UEFA Nations League: Nagelsmann calls second leg against Italy a ‘fifty-fifty’ case
Berlin (Germany), March 22 (IANS) Ahead of the UEFA Nations League encounter against Italy, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann is assessing the intermediate status from a football perspective.
“As a coach I say, it’s a fifty case while a mathematician might call it nonsense and rate our chances in a possibility calculation higher as we have scored a goal more,” the 37-year-old coach said ahead of the second leg of the last-eight ties this Sunday evening in Dortmund. “One Italian goal and things are even,” the German coach added.
A record of 15 defeats, 10 wins, and 13 draws might be reason enough to remain calm, despite the 2014 world champion’s first victory in 39 years on Italian soil last Thursday. The 2-1 comeback victory in Milan has fueled German ambitions to reach the final-four tournament of the Nations League in Stuttgart and Munich and surpass the 2006 World Champion in FIFA’s world ranking list.
UEFA has announced that the winner of the Germany-Italy duel will host the final four, reports Xinhua.
Nagelsmann described the final four as an additional inspiring milestone on the road to next year’s World Cup, following the 2024 Euro in Germany.
While Nagelsmann remains composed despite the narrow advantage, the German coach gained valuable insights in Milan.
Returning to a 4-2-3-1 tactical system provided more stability and bolstered the attacking forces. It seems likely that striker Tim Kleindienst (Gladbach) and defender Nico Schlotterbeck (BVB) will retain their spots in the starting 11, while Stuttgart winger Jamie Lewelling is set to replace Nadiem Amiri (Mainz).
Alongside Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich (both Bayern) and goalkeeper Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim) were identified as “game changers.” Schlotterbeck solidified his position by addressing defensive gaps on the left wing, outperforming competitors such as David Raum (Leipzig) and Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart).
Despite coping without key players like the injured Florian Wirtz (Leverkusen) and Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Germany has managed to ease some concerns. However, sporting director and former Roma striker Rudi Voller cautioned, “We are not over the line yet.”
–IANS
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