Julian Nagelsmann is considered by the public to be the favorite for the position of national coach – but Louis van Gaal is currently receiving support in the discussion.
“As a coach, Louis van Gaal stands for discipline, order and structure in the way his teams play. He always conveys this through a very clear speech.”said Philipp Lahm in “Bild”. Lahm is not an unimportant person in the DFB environment, he is the tournament director of EURO 2024 in Germany.
Sports show expert Bastian Schweinsteiger also said van Gaal would be “best for the team”. Schweinsteiger explained in the sports show: “He’s already won a lot of big battles. The team also needs a personality who has big shoulders. Where the team behind them can draw on their strengths. If you don’t play so well, he’ll also say a few words.”
Lahm and Schweinsteiger worked with the Dutchman at Bayern Munich from 2009 to 2011. “At FC Bayern he was the right man who shaped the club at the right time with his game idea”said Lahm.
Neuendorf: “Don’t rule out any option”
With Louis van Gaal, a coach from abroad would be the national coach for the first time. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf expressly emphasized in the sports show that he “no option is excluded, whether a German or foreign coach”. Neuendorf said he was conducting the search with Hans-Joachim Watzke (Borussia Dortmund Managing Director, DFL Supervisory Board Chairman, DFB Vice President) and DFB Sports Director Rudi Völler.
The new coach must be assertive and resilient. “There’s not much time left until the European Championships”said Neuendorf. The attribute “assertive” can easily be attributed to van Gaal. The resilience could depend on the 72-year-old’s health.
Rudi Völler only commented generally on the candidates traded. When asked whether a foreigner like van Gaal could also become a national coach, he named one criterion. “It’s important that it’s a German-speaking national coach. And of course it has to be a top man. That’s the most important coaching job in our country.” Van Gaal is known to speak German, so that wouldn’t be an obstacle.
Van Gaal just wants to be National coach work
Van Gaal himself told “Bild”: “I don’t normally train for a club anymore, but a promising country still has a chance to convince me.“
The new national coach of the German national soccer team should be decided by the US trip in October. “We want to present the right coach in the next three and a half weeks,” said sports director Rudi Völler before the game against France.
| meeting | Opponent |
|---|---|
09/12/23 | France |
10/14/23 | USA |
10/18/23 | Mexico |
11/21/23 | Austria |
18.-26.03.24 | International match window |
06/14/24 | European Championship opening |
Main candidate Nagelsmann, Klopp cancels beforehand
The main public candidate remains Julian Nagelsmann, whom the DFB still had to release from his current contract with FC Bayern. Bayern logically signaled that they would let their released former coach go. The club would be happy to get Nagelsmann off the payroll. Nagelsmann himself has not yet said whether he would be ready.
Two other candidates are Stefan Kuntz and Oliver Glasner. Kuntz knows the DFB and was the U21 coach for a long time. He is currently training Turkey’s senior national team and is under pressure there after missing the World Cup qualification and recent results such as a 1-1 draw against Armenia and a 2-4 draw in Japan. Glasner is considered an excellent specialist, won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt and was previously successful with Wolfsburg.
Negotiations have not even begun yet, said Neuendorf. This also applies to Jürgen Klopp, who informed the sports show through his advisor that he was not available. In any case, the DFB has to at least pay some attention to money when it comes to personnel – the association is in poor financial condition.