Here we go. Before the start of the European Championship, Julian Nagelsmann is looking for the right balance between concentration and relaxation. The pressure of a summer fairytale must not paralyze him. He is expressly warned about the Scots.
Julian Nagelsmann once had to be as strict as a schoolmaster. The murmuring in the press room before the kick-off of the European Championship against Scotland annoyed the national coach so much that he vigorously called for more quiet. “It’s a bit like school in here. Maybe we can all be a bit quieter. That would be great. Thank you,” said the national coach – and began his courageous and optimistic outlook on the start of the European Championship at home. Nervousness, yes. He admitted to that. But above all, he conveyed a firm belief in the national football team’s chance of winning the title.
Before the tricky opening match on Friday (9 p.m./ZDF/MagentaTV), Nagelsmann felt that his players no longer needed any special instruction. The national coach had noticed “faith in their eyes”. “They’re hot, they want to play, they’re hungry. I still have them on a leash, but tomorrow I’ll let them go,” he announced confidently.
Defeating the pressure
The dream of the next summer fairytale should be given the greatest possible spark against Scotland with verve and dominance. “We can overcome the pressure and we can beat Scotland,” promised the 36-year-old. There should be no more doubts about the European Championship. Nagelsmann had already made that clear before arriving in Munich. Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos signed autographs in the hotel corridor. The national coach was also intercepted by fans at the elevator. The atmosphere was relaxed.
“Of course you want it to start. The whole country is excited. I think we will be very well prepared,” said Kroos, the title collector from Real Madrid, on whom huge German football hopes now rest.
Nagelsmann was well aware that 18 years after the lavish home World Cup, the game against the uncomfortable opponent in Munich was not more or less the best possible start for the summer fairytale 2.0. The game can and should be really loud. “I want us as a country to unite and whip the national team forward. It is extremely important. We have to use the home advantage that we have somehow,” said Nagelsmann. “So please be loud.”
Energy drink as a lucky charm
Nagelsmann wants to enter the stadium on Friday with the right energy drink, which his assistant, aptly named Benjamin Glück, chose for him out of superstition, and with the best possible gut feeling. “First and foremost, there is great anticipation because it is a huge event. It will probably not only be Europe but the whole world that is watching,” said the youngest German tournament coach at 36 years old.
Big, bigger, biggest: This is the category in which Nagelsmann likes to think. The European Championship stage with a good 66,000 fans in the Munich European Championship Arena and several hundred million TV viewers around the world should see that three German tournament embarrassments are history. That all swirling doubts about the title-winning ability of the national football team he has restructured can be wiped away.
March moments as encouragement
Huge encouragement in March against France (2:0) and the Netherlands (2:1), but also another irritating 45 minutes in a well-spoken dress rehearsal against Greece (2:1) – in this field of tension the DFB eleven is competing in its first home European Championship in 36 years.
“If we get off to a good start in the tournament, we will bring the momentum to our side. Then people will be much more positive and emotionally able to carry us even further,” said Ilkay Gündogan. But the fans have to be won over first. “What I would like is a little bit of confidence for the tournament,” said the Barcelona professional before his tournament debut as DFB captain.
The competition was largely sacrificed for clear hierarchies and certainty of action. Now it remains to be seen whether the starting eleven is ready. Seldom before a tournament has there been so little speculation about the correct starting lineup. Nagelsmann simply decided on it in advance and, apart from the mistakes made by regular goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, got through the preparations in Blankenhain and Herzogenaurach well.
Starting eleven fixed
Neuer – Kimmich, Rüdiger, Tah, Mittelstädt – Andrich, Kroos – Musiala, Gündogan, Wirtz – Havertz. This is how the DFB eleven will form if nothing else happens before referee Clément Turpin (France) blows the whistle. “Of course we have a starting eleven in mind,” said Nagelsmann. It is important to give the regular players “a certain psychological security.”
“In the end, we need enough players who work well to be successful. There will be difficult situations. Certainly against Scotland too. We have to be there for that,” demanded Kroos. The fact that this eleven, at 28.7 years old, would be the oldest DFB starting eleven since the tournament disaster at the 2000 European Championships – that’s a given.
Kroos’ comeback was a stroke of genius by Nagelsmann. The 34-year-old wants to end his career with the European Championship title he still needs on July 14th in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. He is bringing all of his qualities to the table. Calmness on the ball. Confidence on the field. In other words, what the national team has lacked in many confusing moments in recent years. The memories of the chaos on and off the field during the early World Cup failure in Qatar 2022 are fresh.
Scotland with a huge fan base
Scotland is taken seriously by everyone. The 100,000 visiting fans expected in the Bavarian capital are a folklore factor. Nagelsmann pointed out several times that the Bravehearts are no longer just the running and fighting football horde.
Kroos also sought advice from his colleagues in Madrid. On the way to the European Championship, Spain had lost in Scotland. The team around Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson is physically strong, logical, but also very dangerous in transition play. In other words: “The category that the national team has struggled against in recent years,” said Kroos.
A draw or even a defeat would increase the pressure before the second group match against Hungary. The specter of elimination in the group stage would quickly return. With these thoughts, Rudi Völler steps in. Think positively, don’t overdo it. The DFB sports director wants to approach his fifth European Championship as a player (1984, 1988, 1992), DFB team manager (2004) and now as an official with this attitude. “We don’t need to freak out, but we should have a good degree of optimism,” said Völler.