Germany were able to breathe a sigh of relief at full-time on Sunday, as despite looking like they were going to finish as Group A runners-up, Niclas Füllkrug came up with the goods when his side needed it most, heading home in the second minute of stoppage time to reclaim Germany’s spot as group leaders.
Nagelsmann begun by commenting on the result against Switzerland, with the German manager believing his side deservedly earned a point and praised his side’s character and performance to fight back in the game.
“It’s a point we deserved. Of course, you take risks on counter-attacks and you can concede a goal. We did well to come back, we deserved the draw. Switzerland were a great opponent, it was an entertaining match. We did a good job tactically,” he insisted.
He further went on to speak about the spirit and togetherness of the group, suggesting that “it’s really a special team and the guys have to keep it because it’s really something special that can lead to something bigger.”
With the two substitutes combining to score the late equaliser for Germany, Nagelsmann spoke about the impact of substitutions and the different calibre of players his squad has in order to face opponents.
“It’s important to have players who can score decisive goals coming on as substitutes. We analyse the opponents in order to pick the starting line-up, and then you can bring in different players from the bench.”
Nagelsmann was asked about the chances of Füllkrug starting for Germany come the knockout stages, with two goals in his three appearances in the European Championships. Both were scored off the bench, to add to his sensational international tally. Naglesmann said “there is a chance,” and added that “he’s important for us. We’re happy to have that kind of player we can bring on from the bench.”
Kai Havertz is the preferred option in the number nine role, with Naglesmann praising the Arsenal star’s performance despite his missed chances. “Kai also had the chances, he had three good chances. Unfortunately his header, he shot it on his own shoulder today, but I think in general he played a good game, and it’s those moments where we really need him.”
With Antonio Rüdiger visibly struggling with a thigh problem towards the end of the game, Nagelsmann wasn’t filled with confidence with the state of the Real Madrid defender. “Toni has a bit of a problem with his thigh. We’ll have to see what happens. I hope it’s nothing serious, we’ll see. That could be quite problematic,” he accepted.
Germany do have other options in defence, should they need to replace Rüdiger, with Nico Schlotterbeck the most likely to fill in at the back.
Germany return to action on the 29th June, when they’ll face the runner-up of group C. Make sure to catch all the action here at FromTheSpot.