TSG Hoffenheim

Lore & Background

Julian Nagelsmann was appointed head coach of TSG Hoffenheim on 27 October 2015, initially to take over from the 2016–17 season. After Huub Stevens resigned for health reasons in February 2016, Nagelsmann assumed the role earlier than planned. At 28, he became the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history. Hoffenheim were 17th in the Bundesliga when Nagelsmann took charge.

The club avoided relegation after winning seven of its final fourteen league matches and finishing one point above the relegation play-off place. In the 2016–17 season, Hoffenheim finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League qualifying round for the first time in the club's history. Following Hoffenheim's fourth-place finish in 2016–17, Nagelsmann was named VDV Coach of the Season and German Football Manager of the Year. Hoffenheim extended Nagelsmann's contract until 2021 in June 2017.

In the 2017–18 season, Hoffenheim lost to Liverpool in the Champions League play-off round and finished last in their Europa League group. Nagelsmann's first two full seasons represented the two highest league finishes in Hoffenheim's history at the time. After leading the club to fourth place and its first Champions League qualification in 2016–17, he improved to third the following season, securing direct qualification for the Champions League group stage. In the 2018–19 Champions League, Hoffenheim finished last in their group with three draws and three defeats.

Reader's Guide

The club's best finish under Nagelsmann was third place in the Bundesliga. The club won one of its twelve European group-stage matches under him.