Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curacao – the group opponents of the German national team at the World Cup have been determined. The national coach’s plan for the period up to the opening game is taking shape. The first details are leaking out.
The lobby of the Hilton Capitol in Washington looked as if the national coaches had rented it for a school reunion after the World Cup draw.
Austria’s coach Ralf Rangnick rolled through the hall on a mini bike due to his ankle problems. England’s Thomas Tuchel arrived on the FIFA bus with Swiss coach Murat Yakin. Julian Nagelsmann strolled in a little later. Instead of mingling with his colleagues, he discussed things with his organizational team before disappearing into his room. The German national coach knew that a tight program awaited him in the next few days.
After the trainer meeting on Saturday morning, the DFB delegation was planning a trip to the neighborhood check in the coming days. The team hotel that Nagelsmann favors is still a closely guarded secret at the DFB. In fact, Nagelsmann’s desired location should not be in a metropolis like New York. One option would be the Midwest of the USA. In the meantime, North Dakota, a sparsely populated state on the Canadian border, a good 1,600 km east of Seattle, was considered one of the favorites. But North Carolina on the east coast was also discussed.
EM Base Camp serves as a model
The decisive factor in choosing the national coach was that the hotel can be booked completely and exclusively and that the distances to the training grounds are short. The model is the EM Base Camp Herzogenaurach, where sleeping rooms, training ground and fitness facility are close together. To do this, individual wishes must be able to be fulfilled. The DFB still has to get FIFA’s blessing for the final choice of hotel. The DFB is therefore not expecting an announcement before January.
Nagelsmann played the draw with the first venues in Houston, Toronto and New York fully into his accommodation plans. Some colleagues also looked a little jealous at the drawn group opponents Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curaçao. “It’s like always,” said Tuchel, commenting on Germany’s luck. The England coach had a harder time with Croatia, Ghana and Panama. “You have to get through the group, otherwise you have no chance of winning. That’s no different in the Champions League, and that’s why all the energy, all the focus goes on the group. That won’t be any different with Julian,” said Tuchel in an interview with “Sport Bild”.
Tuchel and England are heading to the holiday paradise of Miami to prepare. The German national team, on the other hand, will prepare for almost a week in Chicago, where the final test against hosts USA will take place on June 6th at Soldier Field Stadium. From there we go straight to the team quarters.
One thing is already clear: Nagelsmann prefers to fly back to the team hotel in the evening immediately after the three group games. The early kick-off times on site at 12 p.m. against Curaçao in Houston and 4 p.m. against the Ivory Coast in Toronto and again 4 p.m. against Ecuador in New York are an advantage.
Due to the Ivory Coast group draw, the German national team now has to look for a new opponent for the friendly match on March 30th in Stuttgart. According to information from “Sport Bild”, Nagelsmann and his team decided to choose an African team again to simulate the game against Ivory Coast.
Another test match rescheduling could also have happened in the event of a Swiss draw. The game against the Swiss is scheduled to take place in Basel on March 27th. “It would have been nice to meet again,” said national coach Yakin, regretting not playing against Germany in the group. “At the end of the day, we are footballers who want to compete against good opponents. Maybe that can happen later if we qualify for the next rounds.” Before departing for the USA, Germany will also meet Finland in Mainz on May 31st.
Neuendorf warns about Ecuador and the Ivory Coast
After being eliminated twice in the preliminary round, the DFB is not taking the group lightly. “Ivory Coast is the African champion,” warns DFB President Bernd Neuendorf. “I was at the African Cup final myself and saw Ivory Coast play. You have to take that very, very seriously. I think they are a very difficult opponent.” The same applies to game number three, said Neuendorf: “Ecuador is certainly someone who shouldn’t be taken lightly. After all, they prevailed in South America.” The following applies to Curaçao: “I’m really happy that we also have an exotic animal with us.”
Nagelsmann is more specific about the Caribbean country: “They have a super experienced coach (Dick Advocaat, the editors)have many players who were born in the Netherlands and also trained by Dutch people. We know how extremely good Dutch football training is.”
Good chances for El-Mala and Karl
The DFB delegation is expected back in Germany before the end of the week. The World Cup quarters should then be fixed, subject to FIFA approval. The national coach already has his schedule in mind for the period up to the next international matches in March. “My tasks are to analyze the opponents and develop match plans, to determine a squad that is good enough to then play a very good tournament.”
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As far as the players who are scheduled for the World Cup are concerned, the coaching team already has 80 to 85 percent of the squad. Talents like Saïd El Mala from Cologne and Lennart Karl from FC Bayern still have the chance to jump on the World Cup bandwagon. Assuming no further injuries. Ultimately, Munich’s key player Jamal Musiala should be back on the pitch by the beginning of January at the latest. A squad spot for the long-term injured Kai Havertz should be kept open for as long as possible.
The World Cup plan is in place – now it just has to work at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The article was written for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, „Bild“, “Sport Image”) created and first published in “Sport Bild”.
