Now it’s official: Julian Nagelsmann will be the new national coach and will lead the German national team to the home European Championships next year. The 36-year-old has signed a contract until the European Championships.
When he was introduced, Nagelsmann said he was full of anticipation for the office, but also felt a sense of responsibility to have “an entire nation behind him” at a home European Championship. On the way to the tournament, he wanted to “inspire people with good football” and create a good atmosphere. It was anything but good recently.
The new coach wants to focus on a game idea “that is easy to implement”. Especially in difficult moments, it is important that “the players have something they can grab onto.” The national team’s style of play will “not be as complex as in club football,” he said; it will be designed to “show attractive football” and “give the players support.” The former Bundesliga coach (FC Bayern, Leipzig, Hoffenheim) strives for “a healthy aggressiveness towards the opponent’s goal”.
Nagelsmann succeeds Hansi Flick, who was released as national coach about two weeks ago. Flick was already Nagelsmann’s predecessor when he became coach at FC Bayern in 2021. His long-time assistant Benjamin Glück and his former player Sandro Wagner support him as assistant coach. Wagner, who led SpVgg Unterhaching to the third division last year, recently sat on the bench as assistant coach to Rudi Völler in the international match against France (2-1).
Völler: “His fire for football is noticeable and contagious”
The DFB sent words of praise to the new national coach in advance. In a press release, Rudi Völler called Nagelsmann an absolute “football expert” and said he was the preferred candidate from the start. “His fire for football is palpable and contagious.” DFB President Bernd Neuendorf emphasized the importance of the European Championships for “all of football in Germany”. He is convinced that the tournament will be a sporting success with Nagelsmann in the coaching bench.
Nagelsmann and his team don’t have much time to get used to their new job: Germany will play in the USA on October 14th and against Mexico four days later. “There are always pros and cons for trips like this, for me it’s a pro because I can spend a lot of time with the team,” said Nagelsmann.