National soccer team: Against the November blues: Nagelsmann’s tightrope walk

When Julian Nagelsmann arrived at the team hotel in the dreary Frankfurt drizzle, he received news that matched the weather. The national coach reported that nine players were injured before the final Nations League games against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary. The annual financial statements are therefore “a tightrope walk”, somewhere between: More professionals must not get injured. And: The national team should still inspire.

“He is moving between the ambitions we have and the legitimate demands of the clubs,” Nagelsmann said quite pragmatically before the first training session of the November course, which had gone dramatically wrong a year ago. “That was the worst,” said Nagelsmann when looking back at the 2:3 against Turkey and the 0:2 in Austria. But now the starting length is different, and the list of injuries is also indirectly proof of this.

Battered – but still there

The example of the ailing professionals who have “a lot of minutes” in their legs and “a few aches and pains” is “precisely apt”. “If you think back a year, I think it’s hypothetical that some people might have called before and said, I’m having a bit of problems, I’m not coming, I need my strength for my club,” said Nagelsmann. “And now everyone is still here.”

Before the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday (8:45 p.m./RTL) in Freiburg, in which a win means winning the group, Nagelsmann named the young stars Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern) and Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), as well as Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart ) and Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt). Ailing, yes, but everyone still “wants to train and wants to play.”

With these “more special requirements” Nagelsmann will most likely make several personnel changes in Freiburg and the following Tuesday (8:45 p.m./ZDF) in Budapest. Due to the comfortable group constellation – Germany leads with 10 points ahead of the Netherlands, Hungary (both 5) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (1) – he can be even more considerate of one or two warning club coaches.

Compromise one last time

“I’m absolutely willing to make certain compromises in this course,” said Nagelsmann, but he immediately added: “But this is also the last course, which every club coach understands.” In March we will continue with the quarter-finals of the Nations League (opponents open), in the summer then at best with the final tournament. The focus is also on World Cup qualification. Nagelsmann announced the 2026 title in America as his goal weeks ago.

“I won’t start discussing with the club coaches” whether a player “plays 60, 75, 45 minutes or not at all,” said Nagelsmann. “Now I like doing it because I was also a club coach.” November will also be about psychological issues for the players: the national coach mentioned vitamin D deficiency, shorter days, rain – he will also try to take that into account.

Despite all the sadness, the goals remain unchanged. The DFB selection should continue to work on its self-image of winning. Even under adverse circumstances like in October in Bosnia-Herzegovina (2:1) with even more injuries. The word “joy” comes up again and again, said Nagelsmann, and that applies to the players who play in the DFB team, but also to what the national team wants to spread.

This also applies in politically difficult times, although Nagelsmann did not want to make football “too big” in this regard. Maybe with two good 90 minutes we could “put a smile on the lips of one or two politicians who haven’t had so much to laugh about recently,” said Nagelsmann.

Sané can prove himself again

Only Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav has so far withdrawn due to injury, so Leroy Sané can prove himself again in the DFB team after a long break. Nagelsmann said he discussed the expectations of the Bayern professional with him personally, not in public. But everyone knows that Sané is one of the best players in the country if he fulfills his potential – this was rarely achieved in the national team.