Former Bayern Munich coach and current German national team boss Julian Nagelsmann thinks his team is well-positioned to move on and qualify for the World Cup, but there is still much to play for when it comes to roster spots.
When asked about his squad selection for the upcoming games, Nagelsmann gave a very interesting response.
“It was out of conviction. It’s a mix of many things: ideally two players for each position, form, structure. The most important thing is the conviction that those are the right players to get 6 points out of these two games in order to qualify for the World Cup,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We’ve now put ourselves in a good situation after a very bad start to the qualifiers. The players have just had a very intense phase with their clubs, all have played a lot of games, which is not optimal, but we can’t change that. We scored the goals we needed in last month’s games but I thought we didn’t pose enough threat going forward. We should be a bit more dangerous in attack.”
One issue for Nagelsmann could be at center-back, where Nico Schlotterbeck’s status is in doubt because of a foot ailment.
“His foot swelled up overnight. It’s not looking optimal. The doctors are looking at it. We have to wait and see how it progresses,” Nagelsmann stated.
Otherwise the boss has some fresh faces in camp like Kevin Schade, Malick Thiaw, Nathaniel Brown, and Said El Mala…and some old friends as well. Leroy Sané‘s call-up definitely raised some eyebrows.
“He still hasn’t met the numbers I want from him. It’s about the profile, it would’ve been more difficult for him [to get a call-up] if we had 6-7 players of his profile. I had a very good exchange with Leroy. He knows what I’m demanding from him. He doesn’t have countless more chances to prove himself here. I told him that openly. He’s a player who can do everything. He just has to give it his all and do it. He has everything that his profile needs, that’s why he’s getting another chance. He improved his numbers in the Champions League and Süper Lig, but he still has to do better,” Nagelsmann said.
(Author’s Note: If Nagelsmann is intentionally dropping a “6-7” reference, he needs to be cancelled!)
Bayern Munich sputtered into the international break with a 2-2 draw against Union Berlin.
While it was tough watch at times, there is no reason to panic…right? Right?
Right — and let’s talk about why, plus more on the next edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:
