DFB forbids itself a Nagelsmann debate
The topic of Julian Nagelsmann will not play a role at the DFB in the coming months. Whether and how things will continue for the national coach will only be decided after the European Championship. Meanwhile, captain Ilkay Gündogan wants "clear tasks" in the DFB team.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf does not want to discuss the future of national coach Julian Nagelsmann before the European Championship in Germany. Only after the home tournament will it be discussed whether and how things will continue with Nagelsmann, who was only appointed in September. Neuendorf emphasized this in the podcast "Spielmacher - der EM-Talk mit Sebastian Hellmann und 360Media". The commitment is initially planned until the summer, until then the focus will be completely on the European Championship.
"We'll stick with it. We're not going to start any kind of debate now," said Neuendorf. "We won't be swayed from our line either, because that's all disruptive noise that we don't need right now. He must have our full backing for the next six months. No sideshows," added the 62-year-old DFB boss. Under Nagelsmann's direction, the DFB team started their tenure on a trip to the USA with a 3-1 win over the hosts and a 2-2 draw against Mexico. More recently, the 3-2 defeat to Turkey and the 2-0 loss in Austria were bitter setbacks and criticism of the coach's tactical experiments.
Neuendorf spoke of a rollercoaster ride with regard to the public reactions. The amplitudes would swing extremely upwards and downwards. After two games that weren't so good, it was immediately dark. He sometimes wished there was more moderation and balance. The positive aspects should be highlighted and what needs to be strengthened instead of always talking or writing oneself into the ground. The next test matches will be against France and the Netherlands in March, with Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland as preliminary round opponents at the European Championships in June.
"We need clear tasks"
Meanwhile, Ilkay Gündogan recognizes the national team's lack of teamwork as a cause of the crisis and has called for changes. "In certain phases, I have the feeling that every single one of us is too preoccupied with ourselves," said the DFB captain in an interview with Die Zeit: "We haven't managed to grow as a team so far." However, Gündogan does not doubt the quality of the team, which is "great compared to many other teams", emphasized the 33-year-old: "Perhaps the problem is also due to the fact that we have so many exceptional footballers in our ranks." When asked why the pieces of the puzzle don't fit together at the moment, Gündogan replied: "We need clear tasks."
Every player must know "what they have to do on the pitch. Then a symbiosis has to develop," said Gündogan: "It can't actually be that difficult, because we're a team with character and decency. We don't have anyone who causes problems." But soccer is a team sport: "Of course, as an international player, you always think that you yourself have the gift to hit the important pass or score the decisive goal. But not all eleven players can make the difference. We have to internalize that. I'm not excluding myself," emphasized the FC Barcelona midfielder.
"We don't look at each other enough. We're often preoccupied with ourselves because each of us thinks we have to do better", which is a "vicious circle". Under his former coach Pep Guardiola, he learned to lead the way as captain. The Manchester City team manager "always managed to get up to twenty top stars on the same page", said Gündogan: "In the end, it's always the coach who has to solve a muddled situation. He is responsible for success. That's a difficult job."
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Despite the recent criticism towards Julian Nagelsmann's tactical experiments and the team's struggles, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf has stated that there will be no debate about Nagelsmann's future until after the European Championship. Meanwhile, captain Ilkay Gündogan, recognizing the team's lack of teamwork as a factor in their struggles, has called for "clear tasks" within the team to improve their performance.
Source: www.ntv.de
