The last DFB course before the start of the 2024 European Football Championship has begun. National coach Julian Nagelsmann has made a lot of changes to the squad. The 36-year-old has to moderate the restart of his team under time pressure.
The start of this week of service at the German Football Association (DFB) was initially relaxed for Julian Nagelsmann. While his national players gradually checked into a hotel in Neu-Isenburg on Monday (March 18, 2024), the national coach traveled with DFB sports director Rudi Völler to the Rhineland-Palatinate province to get young fans in the mood for the 2024 European Championship at the Essenheim elementary school .
While Völler was sweating from signing autographs, Nagelsmann was visibly pleased by the enthusiasm shown by the little football fans 83 days before the start of the home European Championship. “I hope that after this course it will end as well as it started today,” said the 36-year-old.
Thomas Kattenbeck, sports show, March 14, 2024 2:19 p.m
Only the performance principle applies
However, the challenges that await Nagelsmann are not exactly small. And that doesn’t just have to do with the upcoming test matches against such renowned opponents as France (Saturday at 9 p.m. in Lyon) and the Netherlands (Tuesday at 8:45 p.m. in Frankfurt). There is noticeable tension in the air around the DFB team.
On the one hand, there are the recent poor results against Austria (0:2) and Turkey (2:3), which continue to have an impact on public perception. On the other hand, Nagelsmann hardly took big names into account when putting together his squad. The national coach used the performance principle alone as a guideline.
Dates National Team Date Opponent Location 03/23/24 France Lyon 03/26/24 Netherlands Frankfurt 06/14/24 Scotland Munich (EM) 06/19/24 Hungary Stuttgart (EM) 06/23/24 Switzerland Frankfurt (EM)
Internationally inexperienced players
What at first glance appears to be a logical step after the often weak performances of the DFB team in previous months, but also harbors dangers. Nagelsmann must succeed in assembling this newly assembled team in the best possible way within a very short period of time with just a few training sessions.
EURO schedule arrow right
With Alexander Pavlovic (acute infection, will probably travel later), Maximilian Mittelstädt, Waldemar Anton, Jan-Niklas Beste, Maximilian Beier and Deniz Undav, there are six national team novices who are in top form in the Bundesliga have no or very little international experience. Chris Führich can only point to a short appearance in the national uniform against the USA last October.
“It’s not about having the 20 best from the most famous clubs, but the 20 who fit together best,” said Nagelsmann when introducing his squad with many unknowns.
Defensive work and hierarchy
In addition, the football teacher has to put together a midfield around returnee Toni Kroos that can set a tone on the offensive, but at the same time is defensively stable enough to be competitive at the highest international level. The defensive work of the DFB team in particular has repeatedly been a cause for great concern in the recent past.
In addition, something like a new hierarchy will have to be formed over the eight days of the course, especially since captain Ilkay Gündogan has an extremely experienced and much more highly decorated teammate in Kroos.
New energy through competition
Julian Nagelsmann has announced new competition for the home European Championships and must now begin to channel the players’ additional energy into the right sporting channels in the next few hours and days.
Things are unlikely to be as relaxed and tranquil for the national coach in the coming days as they were at primary school in Essenheim.
