Nagelsmann’s great relief
Fundamental things have changed in the DFB team
By Sebastian Schneider, Frankfurt am Main
March 27, 2024, 10:03 a.m
National coach Julian Nagelsmann is daring to do a lot for the first two international matches of the year. He is rewarded: the German national soccer team wins both games. Not only that, it also creates anticipation for the upcoming home European Championships.
Relief can manifest itself in many ways. Sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden. Anyone who wants to experience all the variants had the best chance on Tuesday evening in the basement of the Frankfurt stadium. There is a flicker in the air, an excitement, a talkativeness. A loud popping sound constantly echoes through the catacombs when two players have just reached for a handshake. People who have a DFB logo emblazoned on their clothing are in a good mood.
The protagonists of the evening are also out and about in the hustle and bustle. There is Thomas Müller, who brushes off a reporter’s question about the goal anthem “Major Tom” in Müller style. DFB newcomer Maxi Mittelstädt chats with the journalists present, İlkay Gündoğan with former colleagues from England. National coach Julian Nagelsmann scurries around behind the DFB line-up and hugs Florian Wirtz, who has already moved.
All of these are indications: something fundamental has changed in the DFB team for the time being. Müller said it himself: You’ve had fun with the national team on a number of occasions – just until the games come. This time it’s different, you can feel it in the hustle and bustle between all the people. The international trip was a success: first with the 2-0 win in Lyon against France, now with the 2-1 win over the Netherlands.
About “Workers” and “Wizards”
Because something has changed radically. Suddenly there is a clear idea, a shared vision of how the DFB team can be successful. National coach Nagelsmann has already achieved remarkable things. Not only with the fact that a spirit of optimism is emerging in his own country in time for the European Championships, but also with the way in which he achieved this.
Nagelsmann presented a clear concept for his squad and his game idea. A new hierarchy was needed for this: He convinced Toni Kroos, the conductor of Real Madrid, of the DFB comeback. It heralded the end of the loyalty to the Nibelungen that had accompanied the DFB team for years: Nobody should get a European Championship ticket just because their name had already been on a jersey.
Instead, he proceeded like a Hollywood film: the national coach cast fixed roles. The “Workers” should do the defensive work, the “Magicians” around Wirtz and Jamal Musiala should ensure special moments. His new squad includes 13 regulars and ten challengers. Anyone who doesn’t fit into the roles or can’t cope with them won’t be cast.
Kimmich’s new role
The whole thing was not without risk. Suddenly, deserving regulars like Mats Hummels and Leon Goretzka are not there. Nagelsmann dared to reorganize the DFB team’s midfield. With Kroos’ return, Joshua Kimmich moved to the right-back position. The supposed degradation inspires the Bayern star. In Lyon he stops Kylian Mbappé, in Frankfurt he helps shape the game structure. And he accepts the new role: he was substituted against the Netherlands in the 79th minute, but after the final whistle he still ran onto the field cheering.
And yet eliminating deserving players isn’t the only risk. If you go by performance, you can’t avoid nominating the players with the strongest form – even if they have no international experience. That means: This time a quartet from VfB Stuttgart was there. The courage paid off. Mittelstädt did a surprisingly good job, and the substitution of Chris Führich noticeably livened up the game.
None of this has been apparent in the past few months – that’s another reason why the relief is so great. Until now it has always been different. Even when Nagelsmann became national coach, the euphoria following the US trip was followed by disillusionment: with the defeats first against Turkey (2:3) and then Austria (0:2), the DFB team was back where it had been in the past In recent years, it has ended shockingly often: on the ground.
“Now the shit is starting again”
“If you saw the staff after the Austria game, it wasn’t a pretty picture,” said Nagelsmann at the press conference. Some people have only had their hats over the past six or seven years. And as a coach, “of course it’s not so great when you’re standing in the dressing room and you see everyone like that.” After all, the coach is not entirely uninvolved in the results of his team. Then another thought emerged, Nagelsmann explained: “Now the shit is starting again.”
The national team had been through this too often in recent years. The ghosts from Russia, when the DFB team failed in a World Cup group stage for the first time in its long history in 2018, never really disappeared. Neither the elimination in the round of 16 at the Corona European Championships in 2021, nor the desert debacle at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
At some point during this period, the DFB team desperately needed a general overhaul. National coach Joachim Löw tried, but failed. His successor Hansi Flick saw it himself, but burned his fingers due to his wild experimentation in the miserable international year of 2023. And after teething problems, Nagelsmann apparently got things going in the right direction.
“Then a lot is possible”
And yet, not everything was perfect yet. Sometimes there is still a lack of goal threat, sometimes the defense is still shaky. The past few days have been “very, very good,” said Nagelsmann. “We’re not falling into hysteria now, there are still things to analyze.” To see these things, the Netherlands game was outstanding.
But in the near future this will take place without coach Nagelsmann. “Unfortunately we don’t have access to the players at the moment, but we’ll have the time to do that in May.” The last test matches before the European Championships will be against Ukraine (June 3, 8:45 p.m./ARD and ntv.de live ticker)then Greece (June 7th, 8:45 p.m./RTL and ntv.de live ticker). Nagelsmann said he was looking forward to it; it was crucial that the players carried on this drive in their clubs until then. “At first we are only second fiddle and then in the summer we are first.
And the national coach has reason to be excited: “The spirit was different.” The players would have to accept the decisions of the coaching team. “And that’s what they did,” said Nagelsmann. “And if these things work together, then a lot is possible in football.” Maybe also at the European Championships in the summer.