German Cup brings six coaching debuts – but Nagelsmann must wait

The new season opens with the German Cup first round as Bundesliga giants hope to avoid errors and minnows dream of upsets.

Berlin (dpa) – No less than six Bundesliga clubs will turn out competitively for the first time under new coaches in the German Cup this week but a seventh – Julian Nagelsmann at giants Bayern Munich – must stay patient.

Nagelsmann should have been on the Bayern bench properly for the first time away to Bremer SV on Friday but coronavirus issues at the fifth-tier opponent means the tie has been postponed until August 25.

That leaves his replacement at RB Leipzig, Jesse Marsch, and Marco Rose with reigning cup champions Borussia Dortmund as the headline grabbers in the first round.

Rose has a tricky opening away to third division Wehen Wiesbaden late Saturday without wing star Jadon Sancho, sold to Manchester United, and coronavirus-positive duo Thomas Meunier and Julian Brandt.

Nonetheless, Rose who arrived from Borussia Moenchengladbach, knows what is expected.

“If you are coach here, you know what is talked about,” he said. “That you have to play at the top and challenge for titles.

“That was a reason I decided for this club.”

Rose swapping Borussias kick-started a domino effect with Gladbach moving for Adi Huetter from Eintracht Frankfurt, who themselves went for Oliver Glasner of Wolfsburg, who turned to former Dutch midfield general Mark van Bommel – who assured his new charges “the players don’t have to be afraid of me.”

Gladbach visit third division fallen giants Kaiserslautern on Monday after Frankfurt head to another third-tier side, Waldorf Mannheim, on Sunday. Wolfsburg take on fourth-tier Preussen Muenster the same day.

Leipzig losing the highly-rated Nagelsmann to Bayern was separate from the other chain of coaching changes and they also looked outside the Bundesliga, to Austrian sister club Red Bull Salzburg, for American Marsch as his successor.

He also has a banana skin tie away to second division Sandhausen as Leipzig, beaten finalists and Bundesliga runners-up last season, renew their search for a maiden title.

And Gerardo Seaone will make his debut as Leverkusen coach away to fourth-tier Lokomotiv Leipzig on Saturday.

Lower league sides have the right to home advantage in the German Cup early stages and most will hope to make the most of it – unlike last season when coronavirus restrictions forced many to switch venues.

Crowds of various sizes will be permitted across the country as German football gradually returns to normality a week ahead of the Bundesliga start.