Julian Nagelsmann’s Pre-Existing Concerns: Could Nico Schlotterbeck’s Injury Shock Cause «Huge Problems»?

The German national team may have to face upcoming matches, or even the rest of the World Cup, without Nico Schlotterbeck. This has led to a problem that Julian Nagelsmann has been aware of for months, and which he openly discussed. Despite this foresight, he only partially addressed it.

The shock was palpable when the Borussia Dortmund center-back crumpled after just fifteen minutes and required treatment. A substitution seemed imminent, but Schlotterbeck, as captured by TV cameras, swallowed a painkiller and persevered until halftime. However, he couldn’t continue. Antonio Rüdiger took his place and was on the field when substitute Deniz Undav scored twice to secure a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast.

While the match-winner was celebrated, the Schlotterbeck situation was somewhat overshadowed after the game. Speaking to ZDF, Nagelsmann provided an initial update that offered no reassurance. On the contrary, he stated that the 26-year-old had «something with the collateral ligament, he has to go for an MRI tomorrow. It definitely doesn’t look good — unfortunately,» the national coach admitted. Even an early exit from the World Cup seemed a distinct possibility.

Although Rüdiger performed adequately after halftime and managed to cope with the swift Ivorian attackers, Schlotterbeck’s absence in the knockout stages would be a significant blow. So much so that Nagelsmann, in his widely discussed interview with kicker in early March, had already mused about the potential absence of the Dortmund defender, indirectly sounding the alarm for such a scenario.

Nagelsmann Prepared the DFB Team Only Partially for Schlotterbeck’s Absence

«There are a few positions that aren’t ideally covered in pairs, where we honestly have to get a bit creative,» Nagelsmann began, then moved on to Schlotterbeck: «He is currently our only left-footer, and we’ve had huge problems with build-up play when he hasn’t played. Schlotti is an incredibly important player. Nevertheless, we have to prepare for what happens when he can’t play.» In this context, Nagelsmann had more or less settled on his center-back pairing of Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah for the World Cup, a prediction that, unlike other bold tendencies at the time (e.g., Leon Goretzka), has largely held true in America.

But is the DFB team truly prepared, off the training pitch, for a back four without Schlotterbeck? Not really. In the five matches leading up to the Ivory Coast clash, Schlotterbeck played every minute. His backup, Rüdiger, a right-footer, last played a full 90 minutes in World Cup qualifiers in September, a period that included a disappointing 0-2 loss to Slovakia after a rather weak performance from the 33-year-old Real Madrid defender. From Nagelsmann’s interview to the World Cup start, Rüdiger only managed one half against Ghana after missing two training camps due to a thigh injury. In that match, he came on as a substitute for Jonathan Tah, playing on the right side of central defense alongside Schlotterbeck. This hardly constitutes match practice.

Against Ivory Coast, Tah ultimately stepped into Schlotterbeck’s role on Saturday, making way for Rüdiger. This is not entirely new territory for him; he often plays this position for Bayern Munich (to the left of Dayot Upamecano). However, since the Nations League Final Four in the summer of 2025, he has only played twice with the eagle on his chest because Schlotterbeck was absent: in the 2-0 win against Luxembourg and the aforementioned debacle in Slovakia. Notably, the 30-year-old is also not a left-footer.

This also applies to backups Waldemar Anton and Malick Thiaw. Nagelsmann deliberately chose not to nominate a center-back with a strong left foot, even though he identified the need months in advance. To his credit, alternatives were indeed scarce. Only Jeff Chabot from VfB Stuttgart possessed the required profile among players who were peripherally considered for the squad. The other two defensive left-footers, David Raum and Nathaniel Brown, are clearly full-backs.

Tah Knows the Schlotterbeck Role from Bayern, But…

As a result, Tah may have to fill in as the left-sided center-back for the remainder of the tournament, but he will not be able to replace Schlotterbeck’s ball-playing qualities one-to-one. While the 30-year-old is one of Bayern Munich’s most reliable ball distributors, he plays fewer and much more risk-averse line-breaking or diagonal passes into space compared to other center-backs – such as Schlotterbeck, who is undoubtedly among the best in his field in this regard. This is also because Tah, as a left-sided player with his right foot, simply finds himself in those situations less often.

When it comes to defensive actions, Tah and Schlotterbeck are quite evenly matched. Rüdiger, at least in a Germany jersey, has had more inconsistent performances. However, at the home European Championship in 2024, the now potentially required duo proved they are compatible. Both benefited from each other when Schlotterbeck was a substitute. He only started once in the Round of 16 in the 2-0 victory over Denmark because Tah was suspended due to yellow cards – and brilliantly set up Jamal Musiala’s second German goal with one of his feared long passes. Nagelsmann, however, ignored isolated calls for Schlotterbeck to be a starter and reverted to Tah and Rüdiger for the bitter elimination against Spain. The situation has since, as we know, reversed 180 degrees.

Whether the «huge problems» Nagelsmann alluded to will indeed materialize without Schlotterbeck’s strengths remains to be seen. However, Rüdiger and Tah would certainly have wished for more practice with that somewhat two-year-old formation on the pitch over the past twelve months.

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