Julian Nagelsmann wants to slow down the powerhouse Erling Haaland in the Supercup hit against Borussia Dortmund and win his debut title with FC Bayern Munich.
“We're all trying to finally win.
From my previous positions I was also never used to not winning so often in a row.
We are therefore happy if it should be the case tomorrow and we will give everything for that, ”said Nagelsmann before the ever explosive test of strength on Tuesday (8.30pm on Sat.1 and Sky) in Dortmund.
After a stuttering preparation with EM shutdowns and injuries, the coach, who moved from RB Leipzig to Munich in the summer, longs for his first victory - which would be tantamount to his first title. "This is an important game against an opponent who started very well in the Bundesliga, who played a top game against Frankfurt", praised Nagelsmann Marco Roses from Dortmund, who had really made steam in the 5-2 win against Eintracht with double goal scorer Haaland.
The 34-year-old still without a win, however, wants to “leave the church in the village” in just one competitive match with his new club, the 1-1 draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach's Bundesliga start.
Bayern's number one title of the season should still be here - no matter Haaland, no Haaland.
The duel with Dortmund is a classic in the Supercup, which was reintroduced in 2010.
The Dortmund team won three times and the Munich team four times.
Most recently in 2020, when Joshua Kimmich scored the 3-2 winning goal with a show of will.
"It's a prestige duel"
Haaland was also successful back then - at least once, Robert Lewandowski for once did not score. The 21-year-old Norwegian is an “outstanding striker”, praised Nagelsmann and warned: “We have to be extremely focused at the back of the chain so that he cannot get much space to do his deep runs.” But BVB is more than just Haaland. “What they do exceptionally well is the tightening of the tempo,” pointed out Nagelsmann, referring to the “extreme speed” characteristic that Marco Reus, Giovanni Reyna or Jude Bellingham would stand for.
BVB coach Rose, who, like his counterpart Nagelsmann, can win his first trophy in German professional football, is hoping for a similar performance to his team as in the famous league opener against Frankfurt. For him, the duel with the “best team in Germany” from Munich is more than an unpleasant show at the start of the season: “It's the opportunity to win a title, it's a prestige duel. That is why we take it seriously, even if the framework conditions are not ideal, ”said the former Gladbach coach, referring to the personal needs.
It remains to be seen whether his team can compensate for the many failures of well-known stars such as Mats Hummels, Raphael Guerreiro, Emre Can, Thomas Meunier and Julian Brandt against the German record champions as well as on Saturday. Despite all the offensive power against Frankfurt, weaknesses in the defensive, which was particularly affected by the personnel problems, could not be overlooked. In addition, there is now another professional in attacker Thorgan Hazard, who sustained an ankle injury against Frankfurt. For the Belgian, the 30 million euro new signing Donyell Malen could move into the starting line-up for the first time.
Rose doesn't like the fact that his team was declared a title contender in many media right after the famous league start. "Everything is going relatively quickly again, headlines are being produced again," he complained. Nonetheless, he is well aware of the high demands placed on his work: “When you come here, you know that the point is that you want to work on it in the short and medium term to play for titles. We can win a title tomorrow. That's why we will fight. "
On the other hand, his counterpart Nagelsmann can plan again with midfielder Corentin Tolisso, who had been absent for a longer time after a positive corona test and whom the coach expressly praised.
The 27-year-old world champion from France recently trained “exceptionally well” with the U23.
Tolisso, who was still himself a goal scorer at 3-2 in 2020, should at least return to the squad.
The burden of stopping a Haaland is borne by other Bayern professionals such as captain Manuel Neuer.
"Then we still have the best goalkeeper in the world," Nagelsmann reminded of the last bulwark of the Munich defense, "who also needs a good day."