Football
Mark Lovell, Bayern Munich blogger 7y

Bayern Munich not 'stable' without sporting director - Matthias Sammer

Matthias Sammer has told Sport Bild that Bayern Munich would have performed better last season if they had filled the vacant sporting director position.

The Bundesliga champions operated without anyone in the role after Sammer's departure last summer due to ill health.

The former Borussia Dortmund player and coach, 49, joined Bayern in 2012 and was present as Bayern won the Bundesliga every season and the Treble in 2013.

"I think it's a very important position for the club, that's why Bayern strive to fill it well. You need someone that connects players, staff, coaches and the board. This makes the club stronger," he said.

Last season, Bayern saw their Treble hopes disappear within eight days in April, losing in extra time to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, followed by a 3-2 defeat against their biggest domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund in the last four of the DFB Pokal.

Sammer believes the Bavarians' two knockout defeats could have been avoided if they had a sporting director on board for the big games.

"Bayern dominated Real Madrid for long periods, but suddenly lost their unity and with that their stability too," he said.

"This happened in exactly the same fashion in the second half against Dortmund in the DFB Pokal semifinal. It is not a coincidence this happened -- in certain phases; the team didn't look stable or united.

"Bayern has to question itself. In their daily routine, it can be helpful for players and a coach to have someone there to give little tips. There's prevention techniques in medicine and you have them too in the mental side of the game. At the top level, many things must be spotted early and nipped in the bud. You have to observe them on a daily basis.

"Sometimes the kit man has a problem with the physio or the doctor with the coaching staff. That's everyday life at a football club. However, there has to be someone who takes care of these problems in the interest of the club and success. In everyday life at a football club, you sometimes let slip a few percent because only 11 players are happy and the other 13 or 14 are not."

Sammer, one of the few players to represent both East Germany and a united Germany, gave another reason for potential unrest.

"For example when a coach is angry with a player and isn't talking to him at the moment," he said. "To sum up, I believe this position is vital."

Borussia Monchengladbach's Max Eberl and former Bayern skipper Philipp Lahm were both linked with the role, which remains vacant going into the new season.

Lahm apparently turned down the post, implying president Uli Hoeness wasn't quite ready to hand over sufficient control to him in the organisation of Bayern team affairs if he did take on the role.

"Both parties have to ask questions of themselves," Sammer said of Lahm's decision. "Of course, it is important to clarify in advance, who is responsible for what and who is accountable to whom. But why is that suddenly more important than the job itself?

"Philipp would have been a great solution due to his identification with the club."

Meanwhile, Lahm discussed his decision to turn down the role in an interview with Sky Sports News in Germany and said he could be open to a similar position in the future.

"I don't know how Uli Hoeness defines a sporting director and what he expects," Lahm said. "We all exchanged our opinions and I decided that it's not the right time for me at the moment. Anyway, I'm not responsible for defining the role of a sporting director but I do have my own ideas."

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