Lyon, located at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone, is for many the gastronomic capital of France, perhaps even the world. The secret of Lyon cuisine, Curnonsky, one of the most famous writers on gastronomy, once said, would be to let things taste their own way.
Now it’s not the culinary art that brings the German national soccer players to Lyon on Friday afternoon and is being tested there. It is the way they play football that they will be tested for when they meet hosts France on Saturday evening at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon (9 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker). How creative and imaginative will they be? How enthusiastic, how combative? These are all questions that need to be answered in the first of two upcoming test matches for the European Championship. On Tuesday the German team will play against the Netherlands in Frankfurt/Main (8:45 p.m.).
The preparation for the main event against France was promising, even if there were two pieces of bad news. Manuel Neuer, who found out on Wednesday morning that he was the goalkeeper they would be betting on at the European Championships, had to leave on Wednesday afternoon. The Munich player injured his left adductor. What Julian Nagelsmann, the national coach, very much regretted.
In addition to Bayern Munich’s new one, newcomer Best is also missing
“That’s very annoying because he made a very good impression,” said Nagelsmann: “But thank God we still have a world-class keeper who will now play both games.” The coach said Marc-André ter Stegen. The injured Neuer was joined by Jan-Niklas Beste. The Heidenheim standard and cross specialist, who was nominated for the first time, left injured on Thursday.
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Otherwise, the national coach has plenty to draw from – a squad that is now only full of four newcomers and, as Nagelsmann reported, trained with commitment and intensity. The focus was on carefully prepared exercises, during which sequences from French games were occasionally shown on a large screen. Recovering the ball, switching, passing and tackling were practiced. There were also measures for team spirit.
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While the players drove Eco Karts – the fastest was Thomas Müller – the staff met for a soccer game on the DFB campus. In addition, the selection appeared approachable. Toni Kroos, the returnee, distributed the new jerseys from supplier Adidas in downtown Frankfurt, there was a public training session and a press conference at which fans were allowed to ask the national coach questions. Nagelsmann also visited a primary school with sports director Rudi Völler and managing director Andreas Rettig.
“My favorite jersey will always be white,” says Toni Kroos
In a press conference, national player Toni Kroos responded to the question of how he liked the new European Championship jerseys: “Well, I’m an Adidas player. I have to say: very good, fantastic. The jerseys are always as good as we play in them.
Nagelsmann enjoys great trust
The atmosphere is good. But the players and coaching staff know that they have a debt to pay after poor performances. The defeats against Turkey (2:3) and Austria (0:2) still resonate today. Further negative performances could put a further damper on the already very subdued mood in Germany with regard to the national team. The 4-1 defeat in the friendly in Italy in March 2006 is still unforgettable when it comes to a scenario like this.
The criticism of the upcoming home World Cup and the fear of a sporting disaster were so great that three members of the Bundestag wanted to summon former national coach Jürgen Klinsmann to the sports committee. But that didn’t happen in the end. “Anyone who wants to drag Klinsi before the sports committee doesn’t have all their cups in the cupboard. We could vote on the list in the Bundestag right away,” said Fritz Kuhn, a member of the Bundestag for the Greens at the time.
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18 years later, Julian Nagelsmann enjoys great trust. Even if the games against France and the Netherlands are lost, the DFB will definitely want to hold on to him. What’s more, those responsible would like to extend the contract with the 36-year-old coach, whose contract only runs until July 31st, before the European Championships.
President Bernd Neuendorf, for example, emphasized that the chemistry between the association and Nagelsmann was right. “Julian said that he would like clarity about his future before the European Championship tournament. We certainly won’t close our minds to such a wish,” emphasized Neuendorf. Managing director Rettig said in an interview with WELT that Nagelsmann was passionate about the DFB. The way the national coach would behave would not be the same as anyone who viewed his commitment “as a project” and was “on a journey through”.
As far as the trip to Lyon is concerned, there were indications in the days in Frankfurt/Main who could form the starting eleven on Saturday. Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Antonio Rüdiger and, most likely, newcomer Maximilian Mittelstädt will play in front of ter Stegen in goal, followed by Kroos and Robert Andrich, and Ilkay Gündogan, Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz on the offensive.
