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Julian Nagelsmann declared he is “incredibly satisfied” with life as Bayern Munich head coach and urged his team to go into the winter break on a high.
Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick at the Bavarian club in July and has led them to the top of the Bundesliga with 13 victories from their first 16 games, as well as winning each of their six Champions League group stage fixtures.
The low point of the 34-year-old’s tenure at the club came on October 27, when Bayern suffered a shock 5-0 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach in the DFB-Pokal.
However, Bayern bounced back to win nine of their subsequent 10 games in all competitions, opening up a six-point lead over Borussia Dortmund in the process, and Nagelsmann is pleased with his side at this stage.
Bayern host 11th-placed Wolfsburg on Friday, with the visitors on a run of six straight defeats in all competitions. It is the final game for Bayern before their mid-season break.
“We played a very good first half of the season, I want to go into tomorrow’s game highly concentrated in order to keep the distance [at the top of the table],” Nagelsmann said.
“Of course, we had a very big damper, but it also triggered a certain process in us that no team in the world is infallible. That was a little damper for the first half of the season, which put a little shadow over it, but not in such a way that there is no light.”
Bayern have scored 52 goals in their first 16 games of the Bundesliga – a record for such an opening stretch. They have also never lost a home Bundesliga clash with Wolfsburg in 24 past such meetings, winning 22 of those. No other team in Bundesliga history has faced an opponent as often at home without ever losing, Opta said.
Star striker Robert Lewandowski has scored 42 Bundesliga goals in 2021 and would break Gerd Muller’s calendar year record (also 42 goals) from 1972 if he scores against Wolfsburg. Worryingly for Wolfsburg, Lewandowski has scored 23 goals in 20 Bundesliga games against them – including his only five-goal haul in the top flight.
In Bundesliga history, only Gerd Muller scored more goals against a single opponent – 27 goals against Hamburg.
Lewandowski’s prowess has been one of many aspects that have added up to a successful year for Bayern, and a lively start for Nagelsmann.
“There were many high victories, many emotional moments,” said the former RB Leipzig boss. “I am incredibly satisfied, as I am in the club and with the fans, I took on a great team, took on a great staff.
“I love this job at Bayern Munich, I love the city, I enjoy being on the site every day.”
