Former Bayern Munich boss and current German national team manager Julian Nagelsmann is eager to see his team on the pitch vs. Scotland in the EURO 2024 opener.
“All of our players are healthy — except (Aleksandar) Pavlović. The tonsillitis is so serious that he won’t be fit to play any time soon. Big compliments to the medical team. I can rely on the full strength of our team, we’re ready and really looking forward to tomorrow evening,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “Every player knows his role. But this distribution of roles is not a free pass. We have a first eleven in mind. If one of the first eleven players doesn’t perform well, we have guys who can put pressure on them. We want to give the players psychological security. Everyone in the team is welcome to give their all.”
In reference to Pavlović, Nagelsmann was asked about why he brought in Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Can over Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka. Nagelsmann dodged the question with aplomb.
“It’s not the time to talk about the players who are not here. We have chosen Emre Can. Rocco Reitz has trained well, but we wouldn’t be doing him any favors by giving him his first international match during a European Championship. It’s to protect him. Emre is very quick, strong in the air, and well accepted within the group. He made a good impression today. It is not easy to come back from vacation so abruptly,” Nagelsmann remarked.
Another topic that Nagelsmann will not be dwelling on is Germany’s past failures.
“I don’t want to talk about the past. It’s about the status quo. We want to be more successful than we were last time. It’s important to start well tomorrow. There’s no point in talking about past tournaments,” Nagelsmann said.
Nagelsmann will look to players like Toni Kroos and Manuel Neuer to help lead the squad and help prevent any future failures.
“Toni is important for us, you can give him the ball at any time. He is an important player for all of us, but especially for the young players. It took me a while to persuade him. He said that he would only be back if he felt that we could win something with the team. And then he said ‘Yes, let’s do it’,” said Nagelsmann. “Manuel and I know how the media works. Everyone has to do their job. Things have calmed down since my statement [that Neuer remains #1]. I’m not interested in what you discuss about my players. I trust Manu and he will play a good tournament.
“I want us to do everything we can to have a great tournament. I want the country to push us forward as Germany. Please all be loud in the stadium tomorrow. I’m confident we’ll play a good game.”
Looking for thoughts and analysis on Germany’s outlook for the EURO 2024 competition and an in-depth breakdown on the multitude of Bayern Munich transfer rumors — including the arrival of Hiroki Ito and the possible departures of Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, and Alphonso Davies, plus a whole lot more? Then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up on Spotify or below: