On the surface, four-time World Cup winners Germany have accomplished a lot this summer.
Highly regarded head coach Julian Nagelsmann has prided himself on building his team around Bayern Munich’s continued superiority, including the breakthrough of 18-year-old ‘wonder kid’ Lennart Karl.
Humiliating exits in the World Cup group stages in 2018 and 2022 lowered expectations, but in 2024 Nagelsmann led an exciting, youthful team to the home Euro semi-finals, only losing by a narrow margin to eventual champions Spain.
But despite their obvious pedigree and rich history in the tournament, Marcus Fjortoft, former Norwegian soccer player and host of the podcast “German Fussball”, told the podcast “Make Football Great Again” that he believes Nagelsmann has lost some of his early momentum.
“He took over[in 2023]in a very dire situation for Germany. Germany were playing very poorly, there was no optimism at all, there was no style to look at,” Fjortoft says. “He came in with authority and said he would pick his team based on form, leaving out key players. He said he valued pedigree rather than past history.”
“It was very refreshing and energized the national team.”
Julian Nagelsmann expects a positive World Cup for Germany
Fjortoft claims that last summer’s “unconvincing” campaign to qualify for the World Cup, with losses to Portugal and France in the Nations League, “diminished some of the enthusiasm and goodwill.”
“He had to reinvigorate this enthusiasm. So we go into this tournament…you’ll see. We’re somewhere in the middle of what we can expect. I think realistically we’re in the quarterfinals.”
And there’s another factor that’s “scratching” Nagelsmann’s World Cup campaign. His “availability” was recognized by legendary German manager Jurgen Klopp while he was head of strategy for global football at Red Bull.
“Of course Klopp will be annoyed,” Fjortoft suggested. “And when your country comes calling… there’s this inevitability and romance to the idea of Klopp taking over Germany.
“Nagelsmann could not capture that imagination, which is difficult when you compare yourself to someone as charismatic as Klopp.
“Nagelsmann has signed a contract extension[until after Euro 2028]so as far as the contract is concerned, it might not happen for another few years. But I think Nagelsmann feels it. He hasn’t been able to capture the enthusiasm that he did quite well in the beginning. And he depends on results.”
“Going into this tournament there is a question mark about that. Then it’s a different story and I don’t think it would be too difficult to ask Jurgen Klopp to take over the job in Germany.”
Nagelsmann will feel intense pressure to serve a fan base that has been deprived of success for more than a decade.
Influence of young Bundesliga players
One of the team’s headlines is the return of 40-year-old legendary Bayern goalkeeper and 2014 World Cup winner Manuel Neuer from international retirement. He is two years older than the head coach.
“A strong Bayern team is always a good sign for a strong German team,” Fjortoft said.
Jamal Musiala and Liverpool’s Florian Wirths have been talismans in this competition, and Fjortoft said the youngsters could help Germany’s ambitions this summer.
“I think Aleksandar Pavlovic will be in midfield,” Fjortov said, referring to Bayern’s 22-year-old defensive midfielder who is becoming a mainstay for the Bundesliga champions.
“Lennart Karl has been a breakthrough player for Bayern this season. He was a bit of a relief for Bayern in the sense that they were worried about the depth of the squad heading into this season. That paved the way for him to break through. He’s broken all kinds of records, including being the youngest goalscorer in the Champions League and the youngest goalscorer in the Bundesliga at 17, so he’s got the X-factor.”
Karl’s teammate Leroy Sane is on the plane, while Serge Gnabry is absent with a torn adductor muscle. Musiala, 23, will be playing in his fourth international tournament.
Dortmund’s Felix Nemsha is “another very exciting player, very technical and with a good physical profile”, and Dortmund boast other young talent on the rise, including electric winger Maximilian Baier, who has scored 17 goals and provided assists in his second full season.
“Don’t worry about Virts.”
Wirtz’s £115m move from champions Bayer Leverkusen to Premier League giants Liverpool is yet to look like it will be worth the money, but Fjortov has allayed fears he won’t be able to make it on the biggest stage.
“Yet he is a human being and he needs that adjustment period in what has been a difficult season for Liverpool for various reasons and a season in which the Liverpool team has struggled as well.”
“I’m very optimistic about Florian Wirths. We saw how good he was when we played against Switzerland in the last international break.
“The way he controls the game, don’t worry about Florian Wirtz, that’s what I say.”
Former Bundesliga centre-backs Marik Thiau and Antonio Rudiger bring experience in the Premier League and La Liga, with Thiau starting his career at Schalke and two-time Champions League winner Rudiger starting his career at Stuttgart.
“Nagelsmann is starting to believe his own hype.”
Fjortoft said it would be difficult to put Germany in the same category as France, Spain, Argentina and England, who are favorites to win this tournament.
He highlighted that Nagelsmann had not consistently used Stuttgart’s Dennis Unduff as the main striker, a position formally occupied by great players such as Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski.
Critics claim that he rotates unnecessarily, placing Kai Havertz in the ‘number 9’ centre-forward position instead, rather than constantly playing Andav and Newcastle’s Nick Woltemaid, which Fjortov believes has proven to be destructive to the team’s structure.
Unduff was the second-highest goalscorer in the Bundesliga behind Harry Kane, but Fjortoft said: “Nagelsmann is working hard to get Havertz fit. I think he is the best choice for Germany. He is a good link for Germany to use.”
“If you can judge the past few months, it’s been an interesting time. Nagelsmann made some not-so-fortunate statements in the press. He gave a big ‘revealing’ interview and said he had already decided who would play.
“There’s a certain contradiction. He apologized a few weeks ago for the comments he made about Unduff during the last international break, listing all the reasons why he didn’t start.
“The lack of ability to create a good atmosphere throughout the team, that’s what struck me and depending on who you ask, I think it’s starting to become clear why things didn’t go well at Bayern from a communication standpoint,” Fjorofft said.
“I think Nagelsmann’s problem, as biased as it sounds, is that he believes his own hype a little too much.”
“You have to remember that he came as a coach at Hoffenheim at the age of 28, 29 and was a real savior.
“Bayern paid a huge compensation to take him away from RB Leipzig, but he was a genius from the start.
“I try to be as objective as possible, but he needs to be a little careful about how he carries himself in the media.”
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