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Bastian Schweinsteiger Says He Can 'Imagine' Jose Mourinho Joining Bayern Munich
November 4, 2019
Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger said he can envision Jose Mourinho managing in Germany amid links with the vacant manager's role at the club.
Mourinho has been touted as one of several potential replacements for Niko Kovac, who was sacked on Sunday after Bayern were thrashed 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Schweinsteiger told Bild (h/t Goal's James Westwood):
"I can imagine Mourinho in Germany.
"I remember he was always asking me about Bayern and the Bundesliga. During our away games, there was always Bundesliga on TV.
"He really knew every single player, even from the smaller teams. He was also learning German.
"He has not worked in the Bundesliga, so I can well imagine that he would be tempted by a commitment in Germany."
Saturday's defeat left Bayern fourth in the Bundesliga, four points behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach having won just five of their 10 matches.
Kovac guided Bayern to their seventh consecutive Bundesliga title last season and the DFB-Pokal. However, the manager was under pressure throughout the campaign, having been nine points behind Borussia Dortmund at one stage.
The Bavarians eventually finished the season on 78 points, two ahead of Dortmund. It was their lowest points total and the smallest winning margin in their seven-year run of titles.
Mourinho is one of several top coaches out of work:
Football journalist Carl Anka suggested the Special One would not be a good fit at the Allianz Arena, but writer Kaustubh Pandey could see it being a success:
Schweinsteiger worked with Mourinho at Manchester United in the 2016-17 season, although he made just four appearances under him before joining Chicago Fire.
The 56-year-old has won eight top-flight league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, as well as 13 other domestic honours. In Europe, he has won two UEFA Champions League titles, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Europa League.
Just one of those league titles has come since 2012, though—his final Premier League win with Chelsea in 2014-15.
Although he won three pieces of silverware and finished second in 2016-17—the only time United have collected more than 70 points since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013—his time at Old Trafford was characterised by negativity on and off the pitch.
He was eventually sacked in December last year after a poor start to last season, in a similar parallel to the end of his Chelsea career in 2015-16.
Mourinho is a serial winner, so in that sense, he could fit in at Bayern, but it would not be a surprise if his recent history were a turn-off to the club.