Julian Nagelsmann has been criticized at FC Bayern for weeks. The Munich head coach was recently described by ex-board boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as a “trainer talent” who has not yet reached the end of his development. Acting club boss Oliver Kahn has little to do with the current age debate surrounding Nagelsmann.
Even though Julian Nagelsmann has been working as a head coach in the Bundesliga for six years and has proven in Hoffenheim and Leipzig that he can lead top teams successfully, this is still reduced to his relatively young age. Bayern boss Oliver Kahn has now protectively placed himself in front of his head coach and emphasizes that the current discussions about Nagelsmann are completely out of place: “There is absolutely no doubt about his work. I don’t think it’s about age, it’s about quality and Julian Nagelsmann has incredible quality as a coach. There are many, many older coaches, if they ever get to this level of quality, then they have already achieved a lot,” he said before yesterday’s CL game against Viktoria Pilsen.
“This is a discussion that is ludicrous”
Kahn also made it clear that all coaches at FC Bayern need a certain amount of time to settle in, regardless of age. “We still have total confidence in him. I’m also learning something new every day, it’s not a question of experience or age. Even an experienced trainer learns new things every day. It doesn’t matter if you’re 35, 55 or 65 now. At FC Bayern, every coach has to get to know each other first.”
The 53-year-old finds the criticism of Nagelsmann sometimes laughable: “The fact that Julian has no experience, I always wonder where that comes from? He showed what he’s capable of at Hoffenheim and Leipzig and brought the teams up. He trained in the Champions League and played many, many Bundesliga games. This is a discussion that is almost ludicrous.”
