FC Bayern Munich
Nagelsmann tension before Messi duel: “It’s not enough like that”
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann was unhappy with the performance against Bochum. photo
© Peter Kneffel/dpa
The long wait for Lionel Messi and PSG is over for Bayern. In the warm-up against Bochum, only the result is right. Nagelsmann demands much more. The half-time break has the character of a speed dating event.
The tense Julian Nagelsmann was not at all comfortable with the thought of the Champions League show with Lionel Messi and Neymar. The lackluster performance of duty in the Bundesliga was not good enough for FC Bayern to increase confidence for the round of 16 spectacle against Paris Saint-Germain that had been awaited for around 100 days.
“We have to play an outstanding game in Paris, even if Mbappé may be out, because it’s a world-class team,” warned the Munich coach. After beating VfL Bochum 3-0, he finished with a concise prognosis: “If we play like this on Tuesday, it won’t be enough to advance.”
The 35-year-old was already annoyed at the performance of his own star ensemble before the PSG highlight during the half-time break when his visit to the dressing room had the character of speed dating. “We discussed a few other things, but that was done in 1:30 minutes,” said Nagelsmann. A little later he sat alone on the coach’s bench and watched “a few scenes” on the iPad. Did he still gain important insights before the trip to the French capital this Monday?
FCB coach critical
Before the first leg on Tuesday in the Prinzenpark (9 p.m. / Amazon Prime Video), Nagelsmann hinted that he had missed “fun”, “full throttle” and “enthusiasm” in the game against Bochum for his team, which was unbeaten this year. “In the end it’s a bit too little life,” he complained in a bad mood. On Sunday, he secretly gathered the players behind closed curtains on the training ground.
His professionals self-critically worked through the first home win in 2023, with which FC Bayern defended the lead in the table. “That wasn’t a great performance from us,” said Leon Goretzka, who reported a “rather intensive” half-time speech. “We definitely have to do a lot better against Paris – otherwise we don’t have a chance.” After the victory with goals from Thomas Müller, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry, the happy dancing to the “European Cup” shouts from the fans did not deceive.
Dispute New
Nagelsmann’s tension underscores the importance of the PSG summit for him personally after turbulent days in Bavaria with the heavily discussed Manuel Neuer dispute. A year after the shocking premier class knockout against the blatant outsiders FC Villarreal, the coach has to avert a knockout round to get a satisfactory grade for the season. Nagelsmann’s wish was fulfilled with the reorganization of his supervisory staff with the commitment of goalkeeping coach Michaelrechner as the successor to new intimate Toni Tapalovic. The bosses now really want to see success.
“There are trainers who bring eight or nine people to a club. That also makes sense. The bigger the club, the more sharks swim around you. And it’s not bad if you’re in the middle of the swarm and there are still a few puffer fish on the outside,” Nagelsmann said before the Bochum match. In the event of a crashing round of 16 defeat against France’s series champions, he is guaranteed to be threatened with shark alarm.
It’s already wilder with the mega-million club of offensive stars Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. The 1: 3 on Saturday at AS Monaco from Bayern loan Alexander Nübel was the fourth competitive defeat in 2023. Cabin trouble was reported. At the final training on Monday, the ailing Messi should be back as a great hope. On the other hand, Mbappé is probably missing at least in the first leg against Bayern.
Kimmich returns
Joshua Kimmich, as the leader, should ensure more life on the lawn for Munich after his yellow-red ban against Bochum. “We didn’t really get the energy that we wanted to put on the pitch,” said Goretzka, who was convincing in the Kimmich role. “Due to the recent past, we can no longer say that we are a team that can play from zero to 100 in important games.” You have to work it all out and play yourself into a frenzy.
“It could just be a bit more refreshing on the pitch. But you can see across Europe that the top teams don’t necessarily have it easy,” said Müller. They now want to take a good result from Paris and then “push progress over the finish line” in Munich, he said. The second leg will take place on March 8th in the Allianz Arena.