He's finally at FC Bayern! Julian Nagelsmann led his first training session as head coach of the record champions on Wednesday. Beforehand, however, the 33-year-old answered journalists' questions in a virtual press conference alongside FC Bayern München AG CEO Oliver Kahn and board member for sport Hasan Salihamidžić. fcbayern.com has compiled all the key statements.
Nagelsmann on starting at Bayern
"It feels good. I'm very happy to be the head coach at Bayern Munich. I'm looking forward to pre-season, even though it's a bit different because some players are still on holiday. It'll be an exciting pre-season and an exciting first season. I feel very happy. The first discussions with the players and staff went very well. Now I'm looking forward to training really getting underway today."
The expectations Nagelsmann carries
Kahn: "The expectations at FC Bayern are not small. It's about playing successful football. Julian has the quality to take a team forward and develop the players. Of course, that should go hand in hand with titles. We're absolutely convinced we'll accomplish our goals with Julian."
Salihamidžić: "We only had one first-rate solution, that was Julian. Our five-year contract with him is also a statement. We want Julian to start a new era here. We've followed his career. No matter who you asked, everyone raved about him. I also got to know that in the first few weeks. Julian is the very essence of football. He has great footballing expertise. I'm looking forward to working with him, to the games, the training sessions. The players are also really looking forward to it."
Nagelsmann on his system
"I'm not going to turn everything on its head and we're not going to play every game with three at the back. It's about having a certain flexibility. Above all, it's about letting the players play in their best positions. We'll choose basic formations that suit our players best, where the players have the best quality. The players - that was also the feedback in the discussions - are eager to learn and want to keep developing. It won't be the case that we change the basic formation seven times a game."
Nagelsmann on the captain & players' council
"Manuel Neuer will retain the armband, he's an outstanding captain. The same goes for the team council. David Alaba is now gone, so we'll probably nominate a player for that. The team council is there to discuss things in a smaller group. That's a good thing and we'll keep it that way."
The contract duration
Kahn: "Even though we live in fast-moving times, we're convinced at the club that working long-term with a coach always pays off. You can also see that at other top clubs. At FC Bayern, we've had experience with coaches who worked very successfully over a long period. Continuity in the coaching position is a very important factor for success. We're convinced we can define an era with Julian. He identifies incredibly with the club. All of this led us to say that we're heading into the future with Julian on a long-term basis."
Nagelsmann: "I wouldn't have come for a year (laughs). No, joking aside, it's advance praise that I want to live up to. It means that I am being trusted to continue this success, and not just in the short term. It gives you a very good feeling to feel that trust. But it also shows that you have to deliver. I feel good about it, but I also know that it's imperative that I win games."
The return of the fans
Kahn: "First of all, it's good news that spectators will be allowed back into the Arena. Our current information is that we can host 20,000 spectators in the Allianz Arena. We haven't yet been officially informed about this fact. We're in discussions with the authorities. Our priority is always the health of the players, the staff and the spectators. We have a hygiene concept that can guarantee absolute safety. We now have to see, along with the authorities, how it looks. We're working every day to get the spectators back to the Allianz Arena as soon as possible."
Nagelsmann: "I'm immensely pleased. Sport lives through the fans. Our hope is that normal life will return as soon as possible. We hope to see as many people as possible in the stadium as soon as possible. We're really looking forward to that moment."
Salihamidžić on the processes at FC Bayern.
"On Monday, for example, we sat together for around three hours and discussed things, during which a few strategic things were addressed. The next day there was a meeting with Herbert Hainer. We also want to be close to the supervisory board. Every now and then, Uli Hoeneß also comes by and chats with us. Julian came up to see us yesterday. We want to have first-rate communication. That's how we want to go into the future. The titles and an era will then follow."
Get to know our new head coach in our video:
Topics of this article