Remembering the disaster of 1991/92, Bayern Munich's worst season in modern history

This is a team that has won the European Cup six times and includes notable alumni such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Sepp Maier, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Matthaus and Philipp Lahm. It is a world-renowned brand that represents excellence. Bayern Munich is synonymous with trophies and success.

But as difficult as it may seem, they have endured ups and downs like all teams - the difference being that a Bayern 'down' is still what most other teams dream of.

But there is one season that will forever live on in infamy in Bayern history, a season in the 1990s when they were, frankly, pretty terrible. Of course, terrible for Die Roten is relative - we're not talking about relegation here - but by their high standards they turned into a mediocre team for 12 months. The season in question took place in 1991/92.

What is more surprising is that there were no immediate signs before the crisis to come. The 1986/87 campaign saw Bayern under Udo Lattek win the Bundesliga, the manager under whom Die Roten had dominated Europe in the 1970s.

It turned out to be his last season before he was replaced by Jupp Heynckes, who ironically had also replaced Lattek when he became coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1979. Although unable to replicate the incredible success of Foals in the 1970s, Heynckes led them to fourth place. berths ended in 1985 and 1986, followed by third place in 1987 with a UEFA Cup semi-final, putting him on Bayern's radar.

Heynckes' first season (1987/88) saw Bayern fail to retain their title as an emerging Werder Bremen secured glory under Otto Rehhagel. With strikers Karl-Heinz Riedle and Frank Neubarth, and a defense that conceded just 22 goals in 34 games, Bremen finished four points clear of second-placed Bayern after beating them 3-1 in a key Week 26 encounter. But normal service soon resumed when Bayern lifted the Bundesliga the following year while also reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

The 1989/90 season saw Bayern even more dominant, again winning the Bundesliga by six points while this time reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup, before falling to AC Milan in the three Dutch masters. Looking at the team that season, it should be noted that there were no world famous stars. The strike duo of Roland Wohlfarth and Alan McInally, while effective, were hardly names that would have worried Baresi, Maldini and co. But it was still enough to dominate Germany.

Thus, the summer of 1990 saw Heynckes strengthen the team by bringing in

Sports May 11, 2023 0 40 Add to Reading List

This is a team that has won the European Cup six times and includes notable alumni such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Sepp Maier, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Matthaus and Philipp Lahm. It is a world-renowned brand that represents excellence. Bayern Munich is synonymous with trophies and success.

But as difficult as it may seem, they have endured ups and downs like all teams - the difference being that a Bayern 'down' is still what most other teams dream of.

But there is one season that will forever live on in infamy in Bayern history, a season in the 1990s when they were, frankly, pretty terrible. Of course, terrible for Die Roten is relative - we're not talking about relegation here - but by their high standards they turned into a mediocre team for 12 months. The season in question took place in 1991/92.

What is more surprising is that there were no immediate signs before the crisis to come. The 1986/87 campaign saw Bayern under Udo Lattek win the Bundesliga, the manager under whom Die Roten had dominated Europe in the 1970s.

It turned out to be his last season before he was replaced by Jupp Heynckes, who ironically had also replaced Lattek when he became coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1979. Although unable to replicate the incredible success of Foals in the 1970s, Heynckes led them to fourth place. berths ended in 1985 and 1986, followed by third place in 1987 with a UEFA Cup semi-final, putting him on Bayern's radar.

Heynckes' first season (1987/88) saw Bayern fail to retain their title as an emerging Werder Bremen secured glory under Otto Rehhagel. With strikers Karl-Heinz Riedle and Frank Neubarth, and a defense that conceded just 22 goals in 34 games, Bremen finished four points clear of second-placed Bayern after beating them 3-1 in a key Week 26 encounter. But normal service soon resumed when Bayern lifted the Bundesliga the following year while also reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

The 1989/90 season saw Bayern even more dominant, again winning the Bundesliga by six points while this time reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup, before falling to AC Milan in the three Dutch masters. Looking at the team that season, it should be noted that there were no world famous stars. The strike duo of Roland Wohlfarth and Alan McInally, while effective, were hardly names that would have worried Baresi, Maldini and co. But it was still enough to dominate Germany.

Thus, the summer of 1990 saw Heynckes strengthen the team by bringing in