A former Bayern Munich assistant has spoken out about his experience getting unceremoniously sacked in spring of 2023.
Current Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmöller was Julian Nagelsmann’s assistant
when the entire coaching staff was axed over the international period. You all know the story — Bayern’s treble in danger era.
No, they didn’t get it either.
“That was certainly a brutally tough moment, one that also felt completely wrong in terms of timing,” Toppmöller explained on Sport Bild’s Podcast Phrasenmäher (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We were on our way to winning three titles — we definitely would have believed we could win the league and the Pokal. We had the toughest draw with Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinals, but we could have pulled it off.
“I was at the training ground that afternoon with Thomas Müller, Sven Ulreich, and Bouna Sarr. Then, in the evening, events unfolded rapidly. At some point, I read the news as a headline in BILD. It was like something out of a movie, and I thought to myself: ‘Okay, where’s the hidden camera?’ I turned off my phone because I just wanted to be left alone. When I turned it back on, I already had a call from the club, who wanted to inform me – but that was definitely after the headline.
“Of course I was devastated at first because I had such a good relationship with many people at the club. I still don’t understand why we had to go like that during the season, which is the most fun period for everyone, because that’s when the titles are at stake. But in the end, you have to accept it. It’s also a moment that allows you to grow as a person.”
Well, Dino and Jules have found their way back to solid footing — Nagelsmann with the German men’s national team (which did not have the best of Septembers) and Toppmöller with Eintracht Frankfurt. Certainly the shock sacking seems to have spurred them on to reflect and come back stronger in their respective coaching careers.
Still, what could have been at Bayern? It is hard to ever get over what happened in March of 2023, or the exhausting year and a half that followed.
