Toppmöller stoic after win: "Soon I can take a step back again."
For whatever it's worth, Dino Toppmöller remains undefeated as FC Bayern München's impromptu caretaker trainer.
The son of German coaching legend Klaus Toppmöller has beaten two worthy opponents by a combined 8-0 scoreline.
Despite this, the 40-year-old made clear he was looking forward to the end of his time in the limelight soon.
The son of German coaching legend Klaus Toppmöller has beaten two worthy opponents by a combined 8-0 scoreline.
Despite this, the 40-year-old made clear he was looking forward to the end of his time in the limelight soon.
| Dino Toppmöller. |
"Dino is a very calm type with a big heart and a very big footballing mind," Nagelsmann said, "He's an excellent addition to my coaching team. He's welcome to step into the spotlight a bit and do his thing well."
Nagelsmann noted that Xaver Zembrod, one of the other interim co-coaches, prefers to work in the background. By contrast, Toppmöller has head coaching experience and could serve as the point-man.
"He has a certain amount of experience in front of the camera," Nagelsmann said of Toppmöller, who has worked as a head-coach for four different clubs, "but he's also not a man of self-importance."
Bayern's emergency replacement coach got plenty of camera time during both the Wednesday Champions' League fixture against Benfica and Saturday's win over Hoffenheim. The Toppmöller soon did actually get some Europa League camera back in 2018, when he lead Luxembourg's F91 Dudelange in the group stages of Europe's second-tier club competition.
Camera exposure may seem a trivial point, but name recognition means just about everything when clubs target head-coaching candidates.
"It was a deserved win today," Bayern's thrust-in media representative told the Sky microphones afterward, "After the 2-0, there was some idling. A lack of sharpness in defense allowed Hoffenheim to play out of the back. Then we shifted up a gear."
Proper analysis. Toppmöller nevertheless had more to add.
"We'll all be happy when Julian comes back," he was sure to point out, "then I can take a step back again."