This strong desire to bounce back in the upcoming 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign was born out of a deep sense of disappointment at Bayern Munich's dramatic exit from the 2024 semifinals against Real Madrid, 4-3 on aggregate. After the game, at the late-night post-game banquet, Bayern Munich's CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen calmly stood up and echoed the words of the club's stalwart, Thomas Muller.
"In 2012, he rallied us, saying 'heads up, boys. Next year, we come back,'" Dreesen declared, emphasizing, "We will leave no stone unturned to mount a comeback this time as well, aiming to grace the final stage, which in 2025 will be hosted in our own arena in Munich."
The echoes of 2012 reverberate as Bayern Munich finds itself in a similar predicament following a title-less season reminiscent of that year. Though Bayern fell flat in 2012, they made a grand comeback in 2013, winning the German final against BVB, and eventually the incredible streak of 11 successive national titles, as reported by Xinhua.
Reeling from the defeat in Madrid, Bayern girded up once again, drawing their strength from the club's ethos of rising stronger. Much like the aftermath of 2012 defeat, rigorous analysis and strategic transfer moves await Bayern now, further complicated by the task of appointing a new coach. Speculations point towards the fact that Hansi Flick, former German national and Bayern coach, might be the favorite to take the hottest seat.Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has publicly admitted a decisive mistake by him and his assistant in extra time, calling offside without checking properly. Instead of a possible 2-2 equalizer, Real Madrid took advantage of the mistake to advance to the 2024 final on June 1 at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund.
"Flagrant breach of the rules," Tuchel, Bayern's coach, said of the incident. Board member responsible for sport, Max Eberl, said Marciniak apologized, which was duly accepted by players like Matthijs de Ligt and Thomas Muller.
Tuchel added, "We appreciate the apology in the spirit of fair play, but in this league, such mistakes must be corrected during the game immediately."
More importantly, Bayern has to solve its coaching dilemma amidst a rash of setbacks with its prospective candidates. With Tuchel leaving at the end of the season, the onus is now on Eberl, sporting director Christoph Freund, and the new coach to effect this transition.
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