Julian Nagelsmann had imagined his first season as coach of record-breaking German champions FC Bayern differently. He admitted that after losing to Villarreal in the Champions League quarter-finals. The 1-1 in the second leg was not enough after the 0-1 defeat in the first leg. The Spaniards now face Liverpool in the semi-finals, who were promoted with a 6-4 aggregate score after beating Benfica 3-3 yesterday.
For Bayern, the consolation prize is “only” the Bundesliga title. “I don’t think that’s enough for Bayern,” said Nagelsmann, who took over in the summer instead of Hansi Flick, who was sworn in as DFB national coach. An uncomfortable time awaits Nagelsmann with many media discussions about personnel.
Kahn defends the team
In his 25th Champions League participation, the Munich team failed for the eighth time and for the second time in a row in the quarterfinals.
FCB CEO Oliver Kahn defended his players. “We were eliminated, but we won’t burst into tears, we’ll attack again next season. You can’t get more commitment and will than the team showed.”
He doesn’t know what to expect now, Nagelsmann said with a mixture of defiance and helplessness. “But I’m not afraid. There are worse things,” said the former Hoffenheim and Leipzig coach, who is in troubled waters for the first time at a big club.
The big question is what will happen in Munich in the summer in terms of transfers. Robert Lewandowski, the shooter of the 1-0 in the 1-1 in the second leg, is said to have expressed a desire to emigrate and is flirting with a move to FC Barcelona. The contract of the Polish striker runs until the summer of 2023.
Irrespective of this, there is a need for action in defence. Bayern couldn’t cope with the departure of David Alaba, who is in the semi-finals of the Champions League with Real Madrid. The 29-year-old Viennese seems to have made the jump on the dot, he can still flirt with the biggest European club trophy. However, it was extremely close in the quarter-finals against Chelsea, who almost turned the tables after the 1-3 home defeat.
The “Blues” led 3-0 in Madrid, the 3-2 win after extra time in a high-class offensive spectacle ultimately meant the end. It goes without saying that Alaba breathed a sigh of relief. “Football often writes sick stories, that was one of those again,” said the ÖFB team captain: “Chelsea made the game very clear, but we didn’t stop believing in ourselves for a second. We’ve had more times this season showed we can fight back.”
Rodrygo had saved Real in the 80th minute after a sensational cross from Luka Modric with his outside instep, then Karim Benzema was there (96th). Real now meets Manchester City in the semifinals. After yesterday’s dramatic 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid, including twelve minutes of stoppage time, the English rose to a 1-0 aggregate score.
Source: Nachrichten
