Soccer - Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland: Nagelsmann in European Championship draw luck
When mascot Albert brought the black, red and gold ball with the Germany ticket onto the stage of the Elbphilharmonie, Julian Nagelsmann was already smiling.
By the time the European Championship group opponents Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland had been allocated shortly afterwards, the grueling journey to Hamburg by car through wintry Germany was forgotten for the national coach.
The national soccer team was very lucky in the draw for next summer's home tournament. Despite the current mood of crisis: against these opponents, reaching the knockout round must be a mandatory task for the DFB stars. But beware: the group draw means that the hosts could face Spain, Italy or England again in the round of 16.
Nagelsmann: "Not a group of death"
"We are not in a situation where we are underestimating any association. All of them have qualified," said Rudi Völler rather diplomatically. "But of course our aim is to get through to the next round," emphasized the DFB sports director. Nagelsmann did not formulate it any differently. "It's not a group of death, but there are no really bad opponents," said the national coach.
"It's an interesting group in which we naturally want to come out on top," added Nagelsmann. The 36-year-old remained vague about possible drastic measures for the test matches in March, with which he wants to get the DFB squad back on the road to success. The draw was "not the right setting" for announcing these ideas.
A thrilling opener against Scotland
Nagelsmann will kick off the European Championships with a big match. On June 14 in Munich, the European Championship will open with a match against Scotland. Thousands of fans of the Bravehearts, who are known for being peaceful, vocal and loud, will transform the Bavarian capital into a party zone together with the black, red and gold home fans.
Tournament director Philipp Lahm could hardly have wished for a better opening match in his home city. "It will be a tough opening game, but a great one because we're expecting an emotional match," said Nagelsmann about the clash with the Scots, who have never reached the knockout phase of a major tournament.
Nagelsmann's tournament journey continues with the clash on June 19 in Stuttgart against Hungary, possibly the most uncomfortable group opponent. Just over a year ago, the 1954 World Cup final opponents spoiled Hansi Flick's team's progress to the Nations League Final Four with a 1-0 defeat in Leipzig. At Euro 2021, the team led by Leipzig's Willi Orban almost became a stumbling block in Munich with a 2-2 draw in the final group game. Switzerland must not turn out to be such a stumbling block in the group showdown on June 23 in Frankfurt/Main.
Italy, Spain and Croatia in the same group
Part of Hamburg's luck of the draw: the DFB team was spared the Netherlands and Italy as early opponents. However, defending champions Italy are in the ultra-difficult Group B with Spain and Croatia and would therefore be their opponents in the round of 16 if both teams finish second in their group.
If Germany win their group, England or Denmark from Group C would be possible opponents - also no easy tasks and, in the case of England, a déjà vu to the 2021 European Championship, when the Three Lions were eliminated in the round of 16 (0:2) at Wembley. But one thing is clear: Nagelsmann wants to reach the final on July 14 in Berlin's Olympiastadion despite the negative mood after the test defeats against Turkey (2:3) and Austria (0:2).
Difficult draw for Austria
Völler's wish for a quick revenge against Austria was not fulfilled. Their German coach Ralf Rangnick could not look as relaxed as Nagelsmann. With runners-up France, the Netherlands and the A play-off winners, possibly Poland with Robert Lewandowski, Austria were drawn into a very tough group.
Germany's preparations for the tournament are already taking shape. As Völler confirmed, they will face France in Lyon and the Netherlands in March, probably in Frankfurt. These will be real European Championship touchstones. The two opponents for the final tests at the beginning of June during the European Championship training camp are now being sought. If possible, they should be blueprints of the group opponents. In other words, they need to find strong opponents against whom captain Ilkay Gündogan and his colleagues will have to demonstrate the toughness they have lacked recently at the tournament.
Snowfall in Munich causes problems for Nagelsmann
Nagelsmann had major problems traveling to Munich due to the heavy snowfall. All flights at Munich airport were canceled. The 36-year-old therefore got into his car in the morning and made it to Hamburg on time. "Julian really wanted to be here. He's a young guy and got in the car," said Völler. The slightly cold Nagelsmann was due to return to Munich that night, but then as a passenger with the opportunity to sleep.
Völler and association president Bernd Neuendorf had already arrived in Hamburg before Saturday as important representatives of the European Championship hosts. During the one-hour gala, star tenor Jonas Kaufmann and star violinist David Garrett performed in the concert hall.
The ceremony was disrupted by a strange-sounding undertone in the accompanying music. Guests in the concert hall and UEFA official Giorgio Marchetti, who was in charge of the draw, initially heard a sound like a baby crying, later it sounded like a woman moaning. UEFA also confirmed these impressions, but was initially unable to provide an explanation. The sounds could also be heard on TV and in the UEFA stream.
Lesen Sie auch:
- Julian Nagelsmann, the German national soccer team's coach, was already smiling when the draw for the European Championship in 2024 was announced in Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, with England, Scotland, and Sweden as potential group opponents.
- For Rudi Völler, the DFB sports director, the draw was a fortunate one, as the German team would face a group with realistic challenges instead of a "group of death."
- The draw meant that Germany could potentially face Spain, Italy, or England again in the round of 16, but Nagelsmann remained optimistic, stating that they were not underestimating any association.
- In Munich on June 14, the European Championship will open with a match between Germany and Scotland, a team that has never reached the knockout phase of a major tournament.
- The Dutch national soccer team will face a difficult draw in Group B, with runners-up France and the Netherlands and possibly Poland with Robert Lewandowski as potential opponents.
- In Leipzig last year, Hungary spoiled Hansi Flick's team's progress to the Nations League Final Four with a 1-0 defeat, making Hungary one of the most uncomfortable group opponents for the German team.
- Nagelsmann will also face Hungary in Stuttgart on June 19 and Switzerland in Frankfurt/Main on June 23, with the aim of coming out on top in a group that he considers interesting but not grueling.
- If Germany wins their group, they could potentially face England or Denmark from Group C in the round of 16, both of which would be tough opponents.
- Austrian coach Ralf Rangnick expressed concern after their draw in Group E, with runners-up France, the Netherlands, and potentially Poland as opponents.
- Germany's preparations for the tournament are already taking shape, with plans to face France in Lyon and the Netherlands in Frankfurt in March and strong opponents for the final tests sought in June.
- Nagelsmann had major problems traveling to Munich due to heavy snowfall, with all flights at Munich airport canceled, forcing him to drive to Hamburg instead.
- The ceremony was disrupted by strange sounds in the accompanying music, with guests in the concert hall and UEFA official Giorgio Marchetti hearing a sound like a baby crying or a woman moaning, but the source of the sounds remained unexplained.
Source: www.stern.de
