So Julian Nagelsmann did not want to go completely out of the way with the language about the incident at half-time. With Atlético coach Diego Simeone, the RB Leipzig coach obviously clashed quite violently on Thursday evening during the half-time break. Was it possible that the Estádio José Alvalade was actually getting down to business?
In the joy of the semi-finals, Nagelsmann did not want to overestimate the matter after the 2-1 (0-0) against the Spaniards in the Champions League blitz tournament and reported a “very warm congratulations” from Siemones after the final whistle. But: “At halftime I wanted to make it clear that he is a scary winner, that he also wants to win in the cabin tunnel,” Nagelsmann hinted at the dispute.
“That I held the necessary against it, that it ended in a draw in the cabin tunnel and that we won the game,” he continued his story somewhat cryptically, ending with a compliment for his colleague known as a hot head: “I didn’t want to dramatize that , but emphasize that I think the type is cool, that he probably wants to win even in the Schnick-Schnack-Schnuck. “
Now Nagelsmann is looking forward to the semifinals against Paris Saint-Germain because of his coaching colleague Thomas Tuchel. “Games against him are always interesting because he has a good idea about football. I hope that I will come up with a good idea and that the guys will perform like that again. Then we’ll have a good game, ”said the RB Leipzig coach after beating Atlético in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals on Tuesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League, Sky and DAZN) in Lisbon against PSG, Nagelsmann will also meet his former coach. Tuchel trained the now 33-year-old at FC Augsburg II in the 2007/08 season. “Of course I was his player, but that was a long time ago. I’m in day-to-day business, just like him, “said Nagelsmann. “The media would like that a bit, but that doesn’t exist in the real world of football.”
Both had “never had an extremely intimate relationship,” revealed Nagelsmann. “The relationship has been normal since he joined PSG. We always wrote SMS, exchanged information about, for example, Christopher Nkunku when the transfer was due. “
After the victories against José Mourinho’s Tottenham and Diego Simeone’s Atlético, Nagelsmann can meet Tuchel as a coach at eye level. Nagelsmann did not want to overestimate his role in the next coup against an unpleasant trainer opponent: “I have to say that the team and we as a collective eliminated Tottenham and today Atlético. It’s not about coaching duels against Mourinho, Simeone or now against Tuchel. It’s a team sport and the team did an outstanding job. “
Nagelsmann made a novelty with RB Leipzig against Atlético. As the first coach ever, the 33-year-old eliminated both coaching hotspurs Mourinho and Simeone in one season with the Bundesliga club. Nagelsmann is only the fourth coach who could assert himself in the premier class against the coach whip from Argentina. Previously, only prominent colleagues Carlo Ancelotti (2014, 2015) and Zinedine Zidane (2016, 2017) were able to do this twice with Real Madrid and Massimiliano Allegri in 2019 with Juventus Turin. Mourinho’s list of defenders is naturally a bit longer with 17 Champions League appearances since 2001.
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