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The first two international matches under national coach Julian Nagelsmann reveal one thing above all: there is still a lot to do before the home European Championships. But: self-confidence and fun are back – and with it hope.
Of course not everything is good now. Not even under Julian Nagelsmann. The 2-2 draw against Mexico on Wednesday night (October 18, 2023) clearly revealed to the new national coach the problems in his team: it is far too slow to move backwards and sometimes too complicated on the offensive. There is still a lot to do before the EURO next summer.
What is new, however, is the hope that these construction sites will become a playful structure and that the German team could play a good role in the home tournament.
Nagelsmann with a clear idea
Julian Nagelsmann is not only an excellent communicator to the outside world, the 36-year-old also apparently reaches his players better than his predecessor Hansi Flick. The former Bundesliga successful coach used the trip to the USA for long individual discussions. He taught his tactics in just a few training sessions and realized that he had never trained a team that could implement the instructions as quickly as the DFB selection.
Julian Nagelsmann has a clear concept and clear language. He relies on the world-class player Ilkay Gündogan as captain. A good idea. He avoids constant rotation and thereby conveys security to his players. The average age in the DFB squad was higher on this trip than before. Nagelsmann relies on experience, but also on youth. In the win against the USA and in the 2-2 draw against Mexico, the 20-year-old exceptional talents Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala were on the offensive. The performance principle applies again.
Defense remains the biggest construction site
Also for Mats Hummels, whom Nagelsmann brought back to the DFB. The Dortmund central defender has come to stay. In contrast to his club colleague Niklas Süle, Hummels was able to impress in the USA. Nevertheless, the defense remains by far the biggest construction site. There are too few defenders at international level in Germany, and the deficiencies in teamwork remain obvious. That should give Julian Nagelsmann a headache.
After the game, the national coach went straight into analysis mode. It will be exciting to see what ideas he has for the next two international matches in November. The fact that the fans can look forward to these games because a German national soccer team is finally competing with self-confidence and fun is at least a first success for Julian Nagelsmann.