Germany 1-0 Netherlands
©IMAGO
When Germany took to the field on Monday night to take on Netherlands in a crucial Nations League clash, there was a rather unknown quantity in the starting XI. While a number of household names were on show in attack, across the midfield and bolstering defence, between the posts was none other than Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, who was making his debut for the national team at the age of 34 years and four months. And as odd as that may sound, expecting the somewhat unexpected has become a running theme of the Germany national team since Julian Nagelsmann took over 13 months ago.
Indeed, since taking over from Hansi Flick late last year, the former RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich head coach has been on a mission to rebuild the German national team from the ground up. Where his predecessor was often criticised for remaining loyal to players that had passed their peak and being too reluctant to consider new solutions to old problems, Nagelsmann has rolled up his sleeves and taken a proactive approach to finding the next generation of players that can take Germany back to the top of European and world football. And that’s quite the departure from the Germany head coaches that came before him.
For example, in the 17 games that Nagelsmann has so far overseen as Germany manager to date, the young head coach has already handed Germany debuts to no less than 15 players. That works out at 0.88 Germany debutants per international game under Nagelsmann. Which is considerably higher than Flick’s record (0.64 per game), which itself was even higher than the two men that came before him in Joachim Löw (0.57 per game) and Jürgen Klinsmann (0.35 per game). And that may come as a surprise to fans of the international game, considering the credit both Löw and Klinsmann were given for revolutionising the German national team and returning them to their historic role as one of the best international teams in the world. In no uncertain terms, Nagelsmann is being far more extensive with his rebuild than any of his predecessors in the modern era.
When we take a look at the players that Nagelsmann has called up during his first 13 months in charge of Germany, it really underlines the extensive rebuild that is underway with the German national team. As the table above illustrates, there are a number of older players – such as Kevin Behrens, Marvin Ducksch and the aforementioned Baumann – who were simply called upon to fill in when injuries in specific positions got too extensive. But there’s also then a second tier of senior players that have emerged within the Bundesliga to become worthy of a shot at the national team, such as Bayer Leverkusen defensive midfielder Robert Andrich and the Stuttgart contingent of talisman Deniz Undav, left winger Chris Führich, as well as defenders Waldemar Anton (who moved to Borussia Dortmund this season) and Maximilian Mittelstädt. Here we see a clear priority from Nagelsmann to bring in players that are ready-made to perform for the national team and help them win games and presumably trophies in the immediate future.
However, that’s not to say that Nagelsmann doesn’t have one eye on Germany’s long-term plans. Having already inherited a squad with remarkable young talents like Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, the head coach has also fast-tracked Bayern midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic’s call up to the senior team, where the 20-year-old midfielder is now a regular starter for Nagelsmann’s team. And when we add other young prospects like Dortmund striker Maximilian Beier (21), Stuttgart pair Angelo Stiller (23) and Jamie Leweling (23), as well as Mainz forward Jonathan Burkardt (24) to the list of players Nagelmann has added to his national team over the course of the last year, it points to a head coach that is trying to find the perfect blend of experience and youthful promise to a squad that needed some extensive changes to it.
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