Julian Nagelsmann © ANSA / HANDOUT

Nagelsmann: “We got out of the situation better than Bayern”

After a year and a half, Julian Nagelsmann looks back on his dismissal from FC Bayern Munich without any resentment.

05 December 2024

From: dpa

The national coach even sees himself in the better position. "If you are just a puppet and then you get fired, it is much more difficult. It wasn't me. So I think I got out of the situation better than Bayern itself," said the 37-year-old during an appearance at the Ispo sports trade fair in Munich.

Nagelsmann was coach of the German record champions from mid-2021 until his dismissal by the then Bayern board, including boss Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic, in March 2023. He said he had learned "some lessons" from this time. "I would say that I did a lot of things quite well at Bayern. But I also know that I would do things differently today," said the current national coach looking back.

He said he could "live with it because at some point in the coaching team we decided that we would go our own way and decide things the way we wanted. And if it is no longer required from the management, that is also okay."

“In a big club there are many currents”

Nagelsmann gave insights into the special nature of working at a top club. "At such a big club, there are always political currents that you have to take into account. But you can't let yourself be influenced. There have been moments when I made decisions during my time at Bayern that I would have made differently in retrospect."

Nagelsmann (left) is currently on the sidelines of the German national team. © APA/afp / INA FASSBENDER

He spoke of "content-related decisions" in which "there are many different tendencies in a large club and everyone wants to have their say". Things "that are seen as outstanding on a Monday" are sometimes "evaluated completely 180 degrees in the other direction" just one day later. For him, the consequence of this was "that you behave a little more neutrally. You learn to handle things more carefully."