The former Bayern Munich coach is experiencing a different managerial task now at the DFB.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann surprised a few when he opted to make the leap from club to national team football after his Bayern Munich tenure.
But the move has opened eyes as well as hearts — including his own.
The former Bayern tactics man has embraced a more human touch in his evolution…but is that down to the differences between club and international football, or his personal growth? Maybe a little of both, as Nagelsmann alluded to in a recent interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine.
The following question was posed to him — hey, we’re not the ones who called him a nerd about it, okay? — as captured by @iMiaSanMia:
You have always been considered a ‘tactics nerd’, but as a national team coach you place much more value on the emotional side. Are you sometimes amazed by this discovery about yourself? [@faznet]
“In retrospect, I could have done more of that at club level too. That’s one of the things I learned, and what I didn’t do optimally at club level,” Nagelsmann responded. “I never saw myself as an aloof coach. But it’s just the way it is that you can achieve more through training at club than in the national team.
“As a national team coach, the team, the structure, the atmosphere and the heartfelt connection to the team are some of the most important things. Here I have to hug the players more. It’s my team, I chose the players. And when I see the pictures of the Euros documentary, I feel extremely strongly that the players embody and feel exactly the same thing that I embody and feel: that we played a good tournament, but we’re not done yet.”
At 37, Nagelsmann is still young for a coach, and should have many more years in a career that will surely include a return to club football at some point. Having come up in the ranks on a reputation of tactical wizardry, the German is now expanding his approach. Perhaps this stint with the national team is exactly what both he — and the German MNT — needed.
Looking for thoughts and analysis on the German national team’s call-up list? Awesome, then check out a Bavarian Podcast Works — Special Edition show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
