Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann said he is “not much of a comforter”, telling the press on Sunday he decided not to focus on Germany’s “bad, sad World Cup” with his side.
Speaking from Bayern’s winter training base at Qatar’s Aspire Academy in Doha, Nagelsmann said he decided to leave it up to his contingent of Germany players to discuss the nation’s disappointing group stage exit.
“I’m not much of a comforter. It’s always a matter of choice,” Nagelsmann said on Sunday.
“I could talk for half an hour about the bad, sad World Cup.
“But (I try) to focus on what they can influence - in the present and in the future. I tried to limit myself to that.”
Seven of Germany’s 26-strong World Cup squad play for Bayern and all were on the field in the side’s last match, as it was eliminated at the group stage for the second successive World Cup despite a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica.
Nagelsmann said he gave players the option of discussing the World Cup with him, if they wanted to.
“I offered each of the players to come to me if they wanted to discuss something.
“They are welcome to come. But so far, no one has come and I have left them alone.”
Nagelsmann said he hoped players would use the disappointment of their early exit as motivation for the second half of the season.
“I can imagine what it feels like when you are eliminated from a World Cup. But sometimes it is night, then it is day again. It is day now and there is a lot of light.
“You’ve got it in your own hands to be more successful than you were at the World Cup.”
Bayern remains in contention for three trophies: the German Cup, the Champions League and the Bundesliga, which restarts on January 20 with Bayern travelling to RB Leipzig.
Bayern sits atop the Bundesliga table with a four-point cushion and is a strong favourite to win its 11th consecutive league title.
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