Total Crisis at Bayern Munich
The German team had not lost in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 for 11 years. The tough times have Thomas Tuchel on the ropes.
The defeat against Bayern Leverkusen (3-0) in the Bundesliga and this latest one against Lazio in the Champions League have set Bayern Munich on fire.
The Bavarians are going through one of their worst crises. Adding to their elimination from the German Cup by a Third Division team and the defeat in the German Super Cup earlier in the season, there is a five-point difference with the Bundesliga leader and the need to come back in the round of 16 to stay alive in the Champions League.
Mounting comebacks in the Champions League round of 16 is not something the German team is accustomed to. They hadn't lost in the first leg of the round of 16 for 11 years. They are not used to comebacks nor are they good at it. The last seven times they lost the first leg of a Champions League tie, they were eliminated.
It's been a series of setbacks for Bayern, who, despite having one of Europe's most lethal forwards, Harry Kane, failed to shoot on target against Lazio for the first time since the 2018-2019 season when it happened against Liverpool, also in the first leg of the round of 16.
While they generated 17 shots, none were on target. Not since the 2003-2004 season have they fired so often with so little accuracy. Bayern, for the second consecutive game, failed to score, something that hadn't happened since May 2015, then under Guardiola, when they went three matches without a goal.
This crisis in results currently has Thomas Tuchel on the ropes, with names like Hansi Flick being mentioned to replace him in case the current German coach can't find a remedy for the crisis gripping Bayern.