Former national player Dietmar Hamann has voiced criticism against Germany’s head coach Julian Nagelsmann, accusing him of two main faults regarding the upcoming World Cup: his handling of reserve players and a lack of on-site presence.
In the ongoing debate surrounding Nagelsmann, particularly his classification of Stuttgart’s top scorer Deniz Undav as a «joker,» Hamann spoke frankly on the Sky program ‘Triple — Der Hagedorn-Fußballtalk.’ He stated, «The art at a World Cup is to keep all players happy and the team united. Dividing the team into groups is counterproductive for me because if you’re in group three, you only have a chance to play if two, three, or four players ahead of you get injured. This means, do what you want, Deniz Undav as an example, you’re at best a substitute.»
Undav is currently the most successful German goalscorer this season. However, Nagelsmann repeatedly emphasized during the last international break that he does not plan to include the 29-year-old as a regular starter in the World Cup formation, deeming it «unlikely» that Undav’s continued goals in the season’s final sprint would change this.
«We have a merit principle,» Hamann expressed his bewilderment. «I don’t understand committing yourself three months in advance. I’ve never experienced anything like it, not even in other countries. You take away the possibility of rotating the team.»
Hamann: Four European Teams Are Stronger Than Germany
Hamann believes that during the European Championship on home soil two years ago, Nagelsmann had experienced players like Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gündogan who «took some decisions off his hands.» He notes that such seasoned individuals are absent from the current squad.
Consequently, Hamann makes a grim prediction, seeing four teams in Europe alone as stronger than the German national team: «England, France, Portugal, Spain, for example, are better than us. And Julian Nagelsmann is already telling a third of the squad that they won’t play. Now you can imagine the motivation these players will have when they travel. They might think, ‘We’re probably not going to be world champions. It might not be bad if we go home a week earlier.'»
Similar to Hamann, his former club and national teammate Oliver Kahn (56) shares this sentiment, stating, «It’s difficult to get the players on your side like that.» The 2002 World Cup runner-up explained, «Julian Nagelsmann doesn’t come across strongly through mentality, he comes across very strongly through the system, through clear role distribution. That’s not a merit principle either. With him, the right players play, not the best players. That’s his approach. To destroy everything beforehand, I’m not a big fan of that. A World Cup isn’t decided as much by system as by mentality and a certain spirit in the team.»
Hamann on Nagelsmann: ‘Maybe He Should Start Going to the Stadium More’
Hamann advises Nagelsmann to gain more on-site impressions of the players, suggesting, «Maybe he should start going to the stadium more. That also has something to do with appreciation. He wasn’t in Madrid on Tuesday (for Bayern’s match against Real, ed.), he wasn’t in Paris on Wednesday (for Liverpool’s match against PSG, ed.).» He also pointed out that Nagelsmann has not personally scouted players playing abroad like Yann Aurel Bisseck (Inter Milan) or Kevin Schade (FC Brentford). «On television, you only see twenty meters from the pitch,» Hamann remarked. «There are no shortcuts to success. You have to be diligent. Who wasn’t there at the Club World Cup last summer? Our head coach.»
His conclusion: «I wouldn’t have hired Julian Nagelsmann back then.»
Julian Nagelsmann’s Record as Head Coach
| Games | 31 |
| Wins | 19 |
| Draws | 6 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Goal Difference | 70:33 |
| Points per Game | 2.03 |