Bundesliga

2021-07-08T07:20:00Z

Julian Nagelsmann: "As emotional as my style of football"

New Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann has promised that he will be as passionate as ever on the sideline.
New Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann has promised that he will be as passionate as ever on the sideline.

New Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann has said he won't change his "emotional" style as he vowed to get his side playing an attacking, captivating, and flexible brand of football.

Nagelsmann officially succeeded incoming Germany coach Hansi Flick on 1 July, and the 33-year-old childhood Bayern fan is keen to continue where he left off with RB Leipzig.

"I am a young and emotional coach," he told Bayern TV. "I've always been pretty loud on the sideline and I don't think I'll be able to change that at Bayern. I will certainly adapt to a few things but I will remain emotional.

"I try to play an offensive and variable style of football for the fans… I'm as emotional on the sideline as I expect my style of football to be, and I try to transfer this feeling to the fans and of course to the players."

Nagelsmann will be tasked with guiding Bayern to a tenth consecutive German league title as well as helping them become European champions for a seventh time. He expects the imminent return of supporters to the Allianz Arena to help with that, and promises that the Bayern faithful will not be disappointed.

Watch: Learn about Nagelsmann's innovative tactics

"I think the style of football you can expect is clear - first of all we have to be successful," he said. "I mentioned that I like my football to be emotional and captivating, offensive and flexible. We want to score a lot of goals and maintain defensive stability at the same time.

"The Bayern team is outstanding and boasts many outstanding individual players of outstanding character. On top of that they've been very successful over the past few years and last year in particular [when they won a sextuple of trophies]. My main job is to continue to be successful.

"I don't have to change everything. I have to bring out the quality of the team in every game in the [UEFA] Champions League, DFB Cup, [DFL] Supercup and Bundesliga.

"Once the fans return I want to us play emotionally and offensively so that the fans can identify with us. The fans have to be ready to return and unleash one-and-a-half years of pent-up energy. I want everyone to say it was worth spending the money to come and see us play.

"I want it to be fun for everybody because in the end football is a game that has to be fun for the players and the coaches as well as for the fans in the stadiums and at home. That's what I try to achieve in my everyday work."

Nagelsmann's new role is the latest step in what has already been a remarkable life story. Having cherished his Bayern bed sheets as a child and idolised the club's former attacking midfielder Mehmet Scholl, in his early 20s he had to "give up the dream" of a long playing career due to injury.

He then worked as a youth coach with Augsburg, 1860 Munich and Hoffenheim before spending three-and-a-half years as head coach of the latter club and two seasons at Leipzig. He admits it's been "crazy" seeing how his career has evolved after taking up the "very tempting challenge" of taking charge at the record German champions.

"I turn 34 in July and to have the chance to become the head coach of Bayern at that age is obviously due to my past. My time at Hoffenheim and Leipzig went well for me but sometimes I do have to pinch myself. It's not a normal career trajectory."

Julian Nagelsmann (l.) previously worked with Bayern Munich attacker Serge Gnabry (r.) when the Germany international was on loan at Hoffenheim for the 2017/18 season.

Nagelsmann is happy to be reunited with his former Hoffenheim players Serge Gnabry and Niklas Süle - as well as ex-Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano - all of whom can help with getting his ideas across to the rest of the squad.

He's happier still about the fact that his success has brought him back to his native Bavaria, and closer to his picturesque home town of Landsberg am Lech in the south of the country.

"In the past I worked between 200 and 500 miles away from home, and now it's not even 40 miles," he explained. "I'm basically back home and get to work for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It's an extraordinary combination that makes me very happy. I sometimes have to ask myself if this is all real - but right now it feels pretty real."

Nagelsmann's first competitive match in charge of Bayern will be against fifth-tier side Bremer SV in the DFB Cup on the first full weekend of August. The nine-in-a-row Bundesliga champions then begin their league title defence at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday 13 August.

Related news
Discover more

Finding out who is broadcasting your favourite game is as easy as:

  1. Download the Bundesliga app
  2. Click on matches
  3. Get where to watch the game according to your location!