Brilliant idea or desperation? The national coach now has to prove that his risky plans can bring European Championship success. A returnee is celebrated upon arrival at the team hotel.
When Toni Kroos wrote autograph after autograph in a casual hoodie, Julian Nagelsmann was still at school. The national coach visited a primary school near Mainz with Rudi Völler.
He also kicked mini field goals with the children in a gymnasium before the European Championship countdown, which had taken a radical turnaround in personnel, really began for him with advertising shots and the announced role discussions for the national soccer players in the team hotel just outside Frankfurt.
The core message that Nagelsmann wanted to instill in the national players at the first team meeting was revealed in advance when a girl asked about his personal expectations for the European Championship. These go far beyond the sporting result. “It’s about creating a lot of emotional moments for this country, for the fans, for the kids, for the people who are in the stadium, who are in front of the television sets, who are out and about in the streets.” In short: Beautiful football with commitment and heart should “enthusiate the people in the country,” Nagelsmann announced: “That is the most important thing for me.”
The national coach must have liked a scene in front of the DFB headquarters. No player was as popular with autograph and selfie hunters as Kroos, who he reactivated after almost three years of DFB retirement. “I’ll be here for a few more days,” the Real Madrid star called out to the fans when not all of his wishes had been fulfilled.
While the other Spanish legionnaires such as captain Ilkay Gündogan and Antonio Rüdiger disappeared straight into the hotel, where goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had also checked in as the second comeback star after more than a year without an international match, Kroos played the leading role at the start of one of the most exciting international matches. Weeks in DFB history. Nagelsmann wants to personally explain the plot – i.e. who has to take on which task to save the fragile European Championship dreams – to his players in the luxury hostel.
France and the Netherlands as touchstones
Who should lead the way? Who is more likely to be an extra? Nagelsmann has already outlined all of these tasks with his unusual squad selection. Now everything will be put to the test within a few days with the test clashes on Saturday (9 p.m./ZDF) in Lyon against France and three days later against the Netherlands in Frankfurt. Further sporting setbacks would further depress the mood until the European Championship kicks off against Scotland on June 14th.
For Nagelsmann, nothing is worse than inaction. Anyone who doesn’t make decisions has already failed, said the DFB head coach, describing an attitude to life that is central to him. He followed this consistently by nominating his debut squad in the European Championship year. Six newcomers in, alpha animals like Mats Hummels and Leon Goretzka out – that causes a stir, but offers a lot of attack space.
Nagelsmann exposes himself to the danger of zigzag accusations through his active activism. He has not demonstrated continuity and rigor with his tactical and personnel decisions since September. With the motto move “everything to zero” he took a risk himself. With just one win from the first four international matches, he has already set the negative mark set by luckless national coach Erich Ribbeck.
Bierhoff knows the problem
“In the end it depends on the results. If things go wrong, it’s a mess,” said Oliver Bierhoff on Welt TV, describing the current situation. The former long-term manager of the national team knows from the later years of his DFB era, with three massive tournament disappointments, how plans can go completely wrong.
Nagelsmann gives the impression that negative thoughts don’t affect him. He presented his plans for a last-minute change towards the home tournament with little emotion. “For me it’s about how we fill it with life, what desire, what greed to the maximum and thereby make up for the lack of time for tactical units. If we can do that, we will play good games,” he promised.
The code words are “momentum” and “roll”. National players must have the former on their side by summer. The latter is assigned to each individual by Nagelsmann. Marc-André ter Stegen will almost certainly find out that he is again only number two in the DFB goal behind Neuer, possibly before the first training session on Tuesday.
Egoists are not welcome
Nagelsmann’s ultima ratio is clear: “In the end there are ready-made roles. All players who can cope with that have the chance of being at the tournament. Players who can’t cope with that, we have to communicate that honestly, have no chance of being at the tournament tournament. Maybe they’ll save themselves some trouble,” he said. At the latest, it became clear what the national coach was missing from EM candidates such as Hummels, Goretzka and Niklas Süle who were until recently considered safe. The willingness to take a back seat and accept a (substitute) role without complaint.
The six newcomers Aleksandar Pavlovic from FC Bayern Munich, who was still missing due to an infection, Jan-Niklas Beste from 1. FC Heidenheim, Maximilian Beier from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and the three Stuttgart players Waldemar Anton, Maximilian Mittelstädt and Deniz Undav can probably do this better . Birthday boy Mittelstädt (27) was not meek when he arrived in Frankfurt. Starting XI? Yes, he dares to do that, he said cheekily.
Nagelsmann looking for a job
But what role does Nagelsmann himself actually play? In any case, not a classic national coach role. Six months in office wasn’t enough to eliminate the strangeness. Constant complaining about the lack of training opportunities. And an obvious flirtation with saying goodbye after the contract ends after the European Championships is unusual. “If I have a contract offer before the European Championships that I’m happy with, where I say I feel comfortable and that’s where I see myself, then there’s a high probability that I’ll sign it before the European Championships,” said the 36th -year-old and obviously didn’t mean his current employer.