On the sidelines Julian Nagelsmann could not stand on Wednesday evening. But even without a physical presence, the Bayern coach made a decisive impact in the 4-0 win in Lisbon.
It was only “today at the standard meeting” that he learned he would be on the sidelines as the main man in charge. Together with Xaver Zembrod, Dino Toppmöller took over for the ill Julian Nagelsmann. “It’s not so easy when the head coach isn’t there at the last moment,” Toppmöller said on “DAZN” – but he wasn’t primarily referring to himself. Instead, he expressed a “compliment to the team”, “the boys did sensationally well”.
The 40-year-old co-coach, on the other hand, played down his own role. “It’s not that when Julian is not there that I am then the boss and make my own decisions,” he explained at the press conference after the 4-0 win in Lisbon. “He was there until yesterday, he led the match plan meeting, the boys were prepared.” In concrete terms, he said he had only taken on a few tasks. “I only had two appearances,” Toppmöller reported: the last speech before the match and the half-time analysis with the scenes cut together by video analyst Benjamin Glück.
Only in the second half does the radio contact work
“It wasn’t like I was doing the big Zampano,” summed up the co-trainer. Especially as Nagelsmann was also involved in the proceedings during the game – at least after the change of sides. “In the first half, we had no contact during the game because the radio contact with the analysts didn’t work,” Toppmöller reported. Toppmöller’s teammate Zembrod was networked with the Bayern analysts via radio, who in turn were in contact with Nagelsmann.
When the connection was established in the second half, the coach was thus also able to influence the important decisions. “Julian made the decisions on the substitutions,” Toppmöller clarified. “You don’t make your own changes there.” The substitution of Serge Gnabry for Benjamin Pavard was also Nagelsmann’s idea. One that paid off: the attacking player was involved in the creation of three of Bayern’s four goals.
Initiation with Leberkäse and beer
“You can see that Julian is ill but very quick in the head,” Toppmöller praised his boss. “That was a super idea of his and a decisive point for us that we were much more dangerous with Serge. It was a brave decision. Well done, Julian.”
The coach himself had also apparently already had his say. “Julian has already put a video in the group with the players,” revealed Toppmöller, whose father Klaus was in the 2002 Champions League final with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. That’s where Toppmöller junior wants to go now – but there would be something else to do first. “Xaver and I probably have to make a debut now,” Toppmöller looked ahead. “In Munich, Leberkäse and a beer is a tradition. “
