By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The path to happiness for Bayern Munich remains a bumpy road. Burdened by the uncertain future of the club's leaders and the inevitable restructuring of the current squad, the wavering 2020 treble winner might have recaptured the national league lead, but seems far from having gained stability.
Expectations seem to have dropped as the season's goal now appears to be making the best of a bad situation, such as winning the eleventh national title, following painful exits in the last eight-round of the UEFA Champions League and the German Cup.
With four rounds of matches left until the 2022/23 season's end, statements following the hard-fought 2-0 victory over bottom side Hertha BSC sounded more like self-encouraging whistling in a dark cellar.
"We are back. We'll get the job done," striker icon Thomas Muller said, while midfielder Joshua Kimmich expressed his conviction that "we are going to win the National Championship."
Coach Thomas Tuchel spoke about the confidence of his squad being at a low point after recent setbacks. At the same time, the 49-year-old praised his team for maintaining control and not losing their grip on the situation.
He is not surprised by the team's difficulties when it comes to precision, as confidence couldn't grow over the past weeks.
The successor of departed predecessor Julian Nagelsmann spoke about the reaction he had hoped for. Far from delivering an inspired performance, the Bayern coach praised his team for staying fully focused throughout the 90 minutes without losing faith.
Bayern's one-point advantage over its closest rival Borussia Dortmund seems to leave room for further changes in the first-tier standings.
Tuchel reported delivering a wake-up call to his squad in the form of an emotional speech ahead of the match against Hertha. "Sometimes they seem to need a bit of pressure," he said.
Midfielder Leon Goretzka stated that too much noise within the club remains a problem for the team, aside from a lack of confidence after a flood of critical media reports targeting some of Bayern's players.
"It does not help them. We, as a team, had a lot to endure lately. It's not pleasant, regardless of whether we deserved the criticism, but today we provided the right answer on the pitch," the German international said.
Under-fire sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic spoke of a post-World Cup energy problem, while president Herbert Hainer mentioned an in-depth post-season analysis, avoiding backing chairman Oliver Kahn.
The former German national team goalkeeper denied rumours of resigning but said he is determined to stay in office. Reports suggest that Kahn may have to fight for his job despite a contract running until 2024.
Hainer, Kahn, and Salihamidzic insisted on concentrating on sporting issues until the decisive board meeting scheduled for May 22.
"I will be around after the upcoming summer. For now, we only talk about the title as things are extremely tight," the 53-year-old Kahn insisted, despite reports suggesting a possible dismissal. ■
