Now things are getting brightly colorful for the national team, even if Julian Nagelsmann’s international debut in the colorful European Championship jersey is only a marginal aspect.
“I’m not wearing it,” joked the national coach before the national soccer team’s first appearance in pink and purple against the Dutch Orange team.
For Nagelsmann, on Tuesday (8:45 p.m./RTL) in Frankfurt’s European Championship stadium, it’s more about continuing the European Championship euphoria with another respectable success with the DFB team, which he has cleared out and freshly styled after the 2-0 exclamation mark in France The home game against the arch-rivals from the neighboring country really ignites. “We have turned onto the road to the home European Championship – and we want to continue on that road,” he said.
Nagelsmann plans to have a winning team against the Netherlands
The 36-year-old has “the same expectations” of his team as he did in Lyon. And that’s why he consistently offers the winning team there again. “The plan is that it will be the same first eleven as against France,” he said before the final training session on the association campus in Frankfurt.
The Dutch are an ideal further test, especially since they just defeated Germany’s opening European Championship opponents Scotland 4-0. “The Netherlands are also a force to be reckoned with,” said Nagelsmann about their neighbors’ role in the European Championship finals in the summer.
Was Lyon really the turning point after years of international darkness? Nagelsmann and his new and clearly structured squad want to answer this question with a clear “yes” in the third-to-last test run before the tournament emergency. Although he “didn’t want to be an admonisher,” he nevertheless warned his players to invest everything they had in winning, as they did in France: “It’s easy to land a one-hit wonder like that. But what’s important is that you continue on the path “We won’t let everything be torn down again.”
It fits with Nagelsmann’s new, rigid EM strategy that he is no longer experimenting, but is consistently continuing the course he has chosen. “We conducted the role discussions with a certain idea in mind. Then you have to follow through with the idea,” he said.
“Everyone knows their role”
The invited European Championship candidates follow Nagelsmann’s course of A and B line-ups, regardless of whether they are regulars or challengers. “Shortly before the tournament it is extremely important that every player knows where they are. Everyone knows their role, that is important in a team with so many players,” said Kai Havertz.
He thanked Nagelsmann for his new role as number one center forward with the goal to make it 2-0 against France. Meanwhile, Niclas Füllkrug accepted the joker role without complaint in the test in Lyon, although the Dortmund attacker had to wait until the 80th minute for Havertz to be substituted and for his own brief appearance. “We have a clear distribution of roles, a clear hierarchy in the team,” said the 31-year-old.
And it goes like this: At the top of the hierarchy are returnee Kroos, captain Ilkay Gündogan, who will play his 75th international match against the Netherlands, and long-time captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, when he returns to the European Championships at home as number after his current injury one returns. Behind them are defense chief Antonio Rüdiger and Joshua Kimmich, even though the Munich player has been moved back to the right back. “Josh is very important for us,” Nagelsmann said on Monday. Everyone should also like to see how intensely the Munich team celebrated after the final whistle in France.
Suspended Sané will probably have to fight
The youngsters Wirtz and Musiala and Jonathan Tah, who Nagelsmann acknowledged, had played his best international game against France. His Leverkusen club colleague Robert Andrich and Stuttgart DFB debutant Maximilian Mittelstädt also demonstrated their performance in the victory.
The national coach spoke of a core of 13 to 14 regular players in the 23-man European Championship squad. Tournament veteran Thomas Müller and Stuttgart’s Chris Führich were first substitutes against France. That was also a sign. Leroy Sané will also have to fight for his usual starting role once he has served his three-game ban before the last European Championship test against Greece on June 7th. The Bayern professional will come to the team headquarters on Tuesday and will be in the stadium as a spectator in the evening. “There is no question about his quality,” Nagelsmann said of the Munich offensive player on Monday. Sané is still guaranteed a European Championship ticket, but not a place in the starting eleven.
“One game is not enough, we have to keep at it”
Nagelsmann clearly sets the direction that Kroos and Co. have to implement. “We want to see the courage that we demonstrate in certain decisions on the pitch,” said the national coach: “We will want to see again against the Dutch that we try to shape the game and have confidence in ourselves.” Following France’s motto “We’re kicking”, his game heading this time is: “Just keep going!”
The success in France was good for everyone, the national coach, the DFB officials around Rudi Völler – and last but not least the players. Confidence in the European Championship should continue to grow against Bonds coach Ronald Koeman’s strong Dutch team with the Bundesliga professionals Matthijs de Ligt (FC Bayern), Donyell Malen (Dortmund) and Xavi Simons (Leipzig) expected in the starting line-up. “One game is not enough, we have to stick with it,” said Andrich, the new foreman.
