All is not well again
One thing really annoys Nagelsmann at Bayern
2/3/2023, 3:35 p.m
Is everything running again at Bayern? No way. Coach Julian Nagelsmann looks serious before the cracker against Wolfsburg. It’s not just the series of draws that really annoys him – but he also knows the key to the cup success in Mainz.
Julian Nagelsmann looked tense for one who might be relieved. The result crisis has only once been overcome by the convincing cup success in Mainz, the phase of frustration seems to be over. The FC Bayern coach, however, took a look at VfL Wolfsburg ahead of Sunday’s game (5.30 p.m./DAZN and in the live ticker at ntv.de) mostly serious. Yes, “the performance in Mainz was similar to that before Christmas”, but: “We now want to score three points in the Bundesliga.”
Opponents or not, Nagelsmann is convinced, despite the last three draws in league operations, that nobody can hold a candle to his team nationally. “In the end, I know we have the best squad in the Bundesliga,” even “if we play the opponent without an idea, we’re capable of winning,” he said. Restriction: The best squad must also “put its quality on the pitch week after week, day after day”.
That obviously worked very well against Mainz. A special speech was not necessary beforehand, reported Nagelsmann, his team had a “great self-demand”, meaning: “She is able to give her own answers”, she knows “how she has to appear ” in order to be able to show maximum performance. And in Mainz, there she just performed like before Christmas, that was a “very good performance”.
“The whole palaver is too much for me”
A key to success against Mainz was that Nagelsmann played with a three-man defense, but the discussions about the tactical arrangement really got on his nerves. “The whole basic order palaver is too much for me,” he said, it’s just “about how to put the basic division on the pitch”. That was “okay” against Mainz, “there was life in it”. Strictly speaking, it’s also “in the Christmas tree, you just have to be in a good mood”.
Basically, nothing will change in terms of the basic offensive attitude, that’s “part of my DNA,” said Nagelsmann. Accordingly, Wolfsburg can also prepare for stormy Bayern, even if the Munich coach knows that the team of former Bayern coach Niko Kovac is going at an “extreme pace” and has “good processes”. His plan: “You have to try to create dominance. We’re definitely capable of that.”
Two players also contributed to this dominance against Mainz, which Nagelsmann expressly praised again on Friday. Jamal Musiala had put in a “world-class performance” and João Cancelo’s debut in the Munich shirt also made him very optimistic for the coming weeks with the Champions League clashes against Paris St. Germain. The new man “give us a good rest in the offensive third, it will do us good”.