Dhe hot topic Manuel Neuer even elicited a smile from Julian Nagelsmann. “It wasn’t about the interview,” said the Bayern coach when asked about the discussion with the nagging national goalkeeper – and mischievously took a longer artistic break. “Everything we discuss with a player stays internally,” Nagelsmann dismissed further information on the explosive new trouble four days before the Champions League highlight in France against Paris Saint-Germain.
Rather, the 35-year-old trainer asked that the dispute raised by Neuer’s interview be calmed down. “It is important, also for Manu, that the topic is buried at some point. Everyone knows that the healing of a body is also very strongly influenced by thoughts,” Nagelsmann said. According to reports, the national goalkeeper Neuer, who has been injured for a long time and is threatened with a fine, only has to report to the club bosses sometime after the Paris game.
For Nagelsmann and his stars, even before the home game this Saturday (3.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) against VfL Bochum, the preparation for the round of 16 duel with PSG that had been awaited for three months began. The coach revealed on Friday that he always writes a three- or four-line letter “as a message” about the match plan for the upcoming game. “And now it says: the game for two competitions.” In the first half of the season there was a 7-0 shooting match in Bochum, now the warm-up should also succeed against the Ruhrpott-Elf with another coach.
FC Bayern in table without buffer
“We have to get out of our heads that we only think about Paris. We need rhythm, we need self-confidence because we haven’t been in such great flow the last few weeks and we’ve been playing everything to the ground,” explained Nagelsmann. The lead in the league should definitely be maintained even without the suspended Joshua Kimmich in order to then be able to concentrate on PSG in peace. “A decision made in the present always has an impact on the future. We’re going to influence a Champions League game against Bochum,” warned the Bayern coach.
Munich lead the table with 40 points without a big buffer in front of Union Berlin (39), Dortmund (37) and RB Leipzig (36). “We’d do well to have the Bundesliga game in mind first,” said national player Leon Goretzka, who is even more in focus as a replacement for Kimmich in midfield. Games against his youth club are still something very nice for the native of Bochum.
Goretzka takes over the defensive midfield part. After their absence in Wolfsburg, defender Dayot Upamecano and center forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting are available again in time for Paris – and against Bochum as well. For French defender Upamecano, the clash against his homeland’s Croesus club is particularly appealing, as is former PSG striker Choupo-Moting.
Meanwhile, the superstar squad from the French capital has weekly news about superstar failures. First the first leg was reported for Kylian Mbappé, now world champion Lionel Messi is also shaking. “I prepare the team as if both are playing,” said Nagelsmann. It’s “a bit of self-protection that I don’t stand there like a complete idiot and say I’ll change everything and they play anyway.” Because if he changes a lot for a PSG team without the two super football players, it would fail if he did criticism rained down. “Then everyone says, what an idiot, Nagelsmann, lets himself be blinded.” According to PSG trainer Christophe Galtier, the ailing Messi should be back at the final training session for the Bayern cracker on Monday.
Then, as the successor to Toni Tapalovic as goalkeeping coach, Michaelrechner is also on his first business trip with the new team. The separation from the new confidante Tapalovic had conjured up the new criticism. “I know Michael from Hoffenheim times. But he’s not my buddy. In my opinion, it’s the best solution in terms of content, it has nothing to do with buddy,” said Nagelsmann.
Dino Toppmöller, Xaver Zembrod and Benjamin Glück came to Munich as his assistants in 2021, and nowrechner is adding to a circle of confidants. Nagelsmann said: “There are coaches who bring eight or nine people to a club. That makes sense too. The bigger the club, the more sharks swim around you. And it’s not bad if you’re in the middle of the school and there are a few puffer fish on the outside.”
