“The force underestimated”
How Nagelsmann offended the Bayern bosses
June 16, 2026 – 7:56 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Julian Nagelsmann started at Bayern with a title and a long winning streak. Behind the scenes, the coach rubbed shoulders with parts of the club’s top management early on.
With his first win as head coach of FC Bayern, the pressure fell. Because when Julian Nagelsmann and the German record champions defeated Borussia Dortmund (3-1) in the Supercup 2021, they immediately won their first title together. That was important for the young coach Nagelsmann, who was only 34 years old at the time and only managed a 1-1 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach at the start of the season.
And not only that. Winning the Supercup marked the start of a dominant phase: Nagelsmann and Bayern won 12 of 13 games, scored 59 times and only conceded 7 goals. The club seemed satisfied with the signing of the native of Upper Bavaria. “What was hoped for in Nagelsmann works and can be seen immediately,” explains t-online reporter Julian Buhl in the t-online podcast “Julian Nagelsmann – The Youngest One”.
Embed
The former Leipzig coach brought a breath of fresh air to Munich, “perhaps he overdid it a bit in certain places with his young, hip, flippant manner,” said Buhl. What does he mean by that? When Bayern President Herbert Hainer came to the training ground, Nagelsmann once greeted him with: “Yes, hello, Präsi!” Our t-online reporter knows that the statement was not well received by everyone in the Munich leadership team. Because “the issue of respect and a bit of arrogance” also plays a role for certain people.
Age wasn’t the problem
DAZN expert Sebastian Kneißl, on the other hand, sees no problem with Nagelsmann’s young style at the time, as the results were correct. Instead, he notices something else. “I noticed that he may have underestimated the power of public interest,” he says in the t-online podcast. Nagelsmann may also have underestimated the public feedback within the club from higher levels as well as the pressure from the dressing room.
