Maximilian Pelka criticizes how Julian Nagelsmann was treated before his departure from Bayern. The former team psychologist defends Nagelsmann’s ski vacation, which was controversial at the time.
Maximilian Pelka refutes the criticism of Julian Nagelsmann’s behavior prior to his dismissal from FC Bayern. The sports psychologist, who was part of the coaching staff at the time, believes the brief break during the international break in March 2023 was the right decision. He rejects the accusation that Nagelsmann did not take the team’s situation seriously enough.
“So it wasn’t fair to accuse him of not handling the crisis properly,” Pelka explained in an interview with *kicker*. Nagelsmann had gone skiing following a 1-2 loss in Leverkusen. Shortly thereafter, the Munich club parted ways with its head coach.
Pelka points out that Bayern still had a chance to win three titles at the time: “The team was in the quarterfinals of the DFB Cup and had just knocked PSG—with Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé—out of the Champions League. In the league, however, Bayern was in second place behind Dortmund. That brings us to the issue of pressure to perform. Everyone always wants more, more, more.”
Pelka defends Nagelsmann’s ski vacation
From the perspective of a colleague at the time, Nagelsmann had conscientiously taken care of his duties before leaving. “Julian was the only one who was in the office on Säbener Straße on Sunday and Monday. No one else was there. Everyone was out and about. And then on Tuesday, after he’d finished everything he needed to by Monday, Julian left, too.”
Pelka and Nagelsmann had already worked together in Leipzig before the sports psychologist joined FC Bayern in 2021. He therefore knows the former Munich coach’s work style firsthand.
He explicitly defends the decision to take a few days off: “But taking three or four days away from the madness to clear my head—while all the national team players were away anyway—was exactly the right thing to do.”
Pelka questions the expectation that a coach must work as continuously as possible during difficult phases: “Of course, everyone wants to see you keep working through a difficult phase. But does that make sense in the end? Or does it make more sense to recharge your batteries so you can be fully present again in the coming weeks and months?” He also emphasizes: “As far as I know, the trip was agreed upon, by the way.”
The interview comes against the backdrop of Vincent Kompany’s illness. The Bayern coach returned to Säbener Straße on Tuesday. However, Pelka expressly refrains from offering a specific assessment of his case: “I don’t know the exact situation and therefore can’t comment on it in detail.”
Fundamentally, the sports psychologist advocates viewing rest as a prerequisite for good work: “But the more energy you put in, the more important it is to also prioritize rest. Otherwise, the quality of your work suffers.” His conclusion: “Nevertheless, you can still have the highest standards. For me, those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”