Nagelsmann has chosen the players who won't make it to the Euro Championship team.
The national team is getting ready for the EM trial against Greece, with 27 footballers on the roster, but only 26 can play in the home tournament. And Julien Nagelsmann, the national coach, has already made the tough decision on who to cut. Any unusual occurrence might change his mind, but for now, it stands as is.
Nagelsmann and his team have made their choice about the player who won't make it to the national team for the home EM event. He plans to reveal this choice after the game against Greece, happening at 8:45 p.m. on Friday night (watch it on RTL and follow along in the live ticker at ntv.de). The chosen player is still unaware.
"We've made the decision. We'll announce it after the game," Nagelsmann shared during a press conference in Mönchengladbach. Nagelsmann talked through various options with his coaching staff. The game against Greece won't influence the decision unless a player gets injured seriously. "The decision has been made, unless something extraordinary happens," he said. Conversations with the players involved have already taken place.
Nagelsmann can opt for 26 players in his tournament squad. Originally, they had called up 27 players for preparation. Maximilian Beier from TSG Hoffenheim and Robin Koch from Eintracht Frankfurt were in consideration to be the cut. Nagelsmann maintained that no one deserved to be excluded.
The tournament squad registration with UEFA has to be completed by midnight on Friday. If a player suffers an injury that rules out their participation in the EM, a player exchange can occur until the first game against Scotland on June 14 in Munich, given that UEFA's medical team certifies the injury. Also, a goalkeeper can be replaced during the tournament if one gets injured.
Kai Havertz will be chosen over Niclas Füllkrug in the attack during this game against Greece, according to Nagelsmann. "[Havertz] has a better edge if he plays well," he said. Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger, who missed the game against Ukraine (0-0) on Monday because they won the Champions League with Real Madrid, are also in the starting lineup. Leroy Sané is a possibility again, mentioned Nagelsmann. "He brings a unique quality we don't want to miss."
