“He
speaks
fast
and
says
a
lot
of
things
in
a
short
time,”
he
said.
“It
could
take
some
time
to
get
used
to
it.”
It
can
be
hard
keeping
up
with
Nagelsmann,
his
brain
seemingly
overflowing
with
ideas
and
ways
to
make
his
teams
as
versatile
as
possible.
Bayern
haven’t
had
a
coach
this
technical
since
Pep
Guardiola,
someone
whose
view
of
how
the
game
should
be
played
has
left
the
greatest
impression
on
Nagelsmann.
“I’m
someone
who
likes
to
say
a
lot
and
says
what
he
thinks,”
Nagelsmann
said
recently.
It
seems
that
there
will
be
a
period
of
acclimitizing
to
the
new
coach’s
straight-talking
style,
a
marked
change
from
the
more
discreet
approach
of
his
predecessor,
Hansi
Flick.
Capacity
for
improvement
Bayern’s
opening
game
of
the
season
is
also
the
Bundesliga
curtain-raiser
on
Friday
night.
It’s
a
tricky
assignment
at
Borussia
Mönchengladbach,
who
are
also
under
new
management
–
a
common
theme
among
the
top
German
clubs
this
year.
Half
of
the
Bundesliga’s
18
clubs
have
switched
coach
in
the
close
season,
including
an
unprecedented
seven
of
last
season’s
top
eight.
Nagelsmann
has
a
reputation
for
improving
teams
and
the
individuals
within
them,
and
there
were
a
few
who
stagnated
at
Bayern
last
season.
Alphonso
Davies,
Serge
Gnabry
and
Leroy
Sane
all
struggled
to
capture
the
consistency
of
previous
seasons
and
it
will
be
these
three
that
Nagelsmann
has
identified
as
having
the
greatest
capacity
for
improvement.
All
three
could
flourish
in
his
favored
3-4-3
formation.
Bayern
improving
is
a
frightening
prospect
for
the
rest
of
the
league.
Their
level
dropped
off
at
times
last
season
–
as
the
shock
German
Cup
defeat
at
Holstein
Kiel
illustrated
–
but
still
won
the
league
by
13
points.
That’s
more
of
a
concern
for
the
Bundesliga’s
challengers
than
for
Bayern,
who
are
expected
to
make
it
10
in
a
row.
The
Champions
League
will
be
the
true
litmus
test
though
—
how
Nagelsmann
would
love
to
go
one
better
than
Guardiola
did
in
Bavaria
in
that
regard.
Changing
of
the
guard
Nagelsmann
is
inheriting
a
team
in
transition
though.
David
Alaba’s
move
to
Real
Madrid
is
symbolic
of
change
in
Munich
as
the
Austrian
has
been
synonymous
with
Bayern’s
decade
of
dominance,
and
of
course
a
gifted
player
whose
versatility
Nagelsmann
would
have
loved
to
maximize.
Jerome
Boateng,
too,
has
moved
on
—
another
player
whose
years
of
service
had
come
to
represent
the
club’s
stability
and
success.
Dayot
Upamecano
is
less
versatile
than
Alaba
but
was
vital
to
Nagelsmann’s
system
at
RB
Leipzig.
The
French
centerback’s
penchant
for
stepping
up
and
providing
an
extra
man
in
midfield
will
take
some
of
the
responsibility
off
Joshua
Kimmich
and
help
free
Leon
Goretzka’s
best
instincts.
It’s
a
system
that
has
all
the
ingredients
to
work
well
for
Bayern.
This
season
should
also
be
a
big
one
for
Jamal
Musiala,
who
signed
a
new
five-year
contract
with
the
club
earlier
this
year
and
seems
set
to
be
the
face
of
Bayern’s
new
era.
The
impressive
deep-lying
forward
may
start
to
pressure
Thomas
Müller,
who
is
almost
32,
for
a
starting
berth
sooner
rather
than
later.
All
eyes
will
be
on
how
Nagelsmann
handles
the
team’s
ageing
core
of
Müller,
Manuel
Neuer,
Robert
Lewandowski
in
the
next
couple
of
years.
Each
of
these
club
legends
has
gas
in
the
tank
—
Lewandowski
scored
40
in
the
league
last
season
—
but
are
also
approaching
their
twilight
years
with
Neuer
already
35
and
Lewandowski
turning
33
soon
after
the
season
starts.
That
will
be
as
much
of
a
job
in
public
relations
as
coaching
dexterity
for
Nagelsmann.
A
plan
of
succession
will
rise
up
the
agenda
as
time
goes
on,
but
is
more
the
job
of
Bayern’s
new
CEO,
Oliver
Kahn,
and
sporting
director
Hasan
Salihamidzic.
Who
can
challenge
Bayern?
Despite
the
problems,
Bayern
remain
overwhelming
favorites
to
win
the
Bundesliga
–
and
for
good
reason.
RB
Leipzig
were
the
closest
challengers
last
season,
but
having
been
stripped
of
their
coach
and
lost
both
center
backs,
they
lack
the
squad
or
experience
to
challenge.
That’s
despite
the
shrewd
acquisition
of
Andre
Silva
as
Timo
Werner’s
belated
replacement.
Borussia
Dortmund
ended
last
season
strongly
and
are
likely
to
be
the
most
likely
to
challenge
Bayern,
but
much
will
depend
on
how
they
can
serve
Erling
Haaland
following
the
departure
of
Jadon
Sancho.
Marco
Rose
is
an
exciting
appointment,
but
can
Dortmund
win
a
first
title
since
2012?
It’s
highly
unlikely.
There’s
reason
to
believe
that
Eintracht
Frankfurt,
coached
by
the
promising
Oliver
Glasner,
and
Gladbach,
now
led
by
Adi
Hütter,
could
enjoy
fruitful
seasons
too,
but
it
would
take
an
extraordinary
leap
of
faith
to
believe
that
either
of
them
—
or
anyone
—
can
de-throne
Bayern.
It
begs
the
question
of
whether
Bayern’s
dominance
is
a
problem
for
the
marketability
of
the
Bundesliga
if
the
lack
of
competition
at
the
top
eats
away
at
its
wider
appeal.
The
answer
is
of
course
yes,
but
the
Bundesliga
can
take
solace
in
the
fact
that
they’re
not
alone.
The
trend
has
been
clear
across
the
continent
for
some
time
already.
Bayern’s
relentless
success
cannot
be
blamed
on
them
—
they’ve
done
everything
by
the
rules
even
if
some
of
their
commericial
partnerships
are
questionable
—
The
responsibility
lies
with
Dortmund,
RB
Leipzig
et
al
to
pick
up
the
slack
and
there’s
not
a
great
deal
the
Bundesliga
can
do
about
it.
But
that’s
not
Nagelsmann’s
problem.
Born
and
raised
in
the
nearby
Bavarian
town
of
Landsberg
am
Lech,
he
has
stepped
into
his
dream
job.
It’s
a
new
era
for
Germany’s
successful
club,
and
if
the
fast-talking
Nagelsmann
can
get
his
message
across,
there’s
every
chance
their
domestic
dominance
will
continue
not
only
this
season
but
well
into
a
second
decade.
Source:
DW
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