Nagelsmann eager to return next Tuesday for Champions League

Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-29 21:39:42|Editor: huaxia

By Oliver Trust

BERLIN, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Julian Nagelsmann is optimistic about physically returning to his team shortly.

The 34-year-old said he most likely can leave quarantine by next Tuesday to be around for the Champions League group encounter against Benfica on home soil.

The fully vaccinated Bayern coach has been tested positive for COVID-19 on October 20, while on his way to face the Portuguese side in an away game.

Nagelsmann said he can't wait to return as he had to run his team from his apartment in a specially set up command center equipped with additional electronic devices provided by his employer.

"You might see what is wrong with your team on TV. But coaching is about what you tell your players eye-to-eye and having to go through all sorts of different situations," the former Leipzig coach told Xinhua ahead of the league encounter against Union Berlin.

Nagelsmann's conclusions might be driven by the devastating experience of having to stay at home while the 2020 treble winner got pulverized in the second round of the German Cup against national rival Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-0.

"My kitchen is still perfectly ok. I didn't damage anything," Nagelsmann stated.

"It's just the neighbors; they might have heard me freaking out as I jumped around and yelling in front of my TV."

There are still some leftovers of the devastating defeat. "We will get over that, but it remains a big stone in our garden. Now it's about making the best out of it, meaning we have to turn our heads to the future and learn from that."

His team might not have been prepared for a game "with nothing working for us, but all for the opponent," the Bayern coach said.

His players mostly were used to create dominance and to administer success, he added. Humans are creatures of habit in his perspective.

"We might have to think about answers that might not be Bayern-like while we remain one of Europe's best sides. It's my job now to provide solutions," Nagelsmann stated after intense talks with team leaders.

"We will get that out of our heads, but it assumedly takes a while." The primary target is to concentrate on things "we can influence and that's the future."

The team and he came about not to again wanting to experience something like that "as it hearts very much."

If a coach can't manage to turn things to good, he won't be on Bayern's bench for long, he said.

The future is about always confirming Bayern's state as a leading team.

The Bayern coach backed wavering central Dayot Upamecano, who has delivered a poor performance. The former Leipzig defender is still young and, has to learn to adjust his game style to his opponents.

"When crossing swords with a similar physical strong player like Breel Embolo you have to act smarter and sometimes pull away. It can have a fatal effect when a defender is losing five duels in a game. It is much less dangerous when a striker is losing these five battles."

His team is desperate to return to happiness by running the upcoming games against Union, Benfica, and Freiburg successfully, the Bayern coach said. Enditem

KEY WORDS: Sports,Soccer,Germany
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