Can Louis Van Gaal leave Bayern on a high?

Bayern Munich head coach Louis Van Gaal will leave the German giants this summer but he is hoping to end his time in Bavaria on a high.

Bayern are currently struggling in the Bundesliga but have the upper hand in their second round Champions League tie with European champions Inter.

Pattern

Bayern Munich are considered the giants of German football because of the number of German and European titles they have won in the past.

However every so often they experience a poor season and the head coach gets fired. It’s became an ugly pattern which must destabilise the whole club.

This summer Louis Van Gaal will pay the price for the clubs poor season. Bayern Munich is a big club with big personalities behind the scenes and Van Gaal is a big personality himself. His situation is not too dissimilar to that of Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.

Managers with big egos clash with the powerbrokers of these giant clubs and there is only ever one winner in this situation and it isn’t the managers.

Struggling

This season Bayern’s Bundesliga form has been inconsistent. Bayern currently find themselves in fourth place in Germany’s top flight. They are 16 points behind runaway leaders Dortmund.

Even more importantly they are currently four points behind Bayer Leverkusen, who are in second place the last automatic Champions League spot and Leverkusen also have a game in-hand.

One reason the club have struggled this season is the fact that star players such as Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben have spent long periods of time on the sidelines through injury. The pair have returned and Bayern’s form has improved.

Crucial

It is crucial for Bayern and boss Louis Van Gaal that the club manages to finish the season in good form and clinches a Champions League spot.  Van Gaal knows how important it is to finish the season in good style.

He told German newspaper Bild: “I hope that I can leave this club through the front door, I want to leave with my pride intact,”

“It is important for my honour as a coach. I already have a fantastic year behind me, but I still want to reach these goals.”

Bayern enjoyed a superb season under Van Gaal last season winning the Bundesliga title, German cup and making it to the Champions League final only to lose 2-0 to Italian side Inter. This season Van Gaal’s team hasn’t been able to live up to last season’s achievements and it’s going to cost the Dutchman his job.

Champions League

Bayern have the chance to progress into the quarter finals of the Champions League after winning 1-0 at Inter in the first leg of their second round clash. In truth Bayern had the better of the game at the Giuseppe Meazza and deserved their late winner from Mario Gomez.

The second leg on Tuesday night at the Allianz Arena will give the Bavarians the chance to gain a little revenge for last season’s final defeat. If they play like they did in Italy then they should be taking their place in the last eight of the competition. It will however be harder for ‘FC Hollywood’ to win the trophy outright with some major teams still in the competition.

Van Gaal

Louis Van Gaal has always had a big ego but he has the managerial talent to go with it. Asked about leaving Bayern the 59 year-old told Sky Sports: “Of course I am disappointed, I love this culture, I love the fans, but I think it is better for both sides if I go,”

“We have different philosophies. Normally, I think I will take a year’s sabbatical and then I’d like to coach a national side again. If a nice challenge comes up for me, I will consider it.”

For Van Gaal to go out on a high note that would probably mean Bayern winning the Champions League and finishing second in the Bundesliga. I can see them finishing in second place in the Bundesliga as Bayer Leverkusen are famous for their end of season collapses.

However they are not currently strong enough to win the Champions League. Even if Bayern have a poor end to the season, I don’t think Louis Van Gaal will be out of work for long. He still has a reputation as big as his ego and I’m sure he will be back in a dugout somewhere next season.

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