With David Raum (r.) providing the cross, the German attacking game has recently become more dangerous from the outside.
Photo: imago/Team 2
When German national soccer coach Julian Nagelsmann presented his European Championship squad in the spring, some established players were missing. There were players whose names hardly anyone had mentioned a few months earlier: Waldemar Anton, Robert Andrich, Maximilian Beier, Chris Führich, Pascal Groß and Deniz Undav only made 21 international appearances.
Nagelsmann, however, had a plan and followed the realization that eleven world-class players do not necessarily form an outstanding team. She had already helped Gordon Herbert shape the German basketball players into world champions for the first time last year. Nagelsmann also intended to assign each player a clearly defined role for the duration of the tournament. For him, motivational speeches are one thing. But it is even more important to find players “who have a high level of intrinsic motivation. Everything that comes from outside is less sustainable.” With Jürgen Klopp, everyone believes “that he whips up the players every day. But it wears out.” That’s why Nagelsmann specifically looked for players who could pull themselves up. This intrinsic motivation is likely to be present in young players and late-career players who are initially happy that they even made it into the European Championship squad. At least that’s the idea that got Germany’s footballers at least to the round of 16 against Denmark this Saturday (9 p.m. on ZDF).
A national coach has little time in short courses to hone tactics and playing philosophy with his players. Didier Deschamps led France to the World Cup final twice in a row – thanks to a bunch of outstanding individualists. It was hardly possible to recognize a special philosophy or special tactical characteristics among the French. The football aesthete therefore regrets Deschamp’s extremely pragmatic “tournament football”, which can currently be seen again at the European Championships: an arsenal of incredible offensive players have not yet scored their own goal from the game after three appearances. What the English, the team with the highest market value, have delivered so far is also disappointing.
The level of performance in the German team individually does not come close to that of the favorites. But Nagelsmann has the ability to create more from a team than just the sum of its individual players, which is the point of tactics. He also knows how to act flexibly – despite the fact that there is much less training with a national team. For Nagelsmann, this tactical flexibility defines “the difference between a good and a very good coach. Developing a plan before the game is easy. But if that doesn’t work, finding adjustments quickly, reading the game and translating it into solutions is the art.”
Those interventions in the ongoing game have worked well so far. Against Switzerland, for example, the national coach substituted the young Maximilian Beier in the last group game in order to speed up his own game. David Raum, who also came off the bench, provided more offensive momentum on the left side. A quarter of an hour before the end, Niklas Füllkrug ran onto the field and scored the equalizer for Raum’s crosses.
Since then, the football regulars’ table has been calling for Füllkrug to be in the starting line-up instead of Havertz! Which brings us back to the roles assigned by Nagelsmann. Füllkrug is not a player of international class. In a top ensemble, the Dortmund player’s value lies more in a joker role that involves tactical changes. While Havertz plays more of a “floating nine,” Füllkrug is the classic center forward who allows other attacking options. And perhaps the 31-year-old also benefits from the fact that Havertz, who casts a lot, previously tired out the opposing defense. Füllkrug as a substitute for Havertz is therefore a better idea than Havertz for Füllkrug.
Nagelsmann is considered a tactical fox. But he has even more qualities for his job, as his assistant Sandro Wagner remarked years ago: “Of course he has mastered this area. But the most important thing is that he can lead people well.” However, just being a good guy is no longer enough these days: “The current players are more sensitive than the Effenberg and Co. generation: They demand coherent, comprehensible content in training , want to be prepared in detail for the opponent. In addition to feeling good personally, you also need a clear plan so that you can, for example, react to changes.«
Nagelsmann had already developed the Saxons’ game as coach of RB Leipzig. After that it was no longer just about pressing, winning the ball quickly and switching games. Nagelsmann expanded the game and increased possession of the ball – also in response to opponents who were now defending deeper. This is exactly what the national team has to deal with at the European Championships, most likely again against the Danes in the round of 16.
From a tactical point of view, the German team is one of the more demanding teams at this European Championship. Returnee Kroos gives the German game structure sometimes depth, sometimes breadth, but above all stability. In front of him, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and İlkay Gündoğan are three extremely technically adept “tens”. Joshua Kimmich’s transfer from the center to right wing defense was as logical as it was overdue given this division. The last player who could do more than just cross the game was Philipp Lahm ten years ago.
National coach Nagelsmann never really wanted to follow the tactical dispute between ambush-like switching play and more possession of the ball: “The fact that many goals are scored after quick switching can be recognized and practiced as a formula for success. But you can also interpret it to mean that you don’t have enough solutions when you have the ball. The task will be to find them.” The new national coach has not ordered a move away from Joachim Löw’s possession football, which many experts have called for. Much to the delight of his midfield strategist Toni Kroos: “Lots of small passes annoy the opponent.” The ball doesn’t get tired. The opponent will at some point.
#ndstays – Get active and order a promotional package
Regardless of whether it is pubs, cafés, festivals or other meeting places – we want to become more visible and reach everyone who values independent journalism with an attitude. We have put together a campaign package with stickers, flyers, posters and buttons that you can use to get active and support your newspaper.
To the promotional package