Back in February, Julian Nagelsmann, had already begun to voice concerns about the national soccer team’s performance. He was critical of the state of the team’s performance, which he believed had been deteriorating for years. His critical review came just a few months before the European Championship, a tournament that was to be played on home soil. In his opinion, the team had shown little promise or potential that would indicate their ability to advance even to the semi-finals. This critical review was aired during an interview with the news magazine “Der Spiegel”. Nagelsmann had taken over the reins as national coach from Hansi Flick in September the previous year.
Additionally, he announced that there would be some unexpected changes to the tournament squad. Toni Kroos, a seasoned 34-year-old professional, announced his comeback. However, Nagelsmann suggested that some players would not be included in the European Championship squad – a fact that would come as an unpleasant surprise to the players themselves and the public alike. He didn’t suggest a complete overhaul of the team, but warned that one or two players that many people assumed would be included, would definitely not make the cut.
These changes came on the back of a couple of disappointing test defeats in November against Turkey and Austria. Nagelsmann believed that a shift in the team’s mentality was crucial. He noted that during the game against Austria, seven or eight players on the pitch were more reliant on their individual skills than a collective, determined mentality. He felt this was something that needed to change moving forward, although he refrained from calling out any players in particular.
The DFB team has suffered three tournament disappointments
Looking back, the DFB team had recently suffered three tournament disappointments. They were knocked out in the group stage of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. Then, they exited at the round of 16 during the 2021 European Championships. Nagelsmann felt that these setbacks necessitated a period of reflection. He argued that the team had to abandon their preoccupation with status and focus on improving their game instead. He urged that Germany, despite its rich football history, had been facing failures for years and that couldn’t be ignored. He insisted that the only way forward was to start working on football again.
Before the tournament, Nagelsmann wanted to ensure each player had a clear understanding of their role within the team. He pointed to the national basketball team, who had unexpectedly won the world championship the previous year, as an example. He believed that the basketball team’s success was due in large part to each player knowing exactly what was expected of them. He intended to implement a similar strategy within the football team. As part of these changes, he planned for Joshua Kimmich to move from midfield to the right wing-back position, and for Toni Kroos to return to the team.
When it came to the European Championship, Nagelsmann stated that he would not judge the team’s success solely based on their final placement. He believed that if the team played four or five good games and showed a lot of effort, even if they were ultimately eliminated in the quarter-finals, it could still be considered a successful tournament for Germany.
The team’s last international test matches before the squad nomination were to be held on March 23rd in France and then three days later in Frankfurt against the Netherlands. Two more test matches were scheduled just before the European Championships. During the tournament, the DFB team, as hosts, would face Scotland on June 14th, Hungary on June 19th, and Switzerland on June 23rd in Group A.
