The deserved victory in France inspires the German footballers. National coach Julian Nagelsmann sees confirmation of his ability to assign clear roles in the squad and stick to them. That’s good news for those who were on the pitch in Lyon – and bad news for everyone else.
Almost three months before the opening game of the home European Championship, something that has been missing for a long time is developing around the German national team: a feeling of optimism, almost euphoria. The deserved 2-0 (1-0) win over runner-up world champion France inspires all those who, after three disappointing tournaments, dream that the selection of the German Football Association will actually have a say when the European Championship title is awarded this summer . The appearance in Lyon also confirms that national coach Julian Nagelsmann is sticking to his recently assigned roles in the DFB squad.
“We will carry out this idea,” said Nagelsmann after the success in the classic and at the same time explained that he would play against the Netherlands on Tuesday (8.45 p.m./RTL and in the live ticker at ntv.de) to rely on a very similar starting eleven. For the game in Frankfurt, it is “not planned that we will make six or seven changes” – especially since the meeting with Oranje is also the last game before the squad is nominated for the European Championship. Nagelsmann has to name his 23 kickers at the end of May, and the final test matches against Ukraine (June 3) and Greece (June 7) will only take place afterwards.
The short regeneration time – there are less than 72 hours between the kick-off on Saturday evening in Lyon and the kick-off on Tuesday evening in Frankfurt – is not an obstacle to the team getting used to it. The players are used to the rhythm of the clubs, said Nagelsmann. He wants to wait and see how lightning goalscorer Florian Wirtz, the outstanding returnee Toni Kroos & Co. “react” to the stress. After the success in France, there were no signs of excessive exhaustion or even health problems, at least from the outside. Even if midfielder Robert Andrich openly stated that he was “really screwed”.
All of this not only plays into Nagelsmann’s idea of a fixed core, but also those who were nominated during this international break. Kroos, for example, underlined with his first touches of the ball and the resulting lead through Wirtz why his DFB comeback could be a pretty good thing. “Toni Kroos was unbelievable. He set the pace and worked incredibly hard. He gives the other players so much security,” praised Nagelsmann. Goalscorer Wirtz and 2-0 preparer Jamal Musiala made it clear why they have long been irreplaceable in Leverkusen and Munich, especially in this form, and Kai Havertz was also recommended for further appearances in the attacking position.
Top performers from Lyon as a framework for the start of the European Championship in Munich?
Apparently the reverse conclusion works: Anyone who wasn’t there in Lyon will have a very difficult time getting on the pitch at the European Championships. And in fact: If the strong performance against France with a similar line-up is followed by a similarly convincing performance against the Netherlands, the best places for the home tournament could already be taken. Niclas Füllkrug, who came on late as a substitute, said when asked whether he would be in the starting line-up against Oranje: “The national coach made his statement clear.” By that he obviously meant that he would also be sitting on the bench at kick-off in Frankfurt. His dissatisfaction with his place in the second row was evident.
The chances of his teammates at Borussia Dortmund, who were not even nominated, are even worse. For Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck & Co., the road back seems to have become significantly longer. Leroy Sané, who was suspended for three games after his red card against Austria and was therefore only available again in the last test, will probably have to recommend himself again, as will Leon Goretzka, over whom Nagelsmann this time preferred Bayern discovery Aleksandar Pavlovic.
“We wanted to radiate joy of life, that’s what we did,” said Nagelsmann after the most promising 90 minutes in recent memory. In the press conference he also emphasized his approach to the squad tinkering: “We conducted the role discussions with a certain idea, then we have to carry it out.” Even though Nagelsmann always emphasizes that strong performances in the club are the basic prerequisite for playing for Germany: If you want to push someone out of the squad, you probably have to stand out clearly and not just in individual games.
There are many indications that Lyon’s top performers will also appear in Munich on June 14th when the DFB team starts the tournament against Scotland. Especially if we manage to “confirm this game” against the Netherlands on Tuesday, as Nagelsmann noted. And added: “Detached from the result, it’s about the manner.” Because the long-awaited spirit of optimism seems to be derived from the “how” of this success over the runner-up world champion.