BERLIN (Sports) – RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann will have to pick his words carefully when he coaches his players in front of empty stands and hundreds of millions of television viewers as the Bundesliga becomes the first major league to restart on Saturday.
Nagelsmann’s team host Freiburg and only 300 staff and officials will be in and around the stadium as the league resumes after a two-month stoppage amid a tight health framework to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection.
Players, who have been isolated for the past days, will not be allowed to shake hands or celebrate in groups while also having to refrain from spitting.
Nagelsmann’s usually vocal coaching will also be audible across the globe due to a lack of background noise.
“The microphones are on, the volume in the stadium will be different,” Nagelsmann said in a video news conference on Thursday.
“And I will be better heard than before. I will try to behave in a socially acceptable way in the box and things I usually say maybe say them in a lower voice or even not at all.”
The 32-year-old, the youngest ever Bundesliga coach, also does not know how goal celebrations will look, with players told to keep their distance as part of safety measures.
“The players no doubt will have thought of something. But we first must score the goals and then we can think about the celebrations,” Nagelsmann said.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
