FOOTBALL

Nagelsmann to Bayern: How and why it happened

Published

3 years ago

May 3, 2021

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Ever since Hansi Flick announced that he would leave Bayern Munich at the end of this season, the rumour mill started heating up linking a host of high-profile managers with the Allianz Arena hot seat.

All speculations came to an end when Julian Nagelsmann was named as Flick’s successor.

Nagelsmann, 33, is one of the youngest managers in the game, but he has already enriched his resume to such an extent that a European powerhouse like Bayern Munich is entrusting their future to him.

He has some pretty big shoes to fill at Bayern.

Flick’s Bayern Munich reign lasted only 18 months.

But, within that time, he guided the club to a treble, won UEFA’s Manager of the Season crown, and all but ensured Bayern’s Bundesliga triumph this season. He set the bar to an astounding height.

Nagelsmann has earned his name as a tactical genius.

During his Hoffenheim and Leipzig days, he exhibited his ability to read games and nurture young talents.

On paper, it seems like the Bayern Munich hierarchy has found the right candidate to sustain the team’s dominance.

How Bayern Got Nagelsmann

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was hopeful of convincing Flick to extend his stay at the club.

But, when it became evident that the former Germany assistant manager will not turn down the Die Mannschaft job, he started the proceedings to find a suitable candidate.

German football insiders suggest that Rummenigge has always fancied Nagelsmann as a future Bayern Munich manager.

So, when Flick made it clear that his race has been run as a Bayern manager, Nagelsmann became one of the top candidates for the vacancy.

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and executive member Oliver Kahn played a more proactive role in securing Nagelsmann’s signature.

Kahn, who will replace Rummenigge as the Bayern CEO next year, approached RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff to begin the proceedings.

The legendary German goalkeeper also reached out to Red Bull managing director Dietrich Mateschitz.

Salihamidzic was also involved in the talks. The word on the street is that Bayern had to pay €25 million for Nagelsmann’s signature.

Rummenigge played down the claims that Bayern had paid a world record fee for a manager to get Nagelsmann on board.

However, reports coming out of Germany are still suggesting that Leipzig received a hefty sum of €25 million to let go of their manager.

What Tactical Changes Will Nagelsmann make?

Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and Jerome Boateng are important members of the Bayern Munich dressing room.

But, all of them are on the wrong side of their thirties. So, Bayern Munich will have to nurture a youthful core going forward.

Developing young players is one of Nagelsmann’s managerial strengths.

He has managed youth teams at 1860 Munich, but it was at Hoffenheim where he honed his skill to polish uncut gems.

He made history leading a youthful Hoffenheim side to their first-ever Champions League spot finis in 2016/17.

During his RB Leipzig stint, he brought the best out of youngsters like Timo Werner, Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano, and Cristopher Nkunku.

Therefore, Nagelsmann can be the perfect man to oversee the change of guard at Allianz Arena and inspire a new generation of players.

Bayern Munich have been sloppy at the back, despite enjoying tremendous success under Flick.

Their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed in the Champions League tie against PSG. They also shipped 40 goals in the league this season, which is further proof of their defensive insufficiencies.

Nagelsmann has been compared with Jose Mourinho for the defensive solidarity of his teams.

However, Nagelsmann’s philosophy of defending differs from that of Mourinho’s. Instead of deploying a defensive block like the Portuguese, Nagelsmann uses his defence as a medium of pressing.

Nagelsmann attempts to limit the passing options of opposition forwards by deploying his fullbacks at advanced positions.

In tandem with wingers, fullbacks, and a central midfielder, Nagelsmann’s teams nip the opposition attack in the bud through counter-pressing.

At Leipzig, Angelino occupied the most advanced positions on the pitch in average, despite playing as a wing back.

Therefore, he was able to make as many as 17 goal contributions for Die Roten Bullen. Nagelsmann can find a similar sort of dynamism with Alphonso Davies and Benjamin Pavard as wingbacks at Bayern.

Joshua Kimmich can also play wingback, if Nagelsmann doesn’t use him as a holding midfielder.

Dayot Upamecano will continue working with Nagelsmann at his new club.

Since David Alaba and Boateng would be leaving at the end of this season, we can say with almost certainty that the Frenchman will be the new face of Bayern’s new defensive core.

If Nagelsmann opts for a three-man defence, Lucas Hernandez will occupy the left side of the defensive three.

On the right, it could be Pavard, but his attacking attributes could be a better suit for an advanced position. Therefore, Niklas Sule, who played for Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim, would be in contention to play as the right-sided centre-back.

The reliance on wingbacks indicates that Nagelsmann wants his teams to construct their attacks through the flanks. The likes of Kingsley Coman, Alphonso Davies, Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry should thrive in this model.

With more proactive wingers, there would be more space left to exploit for the centre forward. So, don’t expect Robert Lewandowski hitting a dry patch in the near future.

In Julian Nagelsmann, Bayern Munich will be getting a tactical mastermind.

Hopefully, he will get the freedom to implement his ideas at the club. It is impossible to build a successful team without a harmonious relationship between the manager and the authority.

Hopefully, the Bayern Munich administration will realize that and let Nagelsmann work his wonders.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

2 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.