No time to relax: Julian Nagelsmann’s hands-on approach on the Bayern Munich touchline | DW | 21.08.2022

His team may have been only one goal up at the time, but Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann already felt relaxed enough to share a quick exchange with the Bochum fans just behind his coaching zone.

Whatever had been shouted from the wheelchair section at the Ruhrstadion, the 35-year-old responded with a friendly smile, a nod and a thumbs up.

But the pleasantries were over as quickly as they’d begun, as Nagelsmann got back to the job at hand: prowling incessantly up and down the touchline, commanding and cajoling his players, a constant source of tactical instruction and morale-boosting gestures in a thumping 7-0 win ove Bochum.

Bayern may have begun their quest for an 11th consecutive league title with three wins by a combined score of 15-1, but the Bundesliga and minnows such as Bochum – despite their shock 4-2 victory in this fixture last season – have long ceased to be the barometer for Bayern.

Nagelsmann, a tough taskmaster and a stickler for details, has more specific concerns.

So much was clear on Sunday as he kept a close eye on his three new starters, Leroy Sane, Matthijs de Ligt and Kingsley Coman – and in turn, DW, taking advantage of the low press box in Bochum right behind the bench, kept a close eye on him.

Nagelsmann: ‘Sane is one of the best players in Europe’

When Sane, in for the injured Jamal Musiala, launched Bayern’s first attack with a neat turn in midfield in the fourth minute, he earned immediate applause from Nagelsmann for moving the ball forward so quickly.

“Leroy has all the ability,” Nagelsmann told DW post-match: “He’s fast, he can dribble, his timing is good, and he has a great shot.”

Moments later when, via Thomas Müller, Marcel Sabitzer and Coman, Sane fired Bayern into the lead, Nagelsmann celebrated by pointing demonstratively at the German forward in celebration, as if immediately vindicated for his decision to start him.

“Leroy is a player who splits opinion and he has faced criticism recently,” said Nagelsmann, referring explicitly to the Cologne game last season in which Sane was booed by Bayern fans.

“But let’s keep it simple: when Leroy is 100% engaged, he’s one of the best players in Europe.”

Julian Nagelsmann: “Leroy Sane is one of the best in Europe”

Bayern’s fluid front four

Sane and Coman may have started in a nominal 4-2-2-2 formation but it was clear from Nagelsmann’s instructions in the first half that he had more of a 4-2-4 in mind, constantly urging his wingers, and Coman in particular, to push up as high as the last Bochum defender would allow.

Simultaneously, he could be seen motioning to Sadio Mane in the middle to drop back slightly deeper to pick up balls when necessary – all contributing to a fluid front four to which Bochum had no answer.

At least visually, Nagelsmann appeared most pleased with his team’s fourth goal.

When Coman picked up possession on the right, his coach, only meters away, urged him to drive forward with hand gestures akin to a sergeant ushering his troops forward. The Frenchman obliged, rapidly covering ground before feeding goalscorer Mane.

Both players celebrated by running straight to Nagelsmann, Mane with a beaming smile on his face, Coman to receive a knowing fist bump. That was exactly what Nagelsmann wanted to see.

Nagelsmann’s coaching zone may have been closer to the end at which his team scored four first-half goals, but his attention was equally directed further back.

Right from the start, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer earnt demonstrative applause for playing short passes out from the back – and encouragement to continue doing so despite a miss-hit pass at 1-0 which went straight to Bochum’s Takuma Asano.

De Ligt, scorer of the second goal on his first Bayern start, did what he was really bought for at the other end, and saved his captain’s blushes.

Julian Nagelsmann: “There’s always room for improvement”

Nagelsmann: ‘There’s always room for improvement’

The error didn’t go unnoticed through by Nagelsmann who, despite the scale of the victory, also wore a look of frustration on a couple of occasions.

That Nagelsmann should have had anything to be frustrated about in a 7-0 rout may seem remarkable but such are the marginal gains he wants to make with his team this season – especially with last season’s Champions League quarterfinal exit to Villarreal still fresh in the memory.

It was perhaps with that in mind that Nagelsmann shook his head and rolled his eyes when Sabitzer was outmuscled in the center circle and lost possession in the 13th minute. The two spoke briefly at full-time as the Austrian left the field looking less than pleased.

Not that Nagelsmann’s frustration was limited to Sabitzer; he looked even more concerned by Joshua Kimmich being caught a fraction out of position on the half-hour mark as Bochum managed a rare foray through midfield.

It was a matter of mere yards which didn’t make a huge difference against Bochum – but which could be punished in the latter stages of the Champions League, the draw for which takes place later this week. Such are the fine margins of which Nagelsmann is acutely aware.

“There’s always room for improvement,” he insisted post-match. “Especially in terms of our Gegenpressing and the areas in which we have possession.”

With a postponed German Cup first round tie against Viktoria Köln next week and then Champions League games between then and the World Cup break, Bayern will be playing twice a week for the foreseeable future with little time to make tactical adjustments on the training pitch.

That brief exchange with the Bochum fans behind his dugout aside, Nagelsmann knows there’s no time to relax.