National coach Julian Nagelsmann is working on his squad for the home European Championships. He should leave a Bayern star at home – and take a new face with him.
Julian Nagelsmann faces a complicated challenge. The national coach must decide in the coming weeks and months which players he will nominate for the European Championship in his own country. The selection seems enormous in football Germany. But the shape of some important supports leaves something to be desired.
In the past, the basic structure of the squad was mostly made up of Bayern and BVB stars. For example, at the World Cup in December 2022, when seven professionals from Munich and five from Dortmund were in the squad. But it is precisely the players from the two largest clubs in Germany who have been stumbling seriously in recent months.
Both clubs are lagging behind their demands in the league – also because almost all German national players, both in the club and in the national team, are far from their top form. Some long-time DFB stars could actually miss out on the European Championship bandwagon. For Bayern’s Leon Goretzka, for example, things are likely to be tight given the great competition in the central midfield around DFB captain İlkay Gündoğan and the recently returned Toni Kroos.
The fact that the professionals at FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund are weakening opens the door to the European Championships for players from other Bundesliga clubs, who hardly anyone had on their list just a few months ago. One of them is Maximilian Beier. Julian Nagelsmann has not been able to get past the Hoffenheim player since last weekend at the latest. He scored a brace for TSG Hoffenheim to win 3-2 in Dortmund. The national coach must nominate Beier for the international matches in March – but especially for the European Championships.
Hardly any player has single-handedly earned a squad nomination as much as the 21-year-old. Because: Beier is a bright spot for TSG Hoffenheim in what has otherwise been a rather mixed season for the club. The offensive player has already contributed ten goals and five assists this season. With the two goals in Dortmund, he personally ended his team’s winless streak since December and converted a 1-2 deficit into a 3-2 win.
Beier combines all the qualities that the national team has recently lost. He is an ice-cold goalscorer and also a real team player. Julian Nagelsmann urgently needs this type of player in his squad in the future. Beier would be a welcome change in a DFB selection that has long been characterized by excessive egos at the expense of the team’s success.
Gnabry has had its day for the time being
Beier’s big advantage is its variability. He is currently mostly used as a striker. In the past, however, he has repeatedly proven himself on the wing – especially during his two-year loan to second division team Hannover 96 – and sometimes even played in the attacking midfield. His exceptional speed suits him particularly on the wings. Beier is one of the fastest players in the league. His top speed this season is 35.45 km/h – higher than that of players like Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund or Serge Gnabry from FC Bayern.
It is also the latter that Beier has to overtake when it comes to the European Championships. Gnabry has been an important part of the DFB team in recent years. But that cannot and should not automatically give him a place in the squad at the home European Championship.