First he takes care of the children. Before national coach Julian Nagelsmann gathers his national players on Monday afternoon the week after next in Frankfurt/Main for the first time in the very important year of the home European Championship, he takes a detour to a primary school in nearby Mainz. Together with Rudi Völler, the sports director of the German Football Association (DFB), and association manager Andreas Rettig, the national coach speaks to the little ones as part of a DFB project.
It is quite possible that the youngsters will not only listen carefully when the prominent guests do the honors, but will also ask one or two questions that have arisen due to the recent very poor performances of the German elite selection.
Because even if the last two defeats against Turkey (2:3) and Austria (0:2) in November 2023 were some time ago, the insults that there were for the troubled national team in Vienna still resonate today. “The DFB is so upset,” 46,000 spectators intoned in dialect at the time.
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The first information about how Nagelsmann plans to reverse the trend will be available next Thursday. At 2 p.m. the coach will announce his squad for the international matches against France on March 23rd (9 p.m., ZDF) and the Netherlands on March 26th (8:45 p.m., RTL) at a press conference.
Every training session, every international match in focus
It is known that Toni Kroos, who withdrew from the DFB selection in 2021, is celebrating his comeback. The 34-year-old midfield star from Real Madrid announced this himself on social networks around two weeks ago in consultation with Nagelsmann.
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“When the national coach calls, of course you listen to it,” Kroos explained again on DAZN during the week and gave an insight into his thoughts regarding the comeback: “It is and remains a home European Championship, a huge experience – and that’s okay no active football player is completely cold. So I tried to weigh everything up and assess everything – and in the end I came to a yes.”
It will be exciting to see who will be part of the 23-man squad alongside Kroos. In an interview with “Spiegel” Nagelsmann recently let it be known that he did not have to invite ten new players. “But,” he added, “one or two people who many people think will definitely be there will definitely not be nominated.” That at least leads to the conclusion that the national coach, based on the current form, i.e. the performance principle, should set up – and no longer based on past successes or merits.
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Nagelsmann knows that the pressure is great. Every training session, if it is visible to the public – and especially every international match, of which there will only be four before the European Championships, is checked to see whether the professionals he has chosen have what it takes to play a good tournament in the summer to play. The European Championship runs from June 14th to July 14th.
The last time there was a football tournament in this country in 2006, the German team didn’t know how to impress in advance and was exposed to heavy criticism after a 4-1 defeat in the friendly in Italy, only to then send an entire country into ecstasy at the World Cup to storm through to the semi-finals. However, hoping that it will work this time too seems rather presumptuous at the moment.
“We have to become more stable,” says Rudi Völler
Positive signals are needed – immediately. If performances and results against France and the Netherlands aren’t right, things could get tight for Nagelsmann. Although his contract runs until after the European Championships, his record so far is: one win, one draw, two defeats. He still enjoys great trust.
Despite disappointing results in recent major tournaments – elimination in the preliminary rounds at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and elimination in the round of 16 at the 2021 European Championships – sports director Völler is optimistic. A “top national coach” and “young talents” as well as “a lot of quality in the front area and midfield” give him reason to do this, he said. Völler sees room for improvement in the defense. “We have to become more stable. “The national coach put a lot of thought into the nomination,” he added – without going into details.
Toni Kroos (r.) in his last international match of 2021 so far – in the European Championship round of 16 exit against England
Source: picture alliance/dpa/Christian Charisius
Julian Nagelsmann and his assistants Sandro Wagner and Benjamin Glück have observed a lot in the past few weeks. They watched games in the stadiums or at home. They met, exchanged ideas and spoke on the phone, including with players. Some of the Dortmund players, who like Bayern have always made up the majority of the national team, must currently be worried about their nomination.
Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle, for example, have played too shaky in the recent past. They are not consistent enough – and are emblematic of a mixed and sometimes disappointing season for BVB so far. Mats Hummels, whom Nagelsmann really values for his experience, was recently used from the bench. He is currently not placed in Dortmund.
Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry have to worry
Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry are questionable among the Bayern professionals. However, the latter was injured for a long time and has yet to return, while Goretzka could fall victim to a castling in midfield that would result in Kroos’ return. Captain Ilkay Gündogan, who has previously played in front of the defensive line, will probably play further forward in midfield in the future.
In addition to Kroos, the new leader, what is needed is the type of football player that the national coach described as follows in his analysis after the recent defeats. “Perhaps,” Nagelsmann explained, “we have to give up two percentage points of talent and throw in two more workers.”
Such workers exist in Robert Andrich, Grischa Prömel and Pascal Groß. In addition, Nagelsmann will probably rely on four VfB Stuttgart players who have been performing excellently for weeks – Waldemar Anton, Chris Führich, Deniz Undav and Maximilian Mittelstädt.
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Fredi Bobic, European champion in 1996 and active at VfB as a player and sports director, thinks that’s a good thing. The Stuttgart team is in strong form. It is obvious that they are now alternatives: “In the end, it all comes down to the right mix. What good are good, highly qualified players if they don’t work in the team,” Bobic told WELT AM SONNTAG.
Regarding Nagelsmann’s “Workers,” he added: “Sometimes you need players who fulfill a certain purpose and take on a certain role. That’s important for a team.”
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Toni Kroos, who has been playing at world-class level for more than ten years, is now a permanent anchor point: “With him, Ilkay Gündogan and Robert Andrich, he could form a good triangle in the middle,” said Bobic.
Dietmar “Didi” Hamann, runner-up in the 2002 World Cup and 59-time national player, is also looking forward to the upcoming squad. Kroos’ return is understandable for him, but it would deprive the national coach of some options in midfield: “What about Gündogan, the captain? What about Wirtz, what about Musiala? Do they all play? I let myself be surprised and am excited. It’s important that the team finally gains stability.”
