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Julian Nagelsmann: "I'm already looking forward to it"
Hello, Julian. The club took 24 points from 14 games under your stewardship. How would you say the season went as a whole?
Julian Nagelsmann: Everyone at the club hoped that the season would have panned out differently. Obviously we’re delighted to have retained our top-flight status, however, we now have a lot of things to analyse. The team played well under me, with the exception of the last two matchdays. I wanted us to win 27 points after Christmas as that would have seen us reach the 40-point mark. We won a lot of games in 2016, but it was still tighter than it should have been.
Let’s take a look back to the Hannover game. When did you realise that you were staying up?
Nagelsmann: I was told after 82 minutes that we’d be staying up provided results didn’t change. After the final whistle I ran to the changing room and goalkeeper coach Michael Rechner told me the good news, so I guess I knew for sure at about 17:20.
What was your reaction?
Nagelsmann: I wasn’t euphoric because I was disappointed with how we played in Hannover. It was the worst performance of my tenure to date, in possibly the most important match. I was frustrated. If things had gone differently elsewhere, we would have gone into the final game against Schalke under a lot of pressure. The joy first started to kick in when I went back out onto the pitch with the players and we went to celebrate with the supporters.
A lot has been written about you in recent months. Was this expected?
Nagelsmann: I knew when I took the job that my age would cause a stir. However, I’ve not really let the attention get to me. As long as people say nice things about me, I don’t have a problem.
What are your plans for summer?
Nagelsmann: I need to make a few decisions regarding the squad for next season and then I’ll go away to relax for a bit. I’ll be back here for the U19 final though. After that I have about three and a half weeks of unplanned holiday. I’ll certainly be spending some time in Munich and Landsberg in order to go home and see relatives.
You’re heading to the Alps in pre-season. How did you come to that decision?
Nagelsmann: I’ve been to the Alps with the U19s in recent years and it went well. This helped shape my decision. I like going to the mountains, I spent a lot of time there as a kid. The air is good, there’s not much pollution and the pitches are often nice. The region provides us with a lot of other options too. To help with team building we can go canoeing and rafting, for example.
The U19 and senior Euros take place this summer, as do the Olympics. Can you ignore these tournaments, or do you have to watch them?
Nagelsmann: I won’t watch every game but I will be aware of what’s going on.
The U19s are in the final of the German championship. How proud does that make you feel?
Nagelsmann: I’m very proud. It was a tough year for the lads. I didn’t get to coach them that often but Matthias Kaltenbach was a big help. After that I joined the first team which meant that Matze was in sole charge, however, he’s adapted well. Despite suffering injuries and misfortune throughout the campaign they’ve performed well. I hope that they win the title. If they play against Dortmund like they did in the semis against Bremen, I think they’ll do it.
When will you start looking forward to next season?
Nagelsmann: I’m already looking forward to it! On Monday I was lying in bed thinking about what I should do with the lads in the first few sessions! It’s a bit too soon though. We need to recognise our recent achievements and after that we’ll look to the future. I’m excited for my first full season in charge.
