National team
Völler and Watzke defend US trip before Nagelsmann’s debut
Sports director Rudi Völler (r) likes the first squad of new national coach Julian Nagelsmann (M). photo
© Jörg Halisch/dpa
Julian Nagelsmann gets a crash course as a national coach. The biggest criticism of his trip to the USA came from two veteran officials.
The harsh criticism from Munich of the national soccer team’s trip to the USA had to be dealt with Julian Nagelsmann didn’t care, they simply brushed Rudi Völler and Hans-Joachim Watzke aside.
The new national coach got the best news before his debut from his leader Mats Hummels. The Dortmund defender’s confidence after Hobpel’s substitution against Union Berlin made it easier for Nagelsmann to wait in the Frankfurt airport hotel before his flight to America.
Hummels gives the green light
“No. Everything’s fine. I just let it slip a little in the classic way,” Hummels gave the all-clear for his DFB return, which was widely commented on with great approval. Nagelsmann was expecting the majority of his squad on Sunday for the trip overseas, which was so unpopular not only with his Bayern successor Thomas Tuchel. Of course, there is still some trepidation about the fitness of Hummels (34), who he chose as leader, until the plane takes off for Boston on Monday afternoon.
And a certain risk. Because the national coach certainly doesn’t want to bring an injured Dortmund top performer back from America given the debates about the meaning of an exhausting US trip.
After all, Nagelsmann didn’t have to deal with the criticism of the international test matches against the USA next Saturday (9 p.m. / RTL) in Hartford and on Tuesday, October 18th (2 a.m. / ARD) in Philadelphia against Mexico. The typical gripes about international matches in the middle of the Bundesliga season were sorted out for him by sports director Völler and BVB boss Watzke.
“Our boys can handle it,” said Völler, with all understanding of the concerns expressed by Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, among others, about the strain on the national players at “Bild”. In addition, Nagelsmann will definitely dose the operating times, said Völler to reassure.
“At some point we have to show ourselves a little.”
DFL boss and DFB deputy Watzke, as a multi-functional official, made clear the constraints that arise for Germany in the hoped-for return to a global football heavyweight. “At some point we have to show ourselves a little,” he said in an interview with “Deutschlandfunk”.
And the players would definitely like to go to America. “Firstly, it’s very interesting because we have the World Cup there in two and a half years. The players, I noticed that with us too, are up for it. There’s no question about that, because the USA is a good location, there are nice ones there places, and it’s fun there,” said the 64-year-old.
BVB boss Watzke will not travel to the USA because of an operation. The much more important Dortmund player for Nagelsmann is Hummels anyway, who impressively described his club boss’s “inclination” for the national team after more than two years of involuntary break under former national coach Hansi Flick. “I want us to be successful. I want us to win. I want the German national team to be what it was many, many years ago. One of the best in the world. And I believe that the team is good enough to be that again,” said Hummels.
Völler expects the DFB team to continue their performance in France (2-1) under his interim management in September. “Everyone was torn apart. It was like a knockout game (in a tournament). That will also be required in the next games in order to go into the European Championship with a good feeling,” said the 63-year-old.
Nagelsmann with “desire to win”
Nagelsmann doesn’t want the home European Championships to become a dominating and possibly depressing backdrop. However, he formulated the motto for his first trip to the DFB in a similar way. “Desire for victories” in the “here and now,” demanded the 36-year-old. Nagelsmann will quickly get to know the difference to life as a club coach, although he also has to take people’s sensitivities into account.
Völler predicted a few phone calls with BVB coach Edin Terzic in the coming days, as Dortmund are playing against Werder Bremen again in the Bundesliga just one day after returning from the USA.
Nagelsmann will be considerate “to a certain extent,” noted Völler. There are also concessions on arrival. For Nagelsmann, the reunion with his five Munich “Pappenheimers” (Völler) will only take place on Monday, as the Bayern professionals are allowed to spend one more night at home because of the Bundesliga game against SC Freiburg. Captain Ilkay Gündogan, goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and Hummels’ defense colleague Antonio Rüdiger even travel directly to Boston from Spain.