Bundesliga table since Thomas Tuchel took charge at Bayern Munich
The ruthless Bayern Munich board stunned the footballing world when they opted to part ways with Julian Nagelsmann and replace him with Thomas Tuchel.
Die Roten had hardly set the world alight under the hugely promising Nagelsmann - regarded as one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe - but very few expected a departure over the March international break.
The prospect of appointing the former Borussia Dortmund boss was simply too tantalising a prospect for the Bayern hierarchy to turn down. The expected second season improvement under Nagelsmann didn't arrive, and the club turned to Tuchel to inspire a rebound.
Short-term success is paramount in Bavaria, but the new manager bounce that many expected only briefly manifested in Der Klassiker. After exiting the DFB-Pokal and Champions League, Bayern are now at risk of relinquishing their Bundesliga crown for the first time in a decade.
Bundesliga table since Thomas Tuchel took over at Bayern (24/03/23)
Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
2 | Mainz | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
3 | FC Koln | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
4 | Freiburg | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
5 | Borussia Dortmund | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
6 | Union Berlin | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
7 | Bayern Munich | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
8 | Hoffenheim | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
9 | RB Leipzig | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 6 |
10 | Wolfsburg | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
11 | Borussia Monchengladbach | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
12 | Stuttgart | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -2 | 5 |
13 | Werder Bremen | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
14 | Schalke | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 3 |
15 | Augsburg | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
16 | Bochum | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -5 | 2 |
17 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -6 | 2 |
18 | Hertha Berlin | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -6 | 1 |
Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen are the hottest team in Germany right now. This was a side flirting with the drop zone when Alonso took the reins in October, but they're now up to sixth and just six points off the Champions League places after they secured an impressive victory over RB Leipzig at the weekend.
While there are three teams unbeaten in the Bundesliga since Tuchel took over, Leverkusen have accumulated the most points (10) and conceded just one goal.
Mainz, who beat Bayern 3-1 on Saturday, and FC Koln are the two other unbeaten sides. While the latter are poised to finish in mid-table, Mainz could make a surprise push for Europe. They currently sit seventh in the table, but Leverkusen in sixth are only looking upwards.
As for Bayern, their defeat at Mainz means Tuchel has notched seven points from his four league games thus far. After winning comfortably in a seemingly decisive Klassiker, Bayern then edged out Freiburg 1-0 before drawing at home to Hoffenheim. Their patchy run of form has seen Dortmund climb to the top of the table after they thrashed a desperately out-of-sorts Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0.
Frankfurt's recent woes have seen them sink to ninth in the Bundesliga after a promising start to the season which included progression into the Champions League knockouts, but their form in 2023 has been abysmal. Oliver Glasner's side are winless in eight games and only Hertha Berlin have accumulated fewer points in their last four outings.