Julian Nagelsmann faces the press before the semi -finals in the Nations League. He also distributes a swipe towards Cristiano Ronaldo.
National coach Julian Nagelsmann has largely committed himself to a starting line-up for the Nation League semi-final against Portugal. “I have nine out of eleven positions in my head. The rest will be a final bond decision,” said Nagelsmann on Tuesday evening at the final press conference in Munich.
Goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen, Leon Goretzka and Florian Wirtz expressly received a guarantee of operations for the encounter on Wednesday (9:00 p.m. in the live ticker at T-Online) against the former European champion.
Nagelsmann does not believe that Wirtz can be influenced by Bayer Leverkusen from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool FC. “I did not notice that it is burdening him. He is one of them. He has it. But he has normal and well trained, of course he plays. I take no consideration of possible injuries. He is a competitor and wants to play,” said Nagelsmann.
A competitor is also Cristiano Ronaldo, who still runs for Portugal. Nagelsmann clearly said to him: “He is not my role model.” Read what else he has to say about the football icon in the minute protocol for the press conference:
6:51 p.m.: That was the last question. Nagelsmann and Goretzka leave the podium again. And we also say goodbye. Thank you for reading!
6.49 p.m.: T-online reporter Benjamin Zurmühl asks Nagelsmann about his assessment of Portugal. “You have very good moments when you accelerate the game. You have a very interesting mix in the team and are very active. In addition, you have an enormous pace on the outer lanes. Nevertheless, they also offer something. We want to take advantage of these moments.” And further: “We are well prepared and of course hope to pull the game. This is also important with a view to the World Cup. We have to exist against these top teams.”
6:47 p.m.: Goretzka is asked about his Bayern teammate Joao Palhinha: “He has no easy season behind. I would be happy if he plays tomorrow. Of course I know him very well from training.” That may be an advantage.
6.46 p.m.: Nagelsmann leaves the storm question and a starting fine from Nick Woltemade open. He also mentions Niklas Füllkrug as an option and also the opportunity to start with both. Nagelsmann says to Woltemade: “He made a good impression and is a really good guy. He is a very pleasant player and was also well received and was well received.”
6.41 p.m.: Goretzka about the Final Four in Germany: “I don’t do this as pressure. For me it is a privilege that these games also take place in Germany and for us it is the opportunity to win a mini title for our country.”
6:39 p.m.: A question of a Portuguese reporter to Nagelsmann. It is about the positive record of the German national team against Portugal. But the games are not a major role for him, says Nagelsmann: “As a national coach, I have not yet won against Portugal.” Further: “In the end it is crucial for us that we will score a goal tomorrow. Maybe one or the other player has a good feeling. But as a whole group, the positive statistics don’t play a special role.”
6:37 p.m.: Nagelsmann: “We decided in the coaching team that we wanted to do the Nations League a bit round. We didn’t want to drop a one who doesn’t have as much playing time in the club as Robert Andrich. We just wanted to round off the Nations League.” About Goretzka, he says: “Leon can contribute his danger in his position. Of course it would be nice if we could always play with the same players. But this is normal, every national coach has such problems. And it is also good if other players get more playing time with us.”
6:35 p.m.: Nagelsmann gets a provocative question about Cristiano Ronaldo. The reporter wants to know whether he sometimes imitates his cheers in the padel tennis. His answer: “He is not my role model because I am not a player. But performing so many years at this level is exceptional.” And further: “He always had a lot of influence on his teams. I hope he doesn’t have so much influence tomorrow. Despite the higher football age, he still has the opportunity to cause great danger in the sixteen.”