Three areas of concern on Julian Nagelsmann from Germany’s EURO 2024 run

Julian Nagelsmann was good, but does have to fix some things with Germany.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

The German national team saw its run end in a dramatic, intense 2-1 loss at the hands of Spain in the EURO 2024 quarterfinals.

There was much to ponder about the squad’s performance, so let’s get to it with three areas of concern on Germany boss (and former Bayern Munich coach) Julian Nagelsmann and how he performed at the EUROs.

Nagelsmann still tinkers too much and is his own worst enemy

If you are a Bayern Munich fan, you already knew the worst of Nagelsmann. The man simply cannot contain himself at times. His brain is constantly analyzing things and striving for perfection, which sometimes leads him to make bizarre moves that do not work — and are quite often less effective than his original ideas.

His starting XI against Spain featured one player who had not been consistently effective in months (Leroy Sané), another player (Emre Can) who was not even on the initial call-up list, and several other players who were debatable selections (see below). To do all of that, Nagelsmann had to bench both Florian Wirtz (arguably Germany’s best player for the 2023/24 club season) and Robert Andrich, who had built up a nice balance with legend Toni Kroos in the central midfield.

The lineup changes led to an imbalance in the middle of the pitch, trouble in the buildup and with spacing, and the opportunity for Spain to get into a groove (which would pay off for the Spaniards after halftime).

Nagelsmann must learn to trust his first instinct and to rely on players, rather than over-analyzing certain player every time something is not exactly perfect.

Nagelsmann still has too many loyalties that he cannot shake

For all of his good qualities, loyalty is one that sometimes causes the coach pain. İlkay Gündoğan was a detriment to the team’s attack and was one of the team’s least impactful players in the tournament — yet he filled one of the most important positions on the pitch. From an international standpoint, the FC Barcelona man’s best days are long gone and it is time for him to turn over his starting role and his armband to the next generation. The fact that Nagelsmann watched the Group Stage and still felt like Gündoğan was among the best XI players on the team is a bit concerning.

Similarly, Nagelsmann has held a soft spot for Sané going back to his days in Bavaria. Sané has not been healthy or consistently productive since December. Objective Bayern Munich fans had reservations with Sané even being part of the team for the EUROs because it was easy to see that he was not healthy and that he needed rest. Instead, Sané tried to push through it, did not perform up the the standard expected, and put the welfare of the team in jeopardy. Hansi Flick, Thomas Tuchel and even Nagelsmann himself, have all commented that the winger is not a fan of being a bench player. It is hard to argue that the persistence from Sané did not affect how Tuchel and Nagelsmann have handled Sané, who has also — allegedly — been vocal when not playing, which was the same offense that — allegedly — helped keep Leon Goretzka off the team.

Either way, Sané does not need special treatment, especially when it comes at the expense of Florian Wirtz.

Similarly, Nagelsmann opted to bring Jonathan Tah back into the lineup after Nico Schlotterbeck turned in an ace performance against Denmark. Maybe it was six of one, half dozen of the other, but Tah seemed to have been one of the players grandfathered into a starting role without the threat of competition. Would it have made much of a difference against Spain? Probably not, but the coach is going to have to be a little more open to moving away from some of his favorites.

Nagelsmann needs to learn to trust young players…again

At one point, Nagelsmann was renowned for his ability to work with young players, but the coach showed too much of a proclivity to leaning on his veterans both with Bayern Munich and with the German national team.

The coach is a good teacher and communicator, but — similar to what was written above — has to get over the hump with his feelings on some players that he clearly admire. Germany’s growth into a prime contender for the 2026 World Cup might depend on his ability to develop some young players into roles with the German national team.

It will not be easy and the short-term effect of relying on veterans might yield instant results, but Nagelsmann has to keep the big goal of winning the World Cup at the forefront. To do that, he will need some fresh blood injected into the lineup.

Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Germany’s crushing 2-1 loss to Spain? We have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. We have takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s controversial starting XI, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and ideas on how this all fell apart in front of an absolutely electric crowd. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: