National team
92 days left: What’s to come for Nagelsmann before the home European Championships
National coach Nagelsmann has now announced the first international squad for 2024. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
Julian Nagelsmann sees the cracking games against France and the defeat as the “perfect start to the European Championship year”. By announcing the squad, he starts the countdown to the emergency on June 14th.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Nagelsmann. At the press conference on the DFB campus in Frankfurt, the 36-year-old will outline his strategy for a new football summer fairytale.
squad
No Goretzka, no Hummels, no Süle? The squad for the international matches on March 23rd in Lyon against France and three days later in Frankfurt against the Netherlands will include a large list of eliminations compared to the squad for the sobering defeats against the European Championship participants Turkey and Austria at the end of 2023. Over half of staff could be replaced. Before Nagelsmann, there had never been such a radical start to a tournament year at the DFB.
In addition to the prominent returnees Toni Kroos (34) and Manuel Neuer (37), the national coach wants to appoint several newcomers, as previously leaked. In addition to youngster Aleksandar Pavlovic from FC Bayern Munich, Stuttgart’s Waldemar Anton, Maximilian Mittelstädt and Deniz Undav are also expected to be part of the A-Team for the first time. The big loser in personnel selection could be Borussia Dortmund. The squad, which meets next Monday in Frankfurt, will be led by captain Ilkay Gündogan.
A bang start to the year
France and Holland are two very challenging test match opponents, as Nagelsmann also knows. “France is one of the top favorites for the title, and the Netherlands are also to be reckoned with.” Nevertheless, the national coach spoke of “a perfect start to the European Championship year. I am sure that we sold ourselves short last year, which we are all not happy with.”
Tournament preparation
In mid-May, Nagelsmann will nominate the provisional European Championship squad, with which he will begin preparing for the tournament on May 26th in Blankenhain in Weimarer Land (Thuringia). There will be two more test matches at the beginning of June; the DFB has not yet announced the venues and opponents. During the home European Championship, the DFB entourage will move into quarters at the supplier Adidas in Herzogenaurach, Franconia, as they did at the 2021 European Championship.
Home European Championships
18 years after the World Cup summer fairytale, Germany should once again experience an atmospheric but also sportingly successful home tournament. Scotland on June 14th in Munich, Hungary on June 19th in Stuttgart and Switzerland on June 23rd in Frankfurt are the group opponents. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf has set the bar very high, especially for Nagelsmann. “We have a great coach, we have great players. I’m really optimistic that with the crowd behind us we can achieve something at this tournament.” For Neuendorf, breaking something means: “At least the semifinals.” Nagelsmann’s contract as national coach expires after the tournament.