Almost half a year before the European Championship in his own country, national coach Julian Nagelsmann is under pressure. TV expert Dietmar Hamann is now even calling for finals for the coach of the German national soccer team.
The last two international test matches before the squad is nominated for the home European Championship are in March against France and the Netherlands. If these games cannot be played successfully, Nagelsmann is already at risk of being eliminated, according to Hamann.
“If they go wrong, then Julian Nagelsmann won’t be a coach at the European Championships,” said the 50-year-old on “Sky90” and added: “That’s not possible, we can’t afford that.”
As Hansi Flick’s successor, Nagelsmann has so far been responsible for the international matches against the USA (3:1), Mexico (2:2), Turkey (2:3) and against Austria (0:2).
“No matter what he does, nothing works”
He couldn’t convince Hamann. “No matter what he does, nothing works. He knows just as much now, if not less, than he did before the four games,” said the former FC Bayern professional.
Hamann particularly dislikes Nagelsmann’s selection of personnel because, in his opinion, there are too few defensive players on the pitch. “How are you going to bring any stability or control into your game? You don’t need to be a nuclear physicist,” he argued: “You can’t build a team around your offense.”
Hamann is calling for changes, especially in the defensive midfield. He called for Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart) to be nominated and Grischa Prömel (TSG Hoffenheim) or Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen) to be promoted to the starting eleven.
At the European Championships, Germany will face Hungary, Scotland and Switzerland. “We should get through the group,” noted Hamann, but emphasized: “But nothing would surprise me at all. It certainly won’t be easy, but we should make progress.”