Julian Nagelsmann says Germany have ‘unbelievable work to do’ before Euro 2024
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Germany players looking dejected after losing 2-0 to Austria in a friendly match in Vienna on Nov 21.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BERLIN – Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said his side have an “unbelievable amount of work to do” seven months from hosting Euro 2024, after suffering a 2-0 friendly defeat by Austria
Germany fell behind to a Marcel Sabitzer goal in the first half and then lost Leroy Sane early in the second to a red card, the Bayern Munich winger pushing Austria defender Phillipp Mwene in the face and forcing him to the ground.
Christoph Baumgartner then scored a second for Austria as Nagelsmann’s side struggled to fight back with 10 men.
“We’re not playing freely. We’ve an unbelievable amount of work to do in each position,” the coach told German broadcaster ZDF.
“We need to accept the situation but we can’t fall into the role of being victims.”
Nagelsmann added that his players were a “well-functioning group at training but it’s not transferring onto the pitch”.
“We’re missing some self-confidence, which is not a surprise when you see the past few months,” he said.
Germany have now won just three of 11 games since the four-time World Cup winners’ embarrassing group-stage exit at Qatar 2022.
Captain Ilkay Gundogan lamented his side’s “homemade” mistakes, saying things “couldn’t be worse” before Euro 2024.
“Doing it this way, we won’t be successful,” he admitted, adding that his team were lacking cohesion.
“We have to be honest and say it’s not only the defence. I said after Turkey ( who beat Germany 3-2 last weekend
“We need to infuse ourselves with some positive energy, with some emotion and defend emotionally – right now we’re doing the opposite.”
Defender Mats Hummels, one of the few 2014 World Cup winners remaining in the Germany squad, was confident the team could turn things around before the European Championship starts in June.
“It takes a while. We have a bit of time until the Euro. I think we can take massive steps,” he said.
“If we work hard, it could be a really good tournament for us.”
Germany would be hopeful that with 11 men on the pitch, they can do better than they did against Austria.
Sane’s red card, his first in a professional football career spanning more than 400 games, meant the team were forced to hang on with a man down.
“I think the red card for Leroy just sums it all up – the frustration, the disappointment,” Gundogan added.
“At the end, we made it far, far too easy for the Austrians to create and score goals. We were simply not good enough.”
Austria have now won seven and lost just one of their 10 matches in 2023 while qualifying for Euro 2024, continuing an impressive run under former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick.
Rangnick praised his troops, saying: “I told them before the game to be courageous, play with pleasure and enjoy the game – and they did all three.” AFP, REUTERS
