With a “high energy level” and completely ready for a new summer fairytale, Julian Nagelsmann announced his plan for the home European Championships on Thursday. After almost four days of social media fireworks with 18 European Championship tickets already confirmed, the national coach handed over nine more tickets and explained in a committed, emotional but also sensitive way why there was no room for Mats Hummels and Leon Goretzka as “totally disappointed” veterans.
At the same time, Nagelsmann raised high expectations 29 days before the landmark opening game against Scotland on June 14th. “We’re trying to win the title, I can promise you that; we’ll do everything we can to achieve that.” But how is the “super squad,” as Nagelsmann calls his squad, received in the press?
A look into the newspaper columns of the Republic.
“Schwäbische Zeitung”: “As a proven tactical expert, Julian Nagelsmann knows how to take one or two opponents by surprise on the football pitch. When nominating his squad for the home European Championship, however, there was no element of surprise (…), because Nagelsmann consistently stuck to his announcement that he would put his trust in those players for the important home tournament who, after years of dreariness, finally reignited euphoria around the national team in the recent international victories against France and the Netherlands. A wise decision.”
“Kicker”: “For Goretzka and even more so for Hummels, who recently defended in impressive form, this exclusion may feel bitter and – if you take the performance criterion alone – unfair. But Nagelsmann’s argument that these two – in their self-image – The fact that top dogs could have difficulty with the intended role as challengers and supplementary players cannot be dismissed (…) The national team, which has become increasingly frustrated and unsettled over the years, desperately needed this supply of young, hungry and unburdened players.
“Süddeutsche Zeitung” (Munich): “When nominating his first tournament squad, Nagelsmann showed that he is not afraid of controversial decisions, on the contrary. Nevertheless, it is in the nature of things that coaches are held particularly responsible after special decisions If a defender makes a mistake or is injured during a long tournament, you can already imagine the debates. Then Nagelsmann will no longer be the national coach who made tough decisions, but rather the one who shied away from moderating strong characters is a risk. But Nagelsmann has shown in his not-so-short coaching career that he is less afraid of taking risks.”
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: “The return of Toni Kroos, that much can already be said, has changed the national team at its core. He is the figure who has given the whole team a new frame of reference and meaning, the role from which all the others (re)derive themselves. This applies specifically to the offensive, where Wirtz, Musiala and others can now play freed from the burden of responsibility, but it also radiates indirectly into all other areas because Nagelsmann felt more freedom overall to focus on the future. Kroos could thus prove to be a great stroke of luck for the national coach, although it must be added that he was perhaps only possible in this form because all certainty and all structure had been lost, first under Hansi Flick and then under Nagelsmann himself.”
“Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”: “This results in an exciting squad with a great hunger for success: among the old-timers because they – with Neuer, Kroos and Thomas Müller as exceptions – have never done well at major tournaments and therefore have something to prove, and among the new players because they want to show that they are ready to play for Germany. It’s a good mix, especially with a coach who somehow does both. (…) The 36-year-old has to show that he is suitable for the big stage. He has done a lot right with the squad selection so far: he has shown courage and at the same time made surprisingly logical, forward-looking decisions for the DFB.”
