Next Thursday, national coach Julian Nagelsmann will announce his squad for the European Championship endurance tests of the German national soccer team against France (March 23) and Holland (March 26/live on RTL and on RTL+). Record national player Lothar Matthäus is expecting some new faces.
“If he goes by performance, then some players who were there in the last games will not be there and some new ones will step up,” said Matthäus in an interview with RTL/ntv and sport.de. He is thinking of Waldemar Anton from VfB Stuttgart, “who is having a huge season and is leading the way as captain, who gets into every duel – we need players like that at the European Championships,” said the 62-year-old.
Robin Koch from Eintracht Frankfurt is also a candidate for the recently shaky DFB central defense. “He’s perhaps playing more stable at the moment than some of the people who have been there in the last few games,” said Matthäus.
The RTL expert’s conclusion for the national team: “I believe that some of Julian Nagelsmann’s new players will have the chance to play in the two games against France and Holland.”
National team recently suffered serious defeats
For Nagelsmann and his team, which is looking for form and system, the games against runner-up world champions France on March 23rd in Lyon and three days later at home in Frankfurt against the Netherlands are the last real tough tests before the home European Championships, which start in June.
After taking office in October, Nagelsmann briefly sparked a sense of euphoria with a win in the USA and a draw against Mexico. But this was immediately pulverized again in November: There were serious defeats against Turkey (2:3 in Berlin) and in Austria (0:2), and the team appeared to be in a similar role to that under Nagelsmann’s predecessor Hansi Flick.
The national coach then announced changes to the system. Among other things, he plans to have Joshua Kimmich as a right-back. The 36-year-old can also rely on the returnee Toni Kroos again.
Manuel Neuer will probably be in goal again against France and Holland. According to “Sport Bild”, Nagelsmann has already decided on Neuer for the European Championships. Marc-André ter Stegen will once again only remain on the bench, the paper reported.