"Unbelievable How That Went Down": Oliver Baumann Speaks on His DFB Demotion by Julian Nagelsmann

Oliver Baumann has commented on his exclusion from the upcoming German national team matches in the Nations League by new national coach Julian Nagelsmann.

He indicated that his sidelining by former coach Julian Nagelsmann (39) before the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico was handled poorly.

Following his team TSG Hoffenheim's 0-2 loss in their first Europa League match in Crete, the 36-year-old goalkeeper told RTL about his non-nomination: "I've known for a while. I have to accept the decision, I don't like it, that's clear. But they are taking a different path, and I have to accept and respect that."

Nagelsmann nominated a total of 44 players across two squads for the four upcoming international break matches. His current number one choice is Marc-Andre ter Stegen (34, Ajax). Behind him, several younger goalkeepers are set to get opportunities: Finn Dahmen (28, FC Augsburg), Alexander Nübel (29, Besiktas), Noah Atubolu (24, Eintracht Frankfurt), and Jonas Urbig (23, FC Bayern).

When asked if he ever received a fair chance in the German goal, Baumann replied: "I have to be honest: what happened in the summer hurt more. Unbelievable how that went down. And not just from one side, actually." He did not elaborate further, leaving ample room for speculation.

How Many Caps Does Oliver Baumann Have for Germany?

The background is his demotion by Nagelsmann to second-choice goalkeeper shortly before the disappointing World Cup finals. Baumann had played and impressed in the World Cup qualifiers after ter Stegen's serious injury. Despite this, Nagelsmann decided to reverse his previous assurances and brought Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (40) out of international retirement before the tournament began. Baumann, who has 13 caps for Germany, traveled to the World Cup as Neuer's understudy. Nagelsmann's communication on the matter was at least controversial and led to significant discussion and criticism.

Baumann also played in the preparatory matches for the tournament. After a friendly against the USA in early June (2-1), he commented on his demotion: "It was tough at first, it didn't feel quite right." When pressed on what he meant by "didn't feel quite right," he responded at the time: "I'd like to leave it at that and not go into it further. The situation is what it is. We hopefully have several weeks ahead of us and want to do everything for success."