just knocked PSG, with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, out of the Champions League. But Bayern were second behind Dortmund in the league. That brings us to the pressure of expectations. Everyone always wants more, more, more.”
After a 2-1 Bundesliga defeat to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Nagelsmann went to his office on Säbener Straße as usual on the Monday and got on with his work. Uli Hoeneß later said that Nagelsmann's spontaneous short break, taken during an international break with the club's approval, was also a decisive factor in the decision.
The international-break trip
Nagelsmann took time off when most of the players left for the international break. Pelka said: “He is an adult. I don't need to recommend anything to him. But these international breaks give coaches a chance to step off the treadmill for a while. So it was not right to suggest that he had failed to deal with the crisis properly.”
Pelka added: “Taking three or four days away from the madness to clear his head. With all the national team players away anyway, that was exactly the right thing to do.”
He said: “Of course everyone wants to see you keep working during a difficult period. But does that make sense in the end? Or does it make more sense to recharge so you can be fully there again over the following weeks and months? As far as I know, the trip had also been agreed.”
Nagelsmann's subsequent roles
After his dismissal in Munich, Nagelsmann took over as Germany coach at the DFB in September 2023. Nagelsmann is currently without a club.
