National coach Julian Nagelsmann believes the German national football team is well prepared for the opening match of the European Championships against Scotland. The team knows what to expect, he said in an exclusive interview with Sportschau presenter Lea Wagner. He also revealed what he has learned from American football.
The match plan and starting eleven are ready, said the 36-year-old: “Generally speaking, we have prepared everything. It is important that the boys know early enough what to expect and what their task is.” Nevertheless, he is “still thinking about a few things” – in case the Scottish team acts differently or reacts to the German style of play.
“You try to anticipate what the opposing coach might change so that you are prepared for it,” explained Nagelsmann, drawing a comparison to American football: “They also have to know how to react with their defense or offense when a certain play is called.”
In training “almost too much aggression”
In some phases, the team is already implementing 100 percent of what he envisions, said the DFB coach, but also qualified it: “They are all human and we also have an opponent. There will always be things in the game that work well and things that don’t work so well.”
Nagelsmann emphasized the “good mood” in the team and praised the “great commitment” during the training sessions, although in the final training session there was “sometimes almost too much aggression”: “They were really aggressive, you’re almost afraid that someone will get injured.”
First the result, then entertainment
In the opening match of the European Championship, every German fan expects a victory against Scotland, Nagelsmann is aware of this: “That’s normal. But in the end, the way we do it will also be important. Of course, for us, results come before entertainment, but we want to try to combine the two a little – then we’ll get everyone involved. We want to inspire people.”
