3 Reasons why Chelsea should hire Julian Nagelsmann

1. Attacking is his bread and butter

The west London outfit desperately needs an attacking identity as the season reaches the final few weeks. Attacking and playing an aggressive pressing style of football has defined Nagelsmann’s time in the German top-flight. He uses an ambitious counter-press out of possession most of the time, forcing the opposition to build out of the back while being swarmed by forwards and attacking midfielders. His style lives off mistakes from backlines. It frustrates opponents and wears them down as the game goes on.

The German has a history of playing a formation anchored by four defenders as he rose up the coaching ranks in Germany, but that does not mean he has not been able to adjust to the Blues’ more preferred formation currently that includes a back-three. This roster lacks any sort of confidence at the moment in front of net. The first half against Liverpool was a perfect example of that. Nagelsmann has the ability to flip the script due to his attention to detail on the offensive end of the pitch.

In the first leg of the Champions League knockout stages at Paris-Saint Germain, Nagelsmann deployed a 3-4-2-1 with Benjamin Pavard, Matthijs de Ligt, and Dayot Upamecano making up the back three. He used João Cancelo, and Kingsley Coman more as wing-back threats, constantly putting pressure on a home side that looked a shell of itself on that particular day. The Blues need a manager that is able to get the most goals out of his team. The defensive solidity will come. No matter the formation, Nagelsmann always preaches a possession-based style that looks to force as many turnovers as possible with its press.