Sport
Julian Nagelsmann and his Champions League dream
Bayern Munich had suffered just one defeat in the Bundesliga this season – 1-0 loss against league rivals Borussia Dortmund – before Tuesday night’s clash against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, proving that a win against the Bundesliga champions is no easy task. Welcoming Carlo Ancelotti’s side to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena was Champions League chasing Achtzehn99, coached by Julian Nagelsmann.
By the time Nagelsmann was born, Ancelotti had already one Scudetto and four Coppa Italia’s to his name as an AS Roma midfielder, before making the switch to AC Milan in 1987. With a wealth of experience to his name, Tuesday’s clash saw the oldest and youngest coach in the Bundesliga pit their wits against one another.
The 29-year-old certainly doesn’t need an introduction. Tipped as a potential successor to both Bayern Munich and the Germany NT, Nagelsmann masterminded a 1-0 win against Bayern on Tuesday, propelling the young coach to further heights – in what is Hoffenheim’s first win over their league counterparts.
The Nagelsmann philosophy
Julian Nagelsmann’s Hoffenheim certainly outfoxed their opponents in the first-half. With the Bundesliga almost certainly going to Bayern (for another year), Carlo Ancelotti opted to start Euro 2016 Golden Boy Renato Sanches in midfield, awarding the Portugal international his first start since facing Atletico Madrid in December.
Nagelsmann and his coaching staff certainly saw this as a weak link, pressurising the youngster in the early stages which resulted in several wayward passes. In the opening eight minutes, Hoffenheim could easily have been three-nil up already. Sven Ulreich replaced the injured Manuel Neuer – whilst a good replacement – which led to uncertainty at the back for Bayern. Germany’s No. 1 likes to play as a sweeper-keeper, however Ulreich doesn’t venture out of his box too often and so Bayern’s highline meant that Sandro Wagner, Andrej Kramaric and Nadiem Amiri had a lot of space to play into.
Dominating the first-half, Niklas Süle and Sebastian Rudy certainly showed what they can offer Bayern when they both move to Bavaria over the summer. Second-half however was a different narrative.
Hoffenheim rode their luck on several occasions. Perhaps showing a little too much respect to Bayern, Achtzehn99 once again sat back, but this time it looked as though an equaliser was coming. Had it not have been for a Man of the Match performance from Oliver Baumann in the final half hour, then Hoffenheim could well have gone on to lose this fixture.
With Wagner, Kramiric, Amiri and Kerim Demirbay, Hoffenheim possess some of the Bundesliga’s hardest workforce; whilst their defence and balanced approach to games has seen them remain unbeaten at home this season.
From relegation to UCL
Becoming the youngest coach in Bundesliga history when Huub Stevens stepped down as head coach due to health reasons, Nagelsmann’s appointment came three months premature. Tasked with avoiding relegation, Nagelsmann finished one point above the dreaded relegation play-off, picking up 23 points from a possible 42, losing just five games.
With a net transfer of €13.5 million, Hoffenheim were doing the right things off the pitch, too. Losing both Roberto Firmino and Kevin Volland and the past two seasons, it looked as though the once promising generation could be over. However, Andrej Kramaric’s loan move was made permanent, whilst Kerim Demirbay, Kevin Vogt, Lukas Rupp and Sandro Wagner all arrived – for a fraction of the incoming transfers.
Smart off the pitch, Nagelsmann was also providing good, balanced football on the pitch. Hoffenheim went the Hinrunde unbeaten, which also resulted to them being the only remaining side who hadn’t faced a loss in Europe’s top five leagues. Although the majority were draws, the performances were there, which merited a place in Europe.
There had been question marks as to whether they may drop off in 2017 like RB Leipzig have done, however unlike the Red Bull owned club, Hoffenheim have strength in depth, and a lot of versatile players.
With recent results, the Sinsheim club are now nailed on to qualify for the Champions League next season, with Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund the remaining three who are also likely to qualify.
What next?
For Julian Nagelsmann, he’s already joked that if a call came from Real Madrid, then he would speak to Dietmar Hopp (Hoffenheim owner) about allowing to leave, however in the same press conference, the 29-year-old also confirmed they won’t be calling.
He’s been named as a potential successor to both Carlo Ancelotti and Joachim Löw but for now, he’s going to be remaining at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for the foreseeable future.
