National soccer team: Nagelsmann: No dent in Hungary – Tah on the plane too

Julian Nagelsmann has no further absences to contend with before the last international match of the year. The national coach traveled to Budapest with 22 players – Hungary is the last opponent in the group phase of the Nations League on Tuesday (8.45 p.m./ZDF). Unusual: Jonathan Tah, who was suspended after his second yellow card, was also on the plane from Basel to Budapest.

The DFB and Bayer Leverkusen confirmed that the defender will not return to his club, but will instead stay with the national football team. Nagelsmann can rely on 21 players, and captain Joshua Kimmich is also available for action after his minor ankle injury.

Nagelsmann is not afraid of a drop in performance

Nagelsmann had announced personnel changes compared to the 7-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina, but he does not see any risk of a drop in performance. “I can determine the squad so that there are always two top teams on the field, even if we rotate ten times,” said the national coach.

In Budapest, the DFB selection will appear as group winners in the Nations League. The Hungarians are definitely third and have to avoid relegation to the B league in the playoffs.

Nagelsmann did not want to reveal how intensive his rotation would be. What is certain is that Alexander Nübel will replace Oliver Baumann in goal. The national coach had announced that he would give both of the injured Marc-André ter Stegen’s deputies a chance to play in the position for the last time. Baumann had confidently thwarted the opponent’s only chance against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Since Tah is suspended in Hungary, Nico Schlotterbeck should take his position in the defensive line. The BVB defender had served a yellow card suspension against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Nagelsmann announced at the beginning of the international training course that he wanted to take the pressures of the professionals into account in his planning. “I said that we are trying to be considerate of the clubs, within a healthy framework,” said the 37-year-old. Against Bosnia-Herzegovina, after just under an hour, he made four changes and gave Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, among others, a break.

“Above everything is always the team that is playing, that is us at the moment. But I am not naïve or narrow-minded and I know that there are still important games until Christmas. We have the same interest in the players staying healthy,” said Nagelsmann to his agreement with the clubs. “We will show the fun we want to have in every game. We will take a step forward in every game,” said Musiala and promised a concentrated performance.

Classic against Italy possible

The game in the Puskas Arena is no longer relevant for the Nations League. The DFB team is group winner and will play in the quarter-finals in March for a place in the final round. A possible opponent is Italy, which slipped to second place in its group after losing 3-1 to France on Sunday. Further opponent options will be decided on Monday evening in the last preliminary round games in Groups 1 and 4 of the A-League. Croatia or Scotland or Denmark or Serbia can also be considered as DFB opponents.