Newcomers, returnees, those who have been rejected: Before the squad announcement on Thursday, some players can have hopes of being nominated by the DFB.
On Thursday, Julian Nagelsmann will announce his squad for the upcoming international matches in France (March 23) and against the Netherlands (March 26). These are the last tough tests before the start of the home European Championships on June 14th.
The basic structure of players is already in place, and with Toni Kroos there is also a prominent returnee after a three-year break in the national team. But does Julian Nagelsmann perhaps still have surprises in store? “It’s already rattling in my head,” Nagelsmann recently told “Spiegel” and announced that he would not shy away from unpopular measures to ensure European Championship success.
“There will definitely be one or two people who won’t be nominated who many people think will definitely be there,” the national coach explained openly. Ever since this statement was made, people have been puzzling: Who could this be meant? Which star, who was part of the DFB team for years, does Nagelsmann suddenly deny his suitability for tournaments?
The answer almost inevitably leads to Munich and Dortmund. At the World Cup in Qatar 15 months ago, there were still twelve FCB and BVB professionals in the squad of then national coach Hansi Flick. It’s quite possible that there will now only be a good half as many.
The former Bayern captain Manuel Neuer returns like Kroos, but with Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala, who have also moved to the right at the DFB, only two other Munich players can feel safe – as of now.
Dortmund national players like captain Emre Can, Marco Reus, Karim Adeyemi, Youssoufa Moukoko, Marius Wolf and Felix Nmecha are no longer an issue. Nagelsmann has also not had a use for Nico Schlotterbeck so far, and Niklas Süle and Julian Brandt are also not firmly scheduled for the European Championships. More like Mats Hummels, but only Niclas Füllkrug is placed as number nine. This is also evident from a “Bild” report, according to which only Füllkrug should be nominated for the test games.
However, one person who has played his way into the spotlight from Munich is Aleksandar Pavlović. However, he could also play for Serbia. Nagelsmann therefore now wants to get down to business. According to a “Bild” report, Pavlovic should be in the DFB squad instead of Leon Goretzka. Of all people, he had recently advertised for his Bayern colleague.
“I’m a big fan of Aleks. He’s just playing with total freedom at the moment,” Goretzka told t-online: “I have to be honest: I personally feel really good that he’s not making a record for himself . It’s just a lot of fun to see him, how he comes into training, how he comes into the game. He enjoys every second and he should continue to do so.” (Here you can read more about it.)
But a few other players have recently become the focus of the national coach. Here is a small overview.
Robin Cook
Last summer, Robin Koch moved from Leeds United back to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. There he became an absolute regular and was once again in the spotlight of the DFB team. So far, Koch has made eight international appearances. After Sunday’s 3-1 win against Hoffenheim, Koch said dryly when asked in a DAZN interview: “We’ve spoken and I already know whether I’ll be there or not. We’ll now wait a few more days.” He has already spoken to the national coach; Whether Nagelsmann will take him to the next games will be known by Thursday at the latest.