Against Holland, Julian Nagelsmann will have to prove that the new feeling of euphoria is stable against a big opponent. The national coach is reveling in memories, but the goal-scoring team is a cause for concern.
The repeated questions about his line-up eventually became too much for Julian Nagelsmann. He said he could ask “ten more times” and he did not want to say anything more. The question mark over the possible absence of center forward Niclas Füllkrug against the Netherlands due to problems with his Achilles tendon was the only concrete information that the national coach revealed before the top match against the Netherlands on Tuesday (8.45 p.m./RTL).
And the worries seem justified: The 31-year-old left the field after eleven minutes of the final training session, accompanied by the team doctor after a brief conversation with Nagelsmann. Thick blue tape was stuck to Füllkrug’s left lower leg. It remains unclear whether the cancellation was planned or whether it already means the end of Tuesday.
Previously, the national coach had preferred to talk about the fundamental appeal of the eternally controversial football classic rather than the match plan and possible replacement options. “We want to try to conjure up a moment that will be remembered,” announced the 37-year-old before the Nations League match in Amsterdam. Germany against Holland. After all, that had fascinated him as a child.
Nagelsmann – like the midfield sweeper Robert Andrich, who was not even born at the time – particularly remembers the 1990 World Cup round of 16 with Frank Rijkaard’s spitting attack on Rudi Völler and the double sending off for the sinner and the victim at the 2-1 win in Milan. “The one who always sits next to me on the bus now,” said Nagelsmann, referring to sporting director Völler as a contemporary witness.
Nagelsmann likes Oranje
There doesn’t have to be quite as much drama in the Johan Cruyff Arena this time as there was in San Siro. For Nagelsmann, it’s all about continuing the good-humored football that put the fans in high spirits with the 5-0 win against Hungary right after the home European Championship. It won’t be easy, the national coach has already made that clear. “Orange is a beautiful color,” he said, surrounded by the bright color of the hosts, summing up what the DFB team can expect.
Caution? Yes. Worries? Definitely not. More like anticipation of the next exciting task. That’s how Joshua Kimmich saw it. “It will be a different opponent, a strong opponent. The Dutch are different to the Hungarians, they will be a tough opponent. It will be interesting to see how we do,” said the captain.
A collapse in mood is to be avoided against the arch-rivals, who are currently preoccupied with personnel and angry debates about B striker Wout Weghorst and the discarded Steven Bergwijn. In the Nations League, which has suddenly become popular, another victory in the top game of Group 3 of the A League would also be a huge step towards the desired qualification for the quarter-finals in March 2025.
Take the “energy” of the Hungary Gala with you
Musiala, who enjoys playing football, announced that they wanted to take the “energy” with them. A directive that he probably received from Nagelsmann for the Oranje clash. Because that is the national team’s big advantage as a learning effect from the European Championships at home: There is a symbiosis of a national coach who sets the tone and gives clear instructions. And a team that happily absorbs and implements it.
Exactly one year ago, things were completely different. There was a 1:4 defeat against Japan. Hansi Flick was at the end of his career as national coach. Sporting director Völler, exhausted from his subsequent one-game interlude against France (2:1), called in Nagelsmann as a savior. And the German football metamorphosis began with the November dip of test defeats against Turkey (2:3) and Austria (0:2) as the only blemish.
Only five players from the starting eleven for the humiliation in Wolfsburg will be on the pitch at kick-off in Amsterdam 367 days later. Nagelsmann does not want to change his formation after the 5-0 turbo start against Hungary much. Whether Füllkrug will be fit to play was at least very doubtful on the evening before the match. If the former Dortmund player is out, Nagelsmann would have to field another center forward or move Kai Havertz back up front and fill the number ten position again.
Continuity is a valuable asset for the national coach and his captain in the post-European Championship phase. “I have the feeling that it has done us a lot of good that the squad has stayed together, that we didn’t start from scratch,” said Kimmich. “Despite the four guys who have resigned, there is a basis there.” The “four guys” who have resigned, namely the strong over-30s group Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller and Ilkay Gündogan, have not been missed so terribly since Saturday evening at the latest.
One even got the impression that there was even more homogeneity in the younger group. After a free afternoon in Düsseldorf, the players casually strolled to a not-so-secret dinner with Nagelsmann and Völler at the Italian restaurant. There was a lot of smiling and laughing in the national team.
First away trip since the 2-0 win in France
The journey to Amsterdam brought back an almost forgotten feeling for Kimmich. After nine home games this year, the DFB crew was travelling again. “When was our last away game?” the 29-year-old even had to ask. The answer: on March 23 in France, when Nagelsmann courageously implemented a radical personnel cut. “Well, there’s no need to worry,” Kimmich exclaimed, remembering the fabulous 2-0 win in Lyon.
Three days later, for the first time in the purple jerseys that were still being celebrated as an innovation and provocation and with the Major Tom goal melody, Holland was defeated 2-1 and the still slight upward trend was confirmed. This too – at least under national coach Nagelsmann – a moment that has been remembered.
Source: Stern

I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.