Nagelsmann lauds 'great talent' Olmo after brace in Leipzig win
Julian Nagelsmann heaped praise on Dani Olmo after the RB Leipzig star scored twice in a 2-0 Bundesliga victory over Hoffenheim.
Leipzig star Olmo scored a brace inside the opening 11 minutes as Nagelsmann's men saw off hosts Hoffenheim on Friday.
Spain international Olmo, who arrived from Dinamo Zagreb in January, opened the scoring in the ninth minute before doubling the lead with a first-time finish two minutes later.
Leipzig head coach Nagelsmann hailed Olmo after the team consolidated third position, telling reporters: "Before the match, we said that it's important that he plays on the central 10 position where he was trained.
"That's his favourite position. We put him there so that he's more likely to score than in the past few weeks when he had more defensive duties, which he did well, but he didn't get in front of the goal as often. Today he was good in the box several times and even had his third goal on his foot in the second half, when he had a free finish from 11, 12 meters.
"I was very satisfied with him. He adapts better and better. He's a great talent and a top guy who wants to learn, who has the necessary modesty, but also the ambition and the self-confidence and also opens his mouth sometimes and says that he wants to play.
"He wants to be given the chance. I like that. He has the necessary cheekiness and humbleness to develop. He's becoming a player for our future who will play a lot more good games."
A tough game, but a very important three points
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Olmo, 22, added: "It feels great to bag my first brace for RB Leipzig. But the win is more important, I'm more pleased about that. It gives us a lift ahead of our remaining games. We want to win every game, take nine points and reach the Champions League!"
Leipzig extended their unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga to 12 matches – the German outfit undefeated since January 25.
Nagelsmann's Leipzig are third through 31 games, a point behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund and six clear of Borussia Monchengladbach – who travel to leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday.
"It was a very exciting game. Unlike the last few weeks, we had the game luck on our side," Nagelsmann said. "… I think it's a deserved victory, with the happier course of the game for us.
"But after the coronavirus break we didn't always have the luck of the game on our side. And at the end of the year it balances out very neutrally for all the teams. And today was a "neutrality game" for the negative course of play of the past weeks."