The weight of history
Germany arrives at the World Cup with the urgency of leaving behind two consecutive eliminations in the group stage. Julian Nagelsmann took the helm after the departure of Hansi Flick and already showed signs of recovery at Euro 2024, where they lost to Spain in the quarterfinals by a minimal margin.
“It was very little difference. I regret having to wait two years to be world champion,” Nagelsmann said then. Now he repeats that speech with his sights set on the tournament.
The return of Neuer
The coach’s most talked-about decision was to recall Manuel Neuer, 40, after two years of international retirement. Nagelsmann admitted that it is “a blow” for Oliver Baumann, who had been the starting goalkeeper in the playoffs.
“Everyone knows what kind of aura he has and the quality he brings to a team. We don’t have a goalkeeping problem,” highlighted the coach.
Neuer, the only survivor of the 2014 champion squad, will play in his fifth World Cup. Their presence raises the average age to 27.98 years, the highest since 2002, according to Kicker. Recurrent calf injuries are the main concern.
Young people and defensive doubts
Germany will debut on June 14 against Curacao in Houston. Then they will face Ivory Coast and Ecuador. With 32 of 48 teams advancing to the second round, progress seems accessible, but the team has suffered against elite rivals such as France, Portugal and Spain.
The defense is the Achilles heel: they conceded four goals in two friendlies against Switzerland and Ghana in March. Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck formed the central duo, with Joshua Kimmich as the right back. Nathaniel Brown establishes himself on the left.
In attack, Serge Gnabry’s losses are compensated by young talent: Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz are the main offensive weapons. Lennart Karl, 18, is the surprise after recovering from an injury. Nagelsmann resisted calls to call up the young Said El Mala.
Captain Kimmich
Joshua Kimmich, Neuer’s teammate at Bayern Munich, will wear the badge. With a renewed generation and a firm coach, Germany is trying to write a different chapter than the last two World Cups.
