Germany bounce back strong with two teams, three coaches in CL semis

Last season, all German teams were out by the last 16 while Juergen Klopp salvaged some pride by leading Liverpool to the Champions League title. But this time around Germany has two teams and a record three coaches in the semi-finals.

Lisbon (dpa) – Germany not only have two clubs left in the Champions League, the nation is also the first to have three coaches in the semi-finals of the elite event.

RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann faces Paris Saint-Germain led by Thomas Tuchel in the first semi on Tuesday, before Bayern Munich’s Hansi Flick takes the stage against Frenchman Rudi Garcia’s Olympique Lyon the following day.

That is good news for the Bundesliga which just a year ago had all teams eliminated by the last 16 but now has two sides left as in 2013 when Bayern Munich went on to win the title in the final against Borussia Dortmund.

A final between two German clubs and/or coaches is possible like seven years ago when Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern beat Juergen Klopp’s Dortmund at Wembley.

“I always recall the words from last year that German football was thrashed internationally which also mostly concerned German coaches. But it is now also not the case that everything is fine again. We shouldn’t live in extremes,” Nagelsmann said.

“It is nice for German football. It is also important for German football from a team perspective. We should be happy to have a few representatives in the top four in Europe. Lets see how many make it into the final.”

Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Sky Italia on Saturday the German success in Lisbon was “unique” and added that “it shows that we develop good coaches in Germany.”

Klopp made the final in 2018 and lifted the trophy in 2019 with Liverpool, and his stunning run to the first Premier League title in 30 years this time around has only enhanced his status even more.

Tuchel, Klopp’s successor at Dortmund, has been on the PSG hot-seat since 2018 with the difficult task of managing a team with many stars such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe while at the same time finally winning the Champions League for PSG’s ambitious Qatari owners.

His future may have been unclear had PSG not turned around their quarter-final in the last minutes to beat Atalanta 2-1 but he believes that “everything is possible” now.

Tuchel and Nagelsmann, at 33 the youngest of the trio, are football nerds of sorts while Flick has made a remarkable transformation from former Germany assistant coach with the 2014 World Cup title to Munich where he has delivered beyond all expectations since November.

“There is a chemistry between the coach and the team which I have rarely experienced. Normally German football isn’t that attractice,” Rummenigge said.

“Everything has changed since Hansi Flick took over. With very spectacular football.”

Flick has been compared with Heynckes for his empathy and clear game plan which has seen Bayern unbeaten in 28 matches and Friday’s 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona bringing him within two wins of the title treble Heynckes achieved in 2013.

“Of course I am happy for Thomas and Julian. I know how it feels to be in the semi-finals. Those are the best club teams, the best clubs in Europe. You are very happy then,” Flick said of his colleagues.

Nagelsmann became the youngest ever full-time Bundesliga coach at Hoffenheim in 2016 and moved on to Leipzig a year ago, leading them to third in the Bundesliga and now into the Champions League semis as he outwitted Diego Simeone for an impressive 2-1 win against Atletico Madrid.

He admitted in a recent interview with Spain’s Marca sports paper that he was even approached by Real Madrid in 2018 but turned down the record winners who once had Heynckes win the Champions League for them.

“We had calls, but I was the one who decided in the end. I didn’t think it was the right step to go to Real Madrid. We agreed that it wasn’t yet the right move,” Nagelsmann said.

Instead, he moved to Leipzig “because I don’t have to go to the top straight away,” but that doesn’t stop him from having big ambitions at the eastern German side backed by energy drinks makers Red Bull.

“Of course we want to reach the final, that is absolutely clear,” he said.

In order to do so, he has to outsmart Tuchel, who coached him at Augsburg’s reserves a dozen years ago when Nagelsmann was still a player, and later used him as a scout there which started the transition into coaching.

“We have never had an extremely close relationship. Of course I was his player, but that was a long time ago. I’m in day-to-day business like him,” Nagelsmann said.