|
BERLIN, May 13-- Julian Nagelsmann has quickly solved his biggest problem. The youngest ever head coach in the German Bundesliga readjusted his hair soon after his exuberant players invaded the post-match press conference to shower beer over him. It took a while before Nagelsmann, who took over Hoffenheim's first team at the age of only 28, could continue to speak about what is the maybe biggest surprise of the 2017/2018 Bundesliga season: Hoffenheim's bold leap onto the biggest stage of international football, the UEFA Champions League. Finishing third in the league is not only a milestone for the club supported by SAP founder and billionaire Dietmar Hopp, but it can be seen as the breakthrough of a remarkable coach. It might sound strange but qualifying for the Champions League is a revival for a coach who early on in his career was seen as a wunderkind, and one that was being closely monitored by big clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and other top outfits around Europe. He then however suffered a setback. Now 30, Nagelsmann has rejoined the group of Germany's most promising coaches alongside Juergen Klopp (Liverpool) and Thomas Tuchel (presumably Paris St. Germain). Last summer, Nagelsmann sparked provocative headlines after his young Hoffenheim side narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Champions League in two crucial games against Liverpool. It was then followed by poor performances in the Euro League. The man once regarded as having magic powers was called the "disenchanted one" by the weekly news magazine, Der Spiegel. | 
