Nagelsmann in line of fire at Bayern when failing to deliver

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, August 4, 2022
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Head coach Julian Nagelsmann of Bayern Munich attends a training session in Munich, Germany, April 5, 2022. Bayern Munich of Germany will play against Villarreal CF of Spain in a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match in Spain's Vila-real on April 6. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)

With only a few days to go until the 2022-2023 season opener against Eintracht Frankfurt, the tone on Bayern's training campus seems getting stricter.

Fans see an entirely focused Julian Nagelsmann who seems to fade out everything happening outside the pitch.

Once the 35-year-old turns into his squad's stringent observer, then players in all corners of the grassroot rectangle can hear him shouting his instructions and demands.

It seems apparent the reigning German champion has entered the final stage of preparation ahead of a challenging season with the coach under close observation by the club leaders.

While sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has gained additional credit after an intense transfer summer coming along with prominent names such as Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt, Nagelsmann is expected to quickly trigger a new era of success.

Chairman Oliver Kahn recently spoke of the entire club being doomed to success; his comments are said to have targeted Nagelsmann as the foremost addressee.

Salihamidzic is expected to soon extend his end-of-season expiring contract.

For the coach, nothing less than the team's transformation from a spearhead relying side to a more flexible game has become the most pressing issue after investments of up to 140 million euros in new arrivals.

Next to a convincing strategy, the Bayern coach is expected to increase talent development significantly after Bayern signed several promising talents from all over Europe.

Last season's disappointing outcome mounting in a painful exit in the last eight rounds of the Champions League against underdog FC Villareal has left its marks.

Fans and club leaders concluded promising talents such as Jamal Musiala didn't get enough chances in the previous season to prove their class due to the coach relying on established forces. A strategy that didn't pay off in the coach's first year in charge.

Nagelsmann's second season now comes near a stress test without leaving much time for testing and the newly formed squad to get things in place.

The coaches' desire to act with a two-striker front line next to flexible strikers and midfielders behind has to work right from the start and open doors for titles on the international stage.

Nagelsmann announced fewer experiments but said he is heading for consistency. "I don't feel any pressure from outside," he said, adding that "Predictions came along in an apocalyptic way. The only one putting pressure on me is myself."

The Bayern coach said he regards the job ahead as a challenge meeting his desire to solve tricky issues.

"If I get fired, I get fired. In our job that isn't triggering similar turbulences as it does for employees in other jobs. Therefore, this is no matter of doing or dying," he said.

German record international Lothar Matthaeus spoke of the need for Nagelsmann to show his managing qualities "as he will have to deal with dissatisfied players having to wait on the bench."

Nagelsmann is required to act as a mediator keeping spirits high and the team together.

"The coach is aware last season was far from what made people happy. It wasn't Bayern-like."

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