On the day he took over the Hoffenheim managerial contract, Julian Nagelsmann had just entered the age of 28 and three months, and on 27 October 2015, he became the youngest main manager in bundesliga history. However, with the club scheduled to let him officially take over in the summer of 2016 (before earning a professional coaching certificate), Nagelsman stayed in "Homura" u-19 for four months – until then-head coach Stevens left due to illness.
On 10 February 2016, Nagelsmann first walked into Hoffenheim as a team manager, at that time, although he had spent 4 years in u-17 and coached in u-19 for three years, the local media still could not understand the bizarre decision of the club's top brass: "This is really a crazy idea, for the sake of public relations gimmicks do not even want to die..." You know, Hoffenheim at that time was struggling in relegation, and the penultimate ranking was likely to end their Bundesliga journey for 9 consecutive seasons.
In the end, after a desperate attempt in the last 14 rounds, Hoffenheim, who had only accumulated 14 points in 20 rounds, came ashore in a thrilling way, and Nagelsmann's team played a record of 7 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses, which forced Eintracht Frankfurt to survive. They are only one point higher than the relegation circle.
Klein, a journalist who worked for the local newspaper Le Rhinekar, recalled: "At that time, no one thought Hoffenheim could be saved, but Julian did miracles. There is no doubt that he is the hero of 'Huo Village'. ”
This summer, Nagelsman, who had plenty of time, began to build the team as he envisioned, taking on Croatian striker Kramarić (on loan last season), midfielders Lucas Rupp, Kevin Vogt and former Bayern centre-forward Sandro Wagner. The young coach, who idolized Cruyff and Guardiola, wanted the team to play a pleasing, textured oppressive football.
At present, the 2016-17 Bundesliga season has ended 11 rounds, and Hoffenheim, which was still relegated last season, has finished fifth in the table with 5 wins and 6 draws. Even though there is still a 3-point gap with Bayern, the record of "Ho Village" seems to be equal to that of "Hornets" Dortmund. In addition, if you look at the top five leagues in Europe, the only people who can remain unbeaten so far are Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Leipzig RB and Hoffenheim.
If it were not for leipzig RB's sudden rise, "Ho Village" would have become the most amazing presence in the Bundesliga this season.
Under Nagelsmann's leadership, Hoffenheim have won 11 of their 12 home games across the season, and the super high home win rate has become the key to their steady improvement. For the miraculous performance of the "Ho village" young manager, Ancelotti and Tuchel both expressed their sincere appreciation for the younger generation, and the Italian even said: "One day in the future, I hope he can coach the best team in the world." ”
Of course, not every veteran is friendly to youngsters, and two weeks ago, after Bayer Leverkusen's 3-0 home defeat to Hoffenheim, an angry Schmidt said to Nagelsman on the sidelines: "Hey, which onion are you?" You really thought you invented football? ”
In fact, before becoming Hoffenheim's first-team manager, Nagelsmann, born in Landsberg am Lech, was unknown, he had no serious professional experience, let alone came from a sports family. In 2007, Nagelsmann, who worked in Munich in 1860 and the Augsburg echelon, announced his retirement, and the 190 cm tall center-back suffered a serious knee injury. Nagelsman once said that ending his football career at the age of 20 left him extremely frustrated, and for a long time he wanted to stay away from football and never touch it again.
What is less well known is that the first Bole who helped Nagelsmann find a different path was Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel, who at the time, who was still in charge of the Augsburg reserve team, saw Nagelsmann's analytical ability, and it was under his commission that the latter officially entered the position of scout and coach. "It was the beginning of my coaching career," Nagelsman recalls, "and I did learn a lot from Tuchel. ”
After leaving Augsburg, Nagelsmann, who had a bachelor's degree in sports science, returned to Munich in 1860 and then joined Hoffenheim, who had been promoted to the Bundesliga. In the U-17 and U19 echelons, the young manager gradually has his own philosophy of football: he admires Villarreal's youth training, likes arsenal and Barcelona routines, and of course, he prefers constant forward and high-pressure attacking football. From 2014 to 2015, Nagelsmann led the Hoffenheim u-19 to a national championship and a national runner-up, and his coaching ability began to be recognized by the club's top brass.
The story that followed was what he is now – he took to the top flight stage and let Carlo Ancelotti remember his name.
Mini Mourinho? In fact, that is just the nickname given to him by Tim Weizer, who turned to WWE, at least from the first 27 coaching records, Nagelsman, who won 13, drew 8 and lost 6, was no less than José Mourinho in 2001.
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