Euro 2024, Germany: Why Nagelsmann brings Can for Andrich against Spain

European Championship quarter-finals

Why Nagelsmann brings Can in for Andrich against Spain

Status: 5:19 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes

“We don’t need to be afraid today”

In the European Championship quarter-finals against top favorite Spain, the DFB team will fight for a place in the semi-finals this evening. Former national player Thomas Helmer expects a German victory and a close match: “The Spaniards have a lot of respect for us.”

Julian Nagelsmann surprises with his starting eleven. In the European Championship quarter-final against Spain, the national coach relies on Emre Can, with Robert Andrich having to sit on the bench for the first time in Dortmund’s place. Before kick-off, Nagelsmann explains his decision.

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It is the ultimate test for the German national team. Julian Nagelsmann’s team will face Spain in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in Stuttgart (6 p.m., ARD, MagentaTV and in the live ticker at WELT). The Spaniards have impressed across the board in the tournament so far. Luis de la Fuente’s team won all three preliminary round matches and also excelled in the round of 16 against Georgia (4:1).

Nagelsmann makes two changes to the tournament favorites compared to the 2-0 win in the round of 16 against Denmark. In central defense, Jonathan Tah returns to the starting line-up after his yellow card suspension. Nico Schlotterbeck has to return to the bench for him. This means that the back four with right-back Joshua Kimmich, the two central defenders Tah and Antonio Rüdiger will play in front of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. David Raum, who impressed against Denmark, will play on the left. He has a difficult task ahead of him: he has to stop young star Lamine Yamal.

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The biggest surprise is Emre Can’s line-up. The Dortmund player plays in defensive midfield alongside Toni Kroos in front of the defence. Robert Andrich has to go to the bench for Can. Nagelsmann hopes that Can will have more speed than Leverkusen’s Andrich.

“We have already achieved a lot and can achieve even more”

“We want to win against Spain, that’s why we’re here. Emre brings a lot of speed with him. That’s a huge advantage. His job is to limit Fabian Ruiz’s movements. He has a huge speed advantage there. He’ll be able to steal a lot of balls,” Nagelsmann told ARD. Can has been substituted in three games so far. In the opening game against Scotland, he scored the goal that made the final score 5-1 in injury time.

Emre Can is in the starting eleven for the first time in the quarter-final against Spain at this European Championship

Source: Getty Images/Alexander Hassenstein

Florian Wirtz will also be on the bench alongside Andrich. As he did against Denmark, Nagelsmann prefers Leroy Sané on the right side of the attack. The FC Bayern striker was in the starting eleven for the first time at the European Championships in the round of 16 and delivered a decent but not inspiring performance. “We have a lot of space behind the Spanish line in counter-pressing. Leroy is very, very good there. He has a brutal drive towards the goal, with a lot of speed – we will need that today,” said Nagelsmann.

New hairstyle, new place: Robert Andrich sits on the bench for the first time

Source: AP/Michael Probst

Ilkay Güdnogan, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz complete the offensive. “I’m not nervous, but rather tense. What matters to me is the courage that we believe in ourselves and are convinced of ourselves. We have already achieved a lot and can achieve even more,” said Nagelsmann.