By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, March 18 (Xinhua) -- German coaches continue to play a vital role in international football.
For the first time in the Champions League's history, four coaches of one nation made their way into the quarterfinal of the most important club competition in Europe.
Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp in the last-16-round lead the Reds to success over RB Leipzig and Julian Nagelsmann. In London, Thomas Tuchel eliminated Spanish giant Atletico Madrid in charge of Chelsea.
Hansi Flick is the man doing the job for Bayern Munich eliminating Lazio, while Borussia Dortmund reached the next round beating Sevilla.
The 2019/2020 Champions League season's outcome drew a similarly successful picture as three clubs in the semi-finals were managed by German coaches.
Paris coach Tuchel made his way to the final by outpacing RB Leipzig, while Bayern eliminated French side of Lyon. In last year's final, Bayern beat Paris 1-0.
Several media spoke of the "Champions League of the Germans."
Reds' coach Klopp in 2019 and 2020 won FIFA's award for the best men's coach. In 2020 Flick came in second despite having delivered his club's most successful year, winning 6 titles. Klopp won the Premier League title after 30 years for Liverpool.
Record-setting continues when it comes to the German national team as current Germany coach Joachim Loew is the longest-serving manager with over 15 years in the role.
Nagelsmann in 2018 rejected an offer from Real Madrid but is said to be on the watch-list of several top international sides.
Former Hoffenheim, Salzburg, and Leipzig coach and sporting director Ralf Rangnick was reportedly on the shortlist for the manager positions at Milan and Chelsea.
"Last year, we had three German coaches in the semifinals. I hope this continues for a while," Tuchel said.
The Blues coach said he doesn't know about the secret of German coaching, "but I am happy to be a part of it."
Others regard the profound education system of German football as one of the reasons for the upward trend.
Reports speak of Rangnick having influenced many of the country's current coaches.
What Nagelsmann, Klopp, and Tuchel have in common is they all eyed a coaching career early in their career as footballers after failing to achieve a breakthrough to the highest level. Only Flick found success, appearing in over 100 games in Bayern's midfield.
While Klopp as a footballer played most of his games in the second-tier, Nagelsmann and Tuchel were forced to end their on-pitch career due to knee injuries.
Reports speak of Klopp having slipped into a coaching role step-by-step while in the FSV Mainz shirt.
For several years a trend has been established where clubs more and more regularly appoint young coaches who rely on modern training methods and on a wide variety of tactical approaches.
On their way up, coaches in Germany need to go through several education steps, applying for the license allowing them to work in professional football.
Klopp's success in Liverpool has been a door-opener for German coaches on the international stage. Enditem
