DFB selection: Debutant Josha Vagnoman – one for the imagination

At VfB Stuttgart, bottom of the table in the Bundesliga, Josha Vagnoman is only a substitute. A central defender plays in his right-back position. National coach Hansi Flick still brought Vagnoman to the national team. The full-backs remain a German problem position.

A few days ago, national coach Hans-Dieter Flick, whom everyone just calls “Hansi”, spoke about position profiles, analyzes and potential. That was before the squad nominations for the friendlies against Peru (Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 8:45 p.m.) and Belgium (Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 8:45 p.m.). There could also be surprises, said Flick, and the new ones would have to too “no clear regular players” be in the club.

It was a sentence that left room for surprises, and in fact Flick surprised many less than 24 hours later. He has nominated six new players for the national team, which was no surprise. The names were there, some at least, and one in particular: that of Josha Vagnoman.

In Stuttgart, a central defender plays on the right and not Vagnoman

Vagnoman, 22, switched from Hamburger SV to VfB Stuttgart before this season, he is a dynamic full-back with little experience. At the beginning of the season, Vagnoman always played, often on the right and sometimes on the left, then he saw yellow-red against Schalke and was injured afterwards. Vagnoman has been fit again since the beginning of November, but he is no longer a clear regular player.

This year Vagnoman was only once in the starting XI. Coach Bruno Labbadia relies on experience and stability on the defensive in the relegation battle. Recently, Labbadia has often even used central defender Waldemar Anton on the right back. Vagnoman has been on the bench in four of the past seven league games, coming on three times for a total of 71 minutes.

Recently, there has also been a lot of discussion about Vagnoman’s personality, even if his name has not always been mentioned. Lothar Matthäus, for example, was surprised about nominated players who “You actually don’t know who doesn’t have this regular place in the club yet”.

Marius Wolf, 27, he is also new to the national team and a right-back, but has just been placed at Borussia Dortmund, will not have meant Matthäus. Vagnoman rather.

Flick praises the courage of the new

The national coach Flick has a different perspective on the footballer Vagnoman, of course he does. When announcing the names of the nominees, Flick said they had analyzed the players closely, especially with a view to the future. On Monday (March 20, 2023) Flick recalled that Vagnoman had already become U21 European champion with Germany in 2021 as a very young player. Flick did not mention that he did not play in the semifinals and the final.

Lieber said Flick that Vagnoman interprets the role as a full-back “very brave”. He likes that. In fact, Vagnoman is fast, quite fast, you can often see him sprinting down the line. However, his crosses could be more accurate and on the defensive Vagnoman is rarely flawless.

In Vagnoman, however, Flick apparently recognizes something that other candidates for the right-back position lack. Something that makes him interesting for the national team, maybe in the medium term and with a view to EM 2024. Vagnoman is a player for Flick’s imagination.

Kehrer, Süle, Kimmich and now Vagnoman – Flick’s right-back puzzle

And the national coach Flick can’t have too much imagination. Next year’s European Championships will take place in Germany, the expectations could hardly be higher, but the reality is rather bleak. The World Cup in Qatar was a disappointment, but when analyzing mistakes at the DFB, they always only ended up losing in the Japan game.

You could also see against Spain and Costa Rica that the German team not only lacked luck, but also goals, ideas and right-backs.

In Qatar, Flick had several players start on Germany’s problem position: Thilo Kehrer and Niklas Süle, two central defenders who can also play outside if necessary. And Joshua Kimmich, who was once considered the ideal solution for the right back, until at some point he preferred to play in defensive midfield and could not be replaced there either.

Vagnoman says: “Surprising to me too”

So Flick’s search for a right-back of stature continues. He should be able to defend in a back four, but also master the system with three or five defenders. Because that could also be an alternative, Flick said a few days ago. The nomination of Dortmund’s wolf was obvious, he can do both.

Vagnoman can do that too, but the question then arises: Can he do it better than other right-backs that Flick didn’t think were good enough for the time being?

At the weekend, when Stuttgart lost 1-0 to VfL Wolfsburg, Vagnoman was used again. It was his 15th Bundesliga appearance and lasted 28 minutes. Afterwards, Vagnoman was of course a sought-after conversation partner, everyone wanted to know how it was with him and the national coach.

“Naturally”said Vagnoman, “It came as a surprise to me, too.” He had expected to be in the U21 squad, but he hadn’t expected a call from the national coach.

Labbadia and the stability – greetings go out to the DFB

Of course, Stuttgart coach Labbadia has also been asked about the nomination of his replacement right-back. He hopes, said Labbadia, that Vagnoman will also play for the national team. “It’s not that easy to gain match practice at a club that is currently fighting for relegation. Sometimes you have to choose stability.” And that’s all you need to know about Germany and the right-backs in spring 2023.