By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At first glance, Julian Nagelsmann and Timo Werner might not appear to have much in common. 32-year-old Nagelsmann has dedicated his life to coaching and is partial to outdoor activities in the mountains. By contrast, the 23-year-old German international is one of the country's most promising strikers and recently admitted to a love of computer games.
Ahead of RB Leipzig's Champions League curtain-raiser against Benfica this Tuesday evening in Portugal, the interests of coach and forward seem to merge. Nagelsmann and Werner have discussed their common goal of playing a vital role in the Champions League. Both coach and forward are eager to prove their quality on the continental stage.
Nagelsmann wants to make up for a poor performance in the Champions League with his former club TSG Hoffenheim last season, when he failed to win even one of the six group games.
Werner is determined to do better than in the 2017-18 season, when Leipzig dropped into the Europa League after finishing third out of four teams in that year's Champions League group stage.
Former German international Stefan Effenberg called this season's campaign an essential step for the duo in their development.
The 51-year-old praised Werner's quality as one of "our" most talented strikers. "He is one of our best players, but he needs to gain experience and success in international games to improve," the former Bayern Munich midfielder commented.
Qualifying for the knockout stage from a Group G containing St. Petersburg, Lyon and Benfica is a must for Leipzig this season, Effenberg emphasized. "They have to make up for their poor performance last time in the Champions League and their early group exit last season in the Europa League," Effenberg said, adding that the club's performance in Europe was the biggest disappointment last year.
But things have changed for the better in Leipzig. The club has improved its squad and is aiming for the round of 16. CEO Oliver Mintzlaff called the group draw an excellent opportunity to proceed to the next round, but cautioned that it is far from easy.
The perfect start to the Bundesliga season might enhance Leipzig's chances. Nagelsmann admits he has learned that stability in the national league "helps you a lot regarding continental challenges."
After a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich last weekend, Leipzig defended its top spot in the Bundesliga and delivered a perfect start with 10 points after four games.
"We claim to perform better than last time. We want to stay in the Champions League after the winter," Mintzlaff commented.
Nagelsmann said everyone at the club has the desire to win a title in the next years. "For me, as a coach, it is important to win my first game in the Champions League. Benfica can be a start," he said, adding that he wants to lead his team to a title within the next four years.
"It is time for us to win some silverware," he stressed.
