Despite the luck of the draw: Lahm puts his finger in the wound and doesn't make Nagelsmann's task any easier

Euro 2024 - Despite the luck of the draw: Lahm puts his finger in the wound and doesn't make Nagelsmann's task any easier

Julian Nagelsmann gave the all-clear in between. He only had a "slight cold", it wasn't coronavirus and there was nothing to worry about, said the national coach after the European Championship group draw to the journalists who crowded around him in the mixed zone of Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie to hear his assessment.

Nagelsmann then retold the story of how he had driven from Munich to Hamburg by car. Due to the onset of winter, numerous trains in Bavaria had been canceled and air traffic had been partially suspended. So Nagelsmann got into his car without further ado because he didn't want to miss the draw and sped through the snow-covered Republic to the far north. The journey earned him explicit praise from Rudi Völler. They had actually wanted to travel together, said the director of the DFB squad.

It could have been worse for Julian Nagelsmann

So the two, who are supposed to lead the stumbling DFB team through the tournament together, walked down the red carpet into the large hall of the "Elphie". There they watched as the national team once again had the luck of the draw. The DFB team will be spared a difficult group at the European Championship. "It's not a group of death, but there are no really bad opponents," Nagelsmann soberly summarized the result of the draw: Switzerland, Hungary and Scotland, against whom Germany will play their opening match in Munich, are the opponents in Group A.

It could have been much worse. Compared to Group B (Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania) and Group D (Netherlands, Austria, France and a play-off qualifier), Group A is easier on paper. Nagelsmann's facial features had already relaxed noticeably during the draw on the stage bathed in blue light.

For him and his team, the result means that they can start the tournament a little more relaxed without having to face an opponent like Italy, the Netherlands or Croatia straight away. And considering that the first, second and four best third-placed teams in the group will progress, there should at least be less fear of early failure (even if that is not out of the question!).

Philipp Lahm: DFB squad has no core

For Nagelsmann, this may come as a small relief in the coming weeks. In view of the daunting task ahead of him, the evening in Hamburg was worthwhile. Nevertheless, the luck of the draw does not hide the fact that the rest period for the new national coach is over sooner than usual. The recent defeats against Turkey and Austria have made it clear to everyone that even a Nagelsmann will need longer to make a deeply insecure team competitive. Time is short: there are only three test matches and six months until the opening game in Munich on June 14.

The big draw show in Hamburg only briefly made us forget that the pressure on the DFB is increasing with every passing day. The European Championship should be a big celebration, similar to the summer fairytale. This will only be possible if the German team is reasonably successful.

It is tournament director Philipp Lahm himself who has now started to make the national coach more responsible. Only two days ago, Lahm had criticized Nagelsmann's line-up experiments. In Hamburg, he once again complained that he saw "no core" in the team. He warned that the Germans had "a dangerous group". The tournament director wants to prevent the German squad from going through a crisis at the European Championship. That would be quite a damper on the mood in the country. Lahm did not let the luck of the draw and a glamorous draw ceremony stop him from putting his finger in the wound. From his point of view, that is understandable. But it doesn't make Nagelsmann's job any easier.

In this respect, it is fortunate for Nagelsmann that the next test matches will not take place until March. At least he can't lose until then. He knows that he has to do a lot to get the team in shape for the European Championship and has announced changes: There would be no radical cure, but he had "a clear opinion on all the players". Decisions would be made "in the interests of the cause" so that the team could play "better soccer". That sounded determined. Nagelsmann knows that, in addition to the general pressure to succeed, Lahm is now breathing down his neck.