The semi-finals of the Champions League offer a very special duel. Two German trainers who know each other very well meet. Who is better?
- Champions League *: In the semi-finals, RB Leipzig * will play against Paris St. Germain .
- There is a duel between two German coaches - Julian Nagelsmann against Thomas Tuchel .
- Nagelsmann was once a student under Tuchel - is he now defeating his master?
Lisbon - If you had said five years ago that Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann would duel in the Champions League semi-finals , you would probably have been declared crazy. Nagelsmann started his first head coach at 1899 Hoffenheim *, Tuchel was coach of Borussia Dortmund *. Now the two are among the four best in Europe with their teams RB Leipzig * and PSG . It is the story of a student and his teacher - both know each other well enough. But where from?
RB Leipzig - PSG: German coach duel - Nagelsmann and Tuchel have known each other since 2007
In 2007 the two met for the first time - Tuchel signed as coach of the reserve of FC Augsburg * with Nagelsmann, a young playmaker who was thrown back again and again due to bad luck with injuries. Because the two had a similar understanding of football, Tuchel made today's RB coach his assistant , who should analyze the opposing teams. Later both managed to get promoted - and reached their career high point when they made it to the Champions League semi-finals .
RB Leipzig demands PSG - Nagelsmann on Tuchel: "Never had a particularly close relationship"
But they're not friends, as Nagelsmann explains: “We've never had a particularly close relationship. We always talk to each other, like when Christopher Nkunku was signed last summer. ”In his typically quick-witted manner, the 33-year-old also expresses his lack of understanding of the hype that is being made about the duel between the two coaches. Both coaches are considered tactical foxes , but Nagelsmann has never defeated Tuchel in three duels. In contrast to Diego Simeone , with whom he fought in the dressing room when he won.
🗣 "Thomas liked my work so it was one of the first steps on the path that I am still on"
Julian Nagelsmann explains how Thomas Tuchel helped him get into coaching pic.twitter.com/hTa22Yw0BE
How the Leipzig coach wants to change that, he explains in his match schedule . To do this, he has to turn off the star ensemble of his opponent with Neymar , Mbappé and Co. The overriding credo is: Design the game yourself. “We can also create scoring opportunities. We can hurt them too. We are eager to get ahead, ”emphasizes Nagelsmann with his usual self-confidence. “We try to take over the reins of action.” The key is to “create actions ourselves”.
Champions League: RB Leipzig against PSG - Tuchel has significantly more pressure
So who is going to write in the history books and make it to the final? Either FC Bayern or the surprise team Olympique Lyon are waiting there . In any case, Thomas Tuchel has the greater pressure - investor Nasser Al-Khelaifi , who has long been aiming for a Champions League triumph, is sitting on his neck. Now PSG are closer than ever. In contrast, for a club founded in 2009 (RB Leipzig), reaching the semi-finals is triumph enough - Nagelsmann has nothing to lose. (epp) * tz.de is part of the Ippen editorial network
List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / Bernd Thissen