The Germany national team made an ideal start to the year with wins against France and the Netherlands. Germany followed up their impressive 2-0 win against World Cup runners-up France with an equally refreshing 2-1 victory against the Netherlands. Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann spoke in an interview about the lessons learned from the two games, the mood surrounding the upcoming European Championships and debutant Maximilian Mittelstädt, who scored a screamer against the Netherlands.
Question: Julian Nagelsmann, what did you say to the team in the changing room?
Julian Nagelsmann: First and foremost, I told them that the ten days have been a lot of fun from start to finish. The group has done really, really well – they’ve got a very good relationship with each other, but they’re also extremely ambitious. We already had a good feeling against France and that was the same today.
Question: What did you like in particular? What insights can you take with you?
Nagelsmann: What we did exceptionally well was defending deep with a lot of intensity. We won the ball back a lot. Of course the game ultimately could’ve gone either way. I’m not a massive fan of statistics, but the numbers showed we deserved to win. It’s a great game to analyse.
Question: What do you make of the new mood surround the European Championships? Does it feel good to finally have the people on board?
Nagelsmann: We created a great atmosphere in the stadium at the end. We desperately wanted to win and we took more risks than the opposition – I didn’t get that feeling in Austria in November for instance. The spirit felt totally different to November. We hope that it all comes together from the end of May until the middle of July.
Question: Maximilian Mittelstädt made the mistake which led to their goal, but he also scored. What did you make of his performance?
Nagelsmann: Outstanding. The best thing is that he’s just a normal bloke – he’s a really nice guy and he’s always really friendly. He played his first game and he did really well. For me, it was interesting how he acted following that – at breakfast on Sunday, in training and in the next game. He made a mistake here, but he got forward and hammered one into the corner from 18 yards. Mistakes happen, but the reaction is the most important thing – he dealt with it brilliantly. Now he needs to keep working and listen to Sebastian Hoeneß. Then, I’m confident that he play like this here again in the summer.
Question: Leroy Sané was at the ground- Have you already had an opportunity to speak with him in private? Do Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala now have a different role to him?
Nagelsmann: He’s got the same role as the others up front because he’s exceptionally good. I’m going to go for a meal with him in Munich – we’ve already agreed that. He’s an extremely good player, but he needs to fit into the group we’ve got just like every other player. He will produce his best for the team and we certainly won’t miss out on these qualities.
Question: What have these days done for you? What’s your message to all those who weren’t involved?
Nagelsmann: I’m pleased that things have gone well for the team. It wasn’t great to see the staff who have been taking a beating for years in Austria. Whoever wasn’t involved now needs to give everything and be better than those who were involved. We certainly won’t change five or ten players in the summer – that’s out of the question. Maybe one or two if nobody gets injured.
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The Germany national team made an ideal start to the year with wins against France and the Netherlands. Germany followed up their impressive 2-0 win against World Cup runners-up France with an equally refreshing 2-1 victory against the Netherlands. Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann spoke in an interview about the lessons learned from the two games, the mood surrounding the upcoming European Championships and debutant Maximilian Mittelstädt, who scored a screamer against the Netherlands.
Question: Julian Nagelsmann, what did you say to the team in the changing room?
Julian Nagelsmann: First and foremost, I told them that the ten days have been a lot of fun from start to finish. The group has done really, really well – they’ve got a very good relationship with each other, but they’re also extremely ambitious. We already had a good feeling against France and that was the same today.
Question: What did you like in particular? What insights can you take with you?
Nagelsmann: What we did exceptionally well was defending deep with a lot of intensity. We won the ball back a lot. Of course the game ultimately could’ve gone either way. I’m not a massive fan of statistics, but the numbers showed we deserved to win. It’s a great game to analyse.
Question: What do you make of the new mood surround the European Championships? Does it feel good to finally have the people on board?
Nagelsmann: We created a great atmosphere in the stadium at the end. We desperately wanted to win and we took more risks than the opposition – I didn’t get that feeling in Austria in November for instance. The spirit felt totally different to November. We hope that it all comes together from the end of May until the middle of July.
Question: Maximilian Mittelstädt made the mistake which led to their goal, but he also scored. What did you make of his performance?
Nagelsmann: Outstanding. The best thing is that he’s just a normal bloke – he’s a really nice guy and he’s always really friendly. He played his first game and he did really well. For me, it was interesting how he acted following that – at breakfast on Sunday, in training and in the next game. He made a mistake here, but he got forward and hammered one into the corner from 18 yards. Mistakes happen, but the reaction is the most important thing – he dealt with it brilliantly. Now he needs to keep working and listen to Sebastian Hoeneß. Then, I’m confident that he play like this here again in the summer.
Question: Leroy Sané was at the ground- Have you already had an opportunity to speak with him in private? Do Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala now have a different role to him?
Nagelsmann: He’s got the same role as the others up front because he’s exceptionally good. I’m going to go for a meal with him in Munich – we’ve already agreed that. He’s an extremely good player, but he needs to fit into the group we’ve got just like every other player. He will produce his best for the team and we certainly won’t miss out on these qualities.
Question: What have these days done for you? What’s your message to all those who weren’t involved?
Nagelsmann: I’m pleased that things have gone well for the team. It wasn’t great to see the staff who have been taking a beating for years in Austria. Whoever wasn’t involved now needs to give everything and be better than those who were involved. We certainly won’t change five or ten players in the summer – that’s out of the question. Maybe one or two if nobody gets injured.
