GERMANY JOB PREPARING NAGELSMANN FOR ANOTHER BIG TEAM?

Germany’s 2014 World Cup squad that was led by Joachim Louw, was revered as ‘great foresight’ by the German FA’s (DFB) Head honchos. Following a relatively inspiring 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign that was hosted in their own backyard, the DFB knew that success was on the horizon as the cards were shuffled and Joachim Louw was handed the reigns to welcome a fresh approach to the German national team.

Fast forward, Louw managed to take Die Mannschaft to greater heights, reaching the 2008 EURO’s Final, finishing third place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup with a new-look German side that would eventually walk away with the big prize in the 2014 edition of the World Cup.

Following the successes of the Joachim Louw era, a downfall started to happen. It’s been a retold story about World Cup winners since 2006. ‘The winners of the previous edition of the World Cup, would ultimately not make it out of the Group Stages in the next one’ and after winning the last edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017, Germany’s free-fall started as they were knocked out in the Group Stages of the 2018 FIFA World.

Louw was then handed his last task as German head coach, which would be to lead the national team to a successful EURO 2020 campaign. But it would turn out to be another disastrous outing for Die Mannschaft as they exited in the Round of 16 of the competition. Following the 2020 EURO’s, Louw departed from the national team and his former assistant manager, Hansi Flick, would take over the reins after winning 6 trophies with Bayern Munich in what was initially meant to be an interim stay as head coach in Bavaria.

HANSI FLICK ERA

Flick’s tenure started off on a good note with the national team, leading them to string of victories that saw them become the first nation to qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Though the Germans were in good shape leading up to the World Cup, disaster struck again as Germany were eliminated in the group stages, again!

German Legend, Rudi Voller, would be called back on an interim basis to lead Die Mannschaft after an embarrassing 4-1 loss to Japan sealed Hansi Flick’s tenure as German manager. Enter Julian Nagelsmann. 

NAGELSMANN ERA

Before joining the German national team, Julian Nagelsmann was on the list of many big European clubs despite being at the helm of Bayern Munich at the time.

The young and charismatic tactician made a name for himself when he took Hoffenheim to a 3rd place finish in the Bundesliga, ultimately earning them a Champions League spot in the process.  

Nagelsmann was then handed a task at RB Leipzig as he led the team to a Champions League semi-final in 2020 and a DFB Pokal silver medal in 2021 before joining Bayern Munich.

It was there at Bayern where Nagelsmann would post a 71.4% win rate, losing only 10 games in the 84 matches he led the team. In that tenure, he won the Bundesliga title, two German Super Cups and achieved a 100% record in the 2022/23 Champions League campaign, winning all 8 of his games before the club sacked him. Much to everyone’s surprise.

The DFB wasted no time in appointing Nagelsmann as Rudi Voller was relieved from his interim duties as national team coach. Nagelsmann signed a short-term contract with the national team, with the aim of leading them to the 2024 edition of the EURO’s that will be hosted in their own backyard.

But as usual, Nagelsmann’s name is still on the list of many European teams as big managerial positions seem likely to open at the end of the current season. Bayern Munich will be seeking for a new coach while Barcelona and Liverpool are also on the lookout for a new mentor to lead their squads.

However, that hasn’t deterred Nagelsmann from his main goal with the national team. The most recent clash between Germany and France were a prime example of what Nagelsmann can do with a star-studded squad, which is probably a good audition for high profile clubs that are seeking the services of Nagelsmann.

Though many might question Nagelsmann’s age and his aptitude when disaster strikes, the German tactician seems to still be on the radar of the big clubs.

His next task is against Netherlands, a team that has once again found its footing under Ronald Koeman and will be a worthy opponent as both teams prepare for the upcoming EURO’s.