NAfter the defeat on his birthday, Julian Nagelsmann boarded the plane back home not really satisfied. The 35-year-old was happy about a “great stadium and great fans” in Green Bay, but the dress rehearsal for the Supercup duel of German champions FC Bayern Munich next Saturday against cup winners RB Leipzig did not go well in a game that was not quite normal. Former Dortmund player Erling Haaland scored the only goal in the English champions’ 1-0 win on his Manchester City debut.
Nagelsmann still has to work on fine-tuning before the German Supercup in Leipzig. Sadio Mané, who did not return to the USA after being named Africa’s footballer of the year and was therefore absent against the club of former Munich coach Pep Guardiola, should also be back against the Saxons. Mathys Tel may also join the team as a newcomer by then. According to the media, Bayern should agree with Stade Rennes about the change of the 17-year-old storm talent. A sum of over 25 million euros was speculated as a transfer fee.
“He’s a very young, talented player. He can become one of the best strikers,” said Nagelsmann after the game, which was interrupted for almost an hour due to thunderstorms and shortened to 2 x 40 minutes, in front of 78,128 spectators in Green Bay. Nagelsmann said his vision is that one day Tel will score 40 goals per season. But initially you would be satisfied with ten goals.
Including the fee for Tel, the Munich team paid almost 150 million euros in transfer fees this summer. This is offset by revenues of more than 65 million euros. “When there are so many top players in the squad, you want to make it as difficult as possible for the coach as a player. You can only do that if you deliver top performance,” said CEO Oliver Kahn. “We created this climate. Out of this atmosphere, top performances arise again.”
As expected, after a grueling week against City, Munich were challenged far more than in the 6-2 win over DC United. And teams like the English champions are the benchmark for the highly ambitious Munich team, who are still feeling the effects of losing the quarter-finals to Villarreal in the Champions League. “Our aspirations – German Championship, DFB Cup, Champions League – are the highest,” said Kahn.
Despite marketing campaigns and social events, Nagelsmann had time for six training sessions on the week-long trip. In addition, there were two friendlies, which also put a lot of sporting demands on the Bayern stars. “Of course we have to prepare for the biggest challenge: that is the coming season. That’s where Julian goes through with his training program,” said Kahn.
The first title is at stake next weekend. “You shouldn’t overestimate the Supercup, but we’re looking forward to it,” said Kahn. “He’s always been kind of a location fixer,” he said. In addition to Dortmund, Leipzig is also a big competitor after winning the cup next season. Six days later, the Munich team opened the new Bundesliga season away in a duel with Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt.
