It was Thomas Tuchel who once made Julian Nagelsmann a trainer. Already at the beginning of their careers, the two “clashed a few times”. Now the former master is replacing his former apprentice.
On Saturday, Thomas Tuchel was introduced as the coach of FC Bayern Munich. He succeeds Julian Nagelsmann, who was released shortly before. “It’s never nice. I can imagine that it feels very, very modest for Julian. But it’s not my responsibility,” said Tuchel at the presentation in the arena, where he will soon take his place on the coaching bench. on which Nagelsmann sat until recently.
One of the most sought-after German coaches with a Champions League title to his credit succeeds what is perhaps the most talented coach in world football. Tuchel’s availability will certainly have played a role in Bayern bosses’ decision to sack Nagelsmann. It was once up to Tuchel that Nagelsmann became a coach at all.
First meeting at FC Augsburg
That was in Augsburg in 2007. Both men were significantly younger and were at the very beginning of their world careers. The paths of Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann crossed for the first time in the second team of FC Augsburg. Tuchel was a trainer in the youth academy and just took over the second team of the Swabians. Nagelsmann, who spent much of his youth at FCA as a player, returned from TSV 1860 Munich.
With the lions he had a year full of injuries without a competitive game. At FC Augsburg he wanted to attack again. But things turned out differently. After an operation for meniscus and cartilage damage, Nagelsmann ended his career at the age of just 20.
Scout Nagelsmann with paper, pen and handheld camera
It was Tuchel who came up with the idea of involving Nagelsmann – after all, he was still being paid by FCA until the end of the 2007/08 season – in a different way: the ex-player became the new scout under Tuchel. Nagelsmann recalled the bizarre beginnings in a Tuchel biography: “That was funny,” says Nagelsmann. In the beginning he drove to the opponent’s games with his current ex-wife: “She filmed with the hand-held camera and I took notes at the same time. Paper, pen and hand-held camera – there was nothing more.”
Tuchel recommends Nagelsmann 1860 Munich
Although Nagelsmann first had to get used to the new task, he impressed Tuchel with his analysis of the opponents and recognized the potential. That’s why he suggested after a few weeks “I should become a coach if I can’t play anymore. He thinks I’m talented for it because of the way I think and how I speak. I should definitely do that try it,” remembers Nagelsmann in the biography.
When Tuchel left FC Augsburg for Mainz in 2008, he recommended that Nagelsmann, who was 14 years his junior, take a look at TSV 1860 Munich: they were looking for a coach for the U17s.
The rapid rise of Julian Nagelsmann
The rest seemed almost a modern football fairy tale: After the Mainz youth, Tuchel first took over the pros, then Dortmund, coached Paris Saint-Germain and coached Chelsea to the Champions League title. Nagelsmann developed in just eight years from coaching novices in youth teams to Bundesliga coach, first took over TSG Hoffenheim, switched to RB Leipzig, rejected an offer from Real Madrid and finally switched to FC Bayern Munich.
There he should actually lead the fortunes of Munich for years. But the fairytale career got the first serious damper last Thursday. The dismissal at the largest club in Germany. His successor is, of all people, his former sponsor.
Nagelsmann: “Clashed a few times”
However, the two coaches never became best friends. They had already “clashed a few times in Augsburg,” says Nagelsmann, and today the relationship is “normal: we’ve never had an extremely close relationship.” According to the latest developments, this ratio will probably not improve for the time being.
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