Hoffenheim Head Coach Nagelsmann: “This Is Something Special”

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp shared his excitement at the prospect of facing Hoffenheim, but it is only fair to give his opponent’s words some of the spotlight after a potentially enthralling tie was drawn on Friday. Julian Nagelsmann turned 30 last month; however, readers should be aware that his age will be repeated endlessly in the expected coverage before the game.

Did you know that Nagelsmann is younger than James Milner? If you didn’t know, please be aware that merely thirteen months or so separate Nagelsmann from Adam Lallana. Yes, you know now dear reader. Still, the hype is deserved. He rounded off his twenties by taking Hoffenheim from the forsaken regions of the Bundesliga to unexpected heights. In October, he’ll have been head coach of Roberto Firmino’s former club for two years and is one of the beautiful game’s most exciting operators on the touchline.

Like Naby Keïta, even a cursory glance at last season’s Bundesliga campaign would make one aware of the presence of Nagelsmann. The clever coach shared his thoughts on the Champions League draw with Liverpool, and like Klopp, the reaction is as one would expect from a budding master of his craft.

“This morning I joked by saying ‘if you want to lift the trophy you also have to overcome Liverpool’ as I felt it would be Liverpool,” Nagelsmann revealed.

“They’re definitely not jumping for joy in Liverpool due to the draw. It’s great for the awareness of our club that this draw will bring us fully into the spotlight.

“This is somehow Murphy’s Law. Luckily, I’ve been looking at it this week at the Audi Cup. These were two very good games. It is, of course, a very difficult team, but there was no real easy draw anyway.

“We can play against a great opponent in a legendary stadium. This is something special. Liverpool is an outstanding team, Bayern Munich was unimpressive.

“I already have an idea how we can prepare for this trip. But we still have to look at one or the other game to work out a plan.”

Murphy’s Law indeed.