Julian Nagelsmann reflects on his Bayern Munich past as Germany era begins

Julian Nagelsmann was once the shooting star of Germany’s young football managers. In March, though, he came crashing to the ground with a stunning dismissal at his beloved club, Bayern Munich. Now the 36-year-old is climbing his way back — at the helm of the Germany men’s national team ahead of the 2024 EURO.

“I had time to reflect a little bit and to make my thoughts about things that happened at Bayern,” Nagelsmann said in an interview for ESPN (as captured by @iMiaSanMia) that aired during the team’s United States friendly tour last week. “I know that I did some mistakes at Bayern, and I also know that I did some good things at Bayern. That’s how it is in life, you have to improve like the players, you as a manager as well. It’s important to do some mistakes, but it’s also important not to repeat the same mistakes. My job now is to do the good things I did at Bayern again, and avoid the mistakes.”

As much as Nagelsmann is trying to recover from a tough blow, so too is Germany. The proud World Cup winners of 2014 have fallen on some hard times, bowing out of the last two editions of the tournament at the group stages. While Nagelsmann turned down some high-profile gigs — Chelsea FC and Tottenham were rumored to be among his suitors after his Bayern sacking — he now has the honor of leading his home country to their home-turf European Championships.

Is a redemption arc in the works?

Looking for more discussion and analysis on the Germany vs. Mexico match? Check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show on Spotify or below: