“It’s an absolute must”
TV expert criticizes Nagelsmann and demands Undav
March 28, 2026 – 9:38 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Despite the 4-3 win against Switzerland, there is at least one discussion surrounding the German national team. It’s about the role of Deniz Undav.
RTL expert Patrick Helmes criticized national coach Julian Nagelsmann after the 4-3 win against Switzerland and made a clear demand for the 38-year-old. The former Cologne professional explicitly could not understand Nagelsmann’s decision not to use Deniz Undav during the 90 minutes.
“Someone who scores 18 goals and is currently so good in the Bundesliga has to play,” demanded Helmes and could have imagined, for example, a dual leadership of Undav and Kai Havertz.
Nagelsmann had relied on Havertz in the center of the attack and, over the course of the game, preferred Nick Woltemade over his former Stuttgart teammate. The reason: “It was a super intense game in terms of starting up. Deniz has his qualities when we have a lot of controlled possession of the ball.”
At the same time, the national coach wanted to help Woltemade because the striker had “a great rate” in the DFB uniform. In contrast, he “doesn’t have an easy time of it in Newcastle right now.” According to his own statement, Nagelsmann decided not to give Undav “a top striker who is in a good mood even more self-confidence” and in return “drop a top striker who is not in a good mood at the moment.”
With a view to the upcoming test against Ghana on Monday (8:45 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online), Helmes has a clear demand for Nagelsmann: “It is an absolute must that Deniz Undav gets the chance on Monday.” Undav is the top German goalscorer this season with 18 goals in the Bundesliga.
