The German Football Association (DFB) and the new national coach Julian Nagelsmann have initially agreed to work together until the home European Championships in 2024. After that, the former FC Bayern coach could be drawn away from the national team, believes an old companion.
“Julian’s greatest strengths lie on the pitch, his intuition, his quick thinking, his comprehension and also his ability to convey things. That’s why I’m fundamentally of the opinion that in the long term he belongs on the pitch every day because that’s where he feels can fully develop and bring in the entire range of his skills,” said Bernhard Peters, with whom Nagelsmann once worked at 1899 Hoffenheim.
The Kraichgauer team “saved Nagelsmann from a hopeless situation in his first professional position and then led them all the way to the Champions League,” praised Peters, who was then the youth director in Hoffenheim. “He was significantly younger than many players, but he immediately had their full attention. Because of his professionalism, but also because of his natural authority, that’s a gift. He intuitively did a lot of things right from his gut.”
Nagelsmann was an “extraordinary coaching talent” and was an “extraordinary guy,” said Peters. “He is rhetorically strong, has the ability to read a game and to carry players along with his temperament and win them over.”
National team: Julian Nagelsmann “a strong solution”
For the all-important European Championship finals in his own country next summer, Nagelsmann is “a strong solution. He is always up to date, very interested in all current developments. And his speed will also help him in this role. He can play in… “React incredibly well in a short period of time, in relation to your own team, but also quickly to changes in the opponent,” said Peters.
“Julian is often a meter faster than the opponent, and I am sure that he will also be able to do this at the European Championships. Germany will certainly present one or two tactical surprises with him over the course of the tournament,” added Hamburg’s former sports director SV and current consultant at Werder Bremen.