Germany Boss Julian Nagelsmann Makes Key Roster Decisions Ahead Of USA Trip

Forbes Business SportsMoney Germany Boss Julian Nagelsmann Makes Key Roster Decisions Ahead Of USA Trip Manuel Veth Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Following Oct 6, 2023, 05:09pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann has announced his roster for the upcoming friendlies . .

. [+] against the United States and Mexico. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images) Getty Images Julian Nagelsmann has announced the German national team roster for the upcoming tour in the United States, where Germany will face the US men’s national team on Oct.

14 in Hartford and Mexico on Oct. 17 in Philadelphia. Nagelsmann’s first-ever squad as Germany’s national team coach included a few surprises.

Back in the squad is Dortmund defender Mats Hummels—the 34-year-old center-back returns to the squad for the first time since 2021. Although Dortmund overall has not been fully convincing to start the season, Hummels has been the club’s most consistent defender. Hummels played the full 90 minutes in all but one of Dortmund’s Bundesliga games this season.

The only game Hummels didn’t feature in was Dortmund’s shock 2-2 draw against promoted Heidenheim. Nagelsmann also has called up three new faces. New in the squad are Stuttgart’s Chris Führich from VfB Stuttgart, Kevin Behrens from Union Berlin, and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich.

Those call-ups are consequential, given the recent performances by the players. Führich has been one of the main reasons for Stuttgart’s red-hot start this season. Together with Serhou Guirassy , the 25-year-old winger has formed the second most dangerous attacking duo in the Bundesliga this season .

“Führich has very, very good momentum right now,” Nagelsmann said in a video published by the DFB when asked about Führich. “He’s an excellent one-v-one player and has scored many goals for Stuttgart. Momentum is an important point for the national team.

You have to call up the players who are currently at a performance peak and give them the chance. The phone call was very, very refreshing because he was incredibly happy. It will be good for us to have new faces in training who will have a sparkle in their eyes when they play an international match.

We’re looking forward to it. ” MORE FOR YOU Cooper Flagg, Nation’s No. 1 Hoops Recruit, Closing In On College Decision Chinese Billionaire s Texas Company Owes Millions On Unpaid Bills The T 64 Ukraine s Most Important Tank Could Go Extinct In Three Or Four Years Together with Serhou Guirassy (l.

), Christian Führich (r. ) has been one the Bundesliga’s hottest . .

. [+] attacking duos. (Photo by Uwe Anspach/picture alliance via Getty Images) dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images The momentum was also a factor when it came to Behrens.

Although it has been a less-than-ideal start for Union Berlin this season, Behrens has been excellent. The 32-year-old has scored four goals in six Bundesliga games and is a typical box striker. The Union forward should provide Nagelsmann with an alternative to Dortmund’s Niclas Füllkrug and could be the target man Germany has been lacking since Mario Gomez retired.

“We wanted another striker who’s strong in the air so that we could react to different scenarios,” Nagelsmann said when asked about Behrens. “We’ll see how he performs in training. He is a very good guy who always wants to win and also does a lot of work defensively.

He makes very, very good runs, but is also good in the air when we face opponents who defend deep, and we still need a goal at the end. He is very present in the box and binds a lot of opponents – which means his teammates can also score goals, not just himself. ” Then there is Andrich’s nomination.

An argument could be made that Andrich has not had a good start to the season. But fitness issues have limited the 29-year-old to coming mostly off the bench, and there are signs that Andrich is working his way back into the squad. Furthermore, the midfielder was a big part of Leverkusen’s revival last season, and it is only a question of time until his coach, Xabi Alonso, increases Andrich’s playing time.

Nagelsmann seems to agree. “We wanted a different profile at the no. 6,” Nagelsmann said.

“He’s someone who can be incredibly active defensively and be a bit of a destroyer. He has an exceptional winning mentality and a sense of responsibility defensively when we need to hold on to a result. ” Nagelsmann hopes that Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich will provide him with a different type of no.

6 . . .

[+] than previously available to the team. (Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images) dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Not in the squad will be Dortmund players Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can, and Karim Adeyemi. Schlotterbeck’s exclusion is perhaps the most surprising, given that his teammate Niklas Süle has been called up.

In fact, of the two, Schlotterbeck has probably been slightly better this season. But in the case of Schlotterbeck, Nagelsmann might use the non-nomination as a tool to motivate the center-back to better performances. “Schlotterback is an outstanding talent in his position,” Nagelsmann said.

“Left-footed center-back—that’s not someone you normally want to do without, but he must make sure he brings maximum consistency at his club. ” The same is the case with Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi. Adeyemi has been nominated but will not be with the senior team but instead with the U21, where he is supposed to collect much-needed playing time.

“Karim didn’t hesitate one second,” U21 national team coach Antonio Di Salvo said. “He not only sees it as an opportunity to get playing time and tank some confidence but also to take on responsibilities and lead a young group. ” A few things stand out in what will be a decisive first roster by Nagelsmann.

For the first time in a long time, form rather than reputation seems to have played a big role in putting together a national team squad. Also, Nagelsmann did a fantastic job communicating his decisions on players who were nominated or were left off the list. That communication, in particular, should go a long way in re-uniting a fan base that still seems somewhat on the fence just months ahead of Germany hosting the European Championships.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt . He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth and on Threads: @manuveth Follow me on Twitter .

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