Football Round of 16 against Denmark
This is how Nagelsmann explains his decision for Sané
Status: 20:34 | Reading time: 2 minutes
This is what Nagelsmann says about the line-up and match plan against Denmark
The German national team wants to advance to the European Championship quarter-finals against Denmark. National coach Julian Nagelsmann is making some changes to the starting eleven. Here he explains his decisions and explains his match plan.
Julian Nagelsmann surprised everyone with his line-up against Denmark. He started Leroy Sané in the round of 16 against Denmark and left Florian Wirtz and Niclas Füllkrug on the bench. That is what the national coach is hoping for from his substitutions.
The German national team is battling Denmark for a place in the quarter-finals of the European Championship. 80 minutes before kick-off, the German Football Association (DFB) announces the line-up. It is a huge surprise. National coach Julian Nagelsmann puts Leroy Sané in the starting line-up and puts Florian Wirtz on the bench.
Sané was not in the starting eleven in any of the three group matches. In the opening match against Scotland, the winger was substituted on in the 63rd minute, against Hungary he came on after 58 minutes, and in the 1:1 draw against Switzerland he was allowed to play for 14 minutes. In all three matches, the FC Bayern Munich player was always substituted for Wirtz.
Leroy Sané starts in the European Championship round of 16 against Denmark
Source: dpa/Christian Charisius
Before kick-off, Nagelsmann explained his surprising decision. “Florian would rather have the ball at his feet. The Danes are very strong physically. They are very strong in the air. But they have a lot of problems on the ground. Leroy is someone who can offer a lot of depth. He has a lot of speed. But they have a lot of problems on the ground,” said Nagelsmann. He is hoping for Sané’s speed and dribbling ability: “Leroy has trained very well, he has made a very good impression. We are differentiating between two world-class players, so the decision can only be a good one.”
“He will do the team a lot of good”
ZDF expert Christoph Kramer welcomes Nagelsmann’s decision. “With Leroy Sané, the whole game changes. He holds the line and brings more width to the game. I believe that he will do the German team a lot of good today,” said Kramer.
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The second surprise came on the left side of defense. David Raum was preferred over Maximilian Mittelstädt, who was in the starting eleven for all three preliminary round matches. “David Raum can bring a lot of emotion into the team. He leads the group of players who are at the back very well. We want to reward that,” said Nagelsmann.
Niclas Füllkrug would also have deserved to play from the start. But the striker will initially only be on the bench against Denmark. “Fülle would also have deserved to start. We need him over the course of the game. His emotionality to get the stadium excited,” said Nagelsmann.
