He showed shortly before the European Championship that he can deviate from his principles and react to the momentum, as he likes to put it. Contrary to his announcement that he would go into the tournament with four goalkeepers, Julian Nagelsmann dropped another goalkeeper, Alexander Nübel from VfB Stuttgart. He kept Manuel Neuer, Marc-André ter Stegen and Oliver Baumann. In preparation for the European competition, the national football coach had noticed that it would probably be better to rely on another outfield player in the final squad.
Now that the European Championship has been running for just over a week, the German national team has won two games and will face Switzerland in its last group game on Sunday (9 p.m., ARD, MagentaTV and in the WELT live ticker), Nagelsmann is once again faced with the question of whether to take current developments into account – or not.
Julian Nagelsmann relies on the same eleven against Switzerland that started against Hungary and Scotland
Source: Getty Images/Alexander Hassenstein
In this case, it’s about the starting eleven. As far as that is concerned, the coach said before the European Championship that the roles within the squad were clearly assigned and that the players had been informed of this. Nagelsmann had used the same starting line-up against both Scotland (5:1) and Hungary (2:0), and made five changes during the match against Hungary to give players from the second row a chance to make a name for themselves. “There won’t be seven changes, I can rule that out,” Nagelsmann said immediately after the win against Hungary in Stuttgart with a view to the last group match against Switzerland. And he added: “In general, I do think it’s important that we have as many players from the first eleven on the pitch as possible. We have deliberately assigned the roles because we believe in the qualities of the players who start, but also those who come in.”
Four German players have seen yellow
But the game against Switzerland is not just about winning Group A, which will decide the way forward in the tournament: it is also primarily about the fact that four German players are at risk of a possible suspension in the round of 16 against the Swiss. Nagelsmann is relying on the personal responsibility of the players who have already seen a yellow card. “As of now, there will be no change. It is important that the rhythm is maintained. I do not take the yellow card situation into account because I trust the squad. If I were a player and only played because someone was being rested because of the yellow cards, I would find that disrespectful. I am convinced that you throw everything into it. And if someone is suspended for a yellow card, we have a good squad to be able to make substitutions,” said Nagelsmann.
Robert Andrich saw yellow against Scotland
Source: dpa/Christian Charisius
Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich and Jonathan Tah were shown yellow cards against Scotland, while Antonio Rüdiger and Maximilian Mittelstädt were cautioned against Hungary. After two yellow cards, a player must miss a game. This is the regulation of the European association UEFA. If a player receives a yellow-red card at the tournament, he is automatically suspended for one game – in the case of a red card, the severity of the punishment can vary depending on the situation.
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Should a player receive a second warning against Switzerland, Nagelsmann has enough alternatives for the round of 16: Pascal Groß could replace Andrich in midfield, while Waldemar Anton – whose impending move from VfB Stuttgart to Borussia Dortmund was announced on Friday – and BVB professional Nico Schlotterbeck are available in central defence. Everyone has pulled together well in training, said Nagelsmann about the general condition of his squad. David Raum from RB Leipzig could, at least theoretically, play for Mittelstädt in the left defender position.
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Life confession by Jan Ullrich
The worries before the game against Switzerland are not about his team, but about the grass in the Frankfurt stadium, which is in a modest state. “The grass is simply not good, very greasy, very soft. After the NFL games, it has not grown well. I am not worried about the football game, but about the injuries. If things go badly, they could end in cruciate ligament tears. It’s like driving with summer tires in winter,” said Nagelsmann.
Ballack’s yellow card led to a rule change
The German round of 16 will take place in Dortmund or Berlin. After the quarter-finals, all yellow cards will be deleted. UEFA wants to prevent one or even several important players from a team from being suspended in a final. The German national football team learned the hard way 22 years ago what this can mean: in the World Cup semi-final against South Korea, which Germany won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Michael Ballack, it was Ballack who received his second yellow card of the tournament after a tackle on Lee Chunsoo. The tactical foul with which he had stopped an attack by the opponent cost him his place in the final.
“He put himself at the service of the team and the whole country. All of Germany should take their hats off to him,” said Rudi Völler, who was team manager at the time and is now sports director of the German Football Association (DFB). “Although he (Ballack, d. R.) knew that another yellow card would mean he would miss the final, he committed this absolutely necessary tactical foul. He is the tragic figure today. He was really sad, he cried.”
Even if it was no consolation for Ballack, the German midfielder’s ban contributed to a change in the World Cup rules years later. Since 2010, as is the case at European Championships, previous warnings have been cancelled after the quarter-finals.
