Now the stage only belongs to Julian Nagelsmann. After the strange and entertaining nomination fireworks with squad sponsors from roofer Chiara to show host Günther Jauch, all eyes turn to the national coach. And Nagelsmann loves nothing more than that.
29 days before the national team’s opening game at the home European Championship against Scotland, he will be able to give a talk at the VW location in the center of Berlin on Thursday (1 p.m.) about how and with whom he became the impresario as the youngest national coach in DFB history new football summer fairy tale. Most of the personal details have been clarified. Now is the time and space for his European Championship statement.
Of course, the fans still want to know what the problem is with Mats Hummels and Leon Goretzka. Why their names weren’t mentioned at the appetizer show. Of course, the plan remains daring with young backups like Aleksandar Pavlovic or Chris Führich. But the national coach’s core message remains unchanged after the spark in March with the test victories against tournament favorites France (2-0) and eternal arch-rivals Netherlands (2-1).
“When you take part in a tournament, take part in a game, the basic idea should be to win it,” the 36-year-old recently said on Magenta TV. That means: Something will happen for football Germany in four weeks. Sporty and emotional. “The result is always decisive in the end. But first of all it’s about us playing in such a way that every German can identify with it and say, I enjoy watching this team,” was Nagelsmann’s message at a fan meeting. Talk.
No leaks, just fan fun
“It’s about creating a lot of emotional moments for this country, for the fans, for the kids, for the people who are in the stadium, who are in front of the television sets, who are out and about in the streets,” Nagelsmann continued. The DFB fans – apart from the Hummels and Goretzka supporters – have already had fun in the past few days.
When Tagesschau announcer Jens Riewa confirmed Nico Schlotterbeck as the first European Championship player on Sunday, everyone was still thinking of one of the usual leaks before a tournament nomination. It soon became clear: there was a system behind it. Lively, cheerful, funny, more and more Nagelsmann players were gradually named online for the European Championship. From a bag of bread rolls to a free kebab, everything was there. And the national coach watched from home, probably amused. The hard work of presenting the squad was done for him using multimedia. On Thursday he can be the center of attention with his EM messages.
The nominations from past tournaments, orchestrated in a state-supporting and intentionally symbolic way, appear as if out of a mothball, mountaineering style before the Alpine European Championships 2008 on the Zugspitze. Jürgen Klinsmann’s cardboard friends from the last summer fairy tale in 2006 have also long since gathered dust. DFB press spokeswoman Franziska Wülle is credited with the brilliant idea with the social media clips in bite-sized form. And Nagelsmann and his management are reportedly thrilled.
Kroos podcast and kebab stand
The round of EM commitments continued on Wednesday. Robert Andrich himself was called into the podcast by his neighbor Toni Kroos. Joshua Kimmich from GZSZ actor Wolfgang Bahro alias Jo Gerner. Antonio Rüdiger via clip from his favorite kebab shop in Kreuzberg. And then captain Ilkay Gündogan on an advertising poster at Alexanderplatz, in the heart of the capital – the venue for the European Championship finals on July 14th.
Gündogan had already praised the national coach’s personnel course in March, although many saw his role as captain weakened by Kroos’ comeback. He was happy “that we have a national coach who sets a clear direction and can sometimes be unpleasant,” he told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The wishy-washy course of the late phase of Joachim Löw and the subsequent failure of Hansi Flick as national coach are history.
Anyone who is surprised today that Hummels and Goretzka, or Robin Gosens from Union Berlin and Kevin Trapp from Eintracht Frankfurt, are missing from the squad should have listened carefully in March. “It’s rare for teams with 20 top stars to be successful,” said Nagelsmann at the time about his renewal course with the fresh and courageous Stuttgart team around left-back Maximilian Mittelstädt.
Hummel’s goal in the final was worthless for the European Championship
He was looking for “young challengers”. “The mood carriers are those who accept this role.” No territorial behavior from aged top dogs. Hummels obviously could have scored so many more goals for BVB on the way to the Champions League final. “The general idea is that we have a large part of the core team with us now. Otherwise the decision would be crazy,” said the national coach, explaining his squad policy.
He continues to live his own life consistently. Even though he was never promoted to professional level in higher leagues due to an early injury, Nagelsmann relies on spirit more than experience. “Many people have a hard time against Kylian Mbappé, even with 200 Champions League games,” he said.
There are smaller adjustment screws that Nagelsmann himself announces. Can Stuttgart’s Alexander Nübel be allowed into the training camp as the fourth goalkeeper behind Manuel Neuer, Marc-André ter Stegen and possibly Oliver Baumann? Who ultimately benefits from the increase to up to 26 European Championship players? Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav? Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier or Jan-Niklas Beste from 1. FC Heidenheim, who no longer expects a European Championship call?
Potential marginal figures in any case. And tournament apprentices – like Nagelsmann, who is also leading a football nation at a major event for the first time. A risk? No, says Nagelsmann himself. “I don’t like this ‘What happens if?’ That doesn’t help us. There’s life, that’s big. And there’s football, and it’s always fun. If it crushes us, then Let’s stop playing football,” Nagelsmann said in March – and won 2-0 away in Lyon against France the following day.
