World Cup alarm after qualifying embarrassment: Nagelsmann loses his temper, national coach threatens DFB stars

An unexpected setback on the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup: The German national team suffered an embarrassing defeat away to Slovakia. National coach Julian Nagelsmann is desperate – and is searching for a root cause.

Phew. National coach Julian Nagelsmann doesn't have much more to say. That sort of says it all. A makeshift podium was set up in a room at the stadium in Bratislava for the press conference. Sitting on a chair is a tense national coach, speaking with a hoarse voice. A Slovak journalist had asked him how he assessed the development of the Slovak team. Nagelsmann couldn't think of anything. "What should I say?" he asks, only to add a few more platitudes. Too much had happened that evening, too much was going through his head, to be able to predict the future of his opponent.

But first things first. Because "Phew" also aptly sums up the situation facing the German national football team at the start of the World Cup season. They lost 2-0 (0-1) to Slovakia. It was their first away defeat in World Cup qualifying in 90 (!) years. This statistic alone shows that this German national team has long since lost its place among the world's elite. In a group with Slovakia, Northern Ireland, and Luxembourg, the German national team is now bottom of the table. Their qualification for the tournament in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, which they thought was secure, is suddenly in jeopardy. At least, that's the feeling on this Thursday.

"That is not our claim"

The fact that the final score was only 0-2 was perhaps the best news after this memorable match. On a balmy summer evening in Bratislava, only one team truly wanted to win this game – and that was the home team. One could dig up various scenes that underscore this. For example, the 0-1 goal shortly before halftime. Former Hertha player Ondrej Duda was able to stroll through the German midfield so unchallenged, it was as if a few friends were meeting for a casual summer kick. Nagelsmann later said on the podium that he couldn't remember a close game that the German national team had won. Not a single press shot, nothing.

"That was a surprise for all of us; that's not what we expect," Jonathan Tah said afterward on ARD. "We had problems at every stage."

"It wasn't just disappointing, it was a lifeless performance," said sporting director Rudi Völler.

"For me, this wasn't the German national team. If we play like this, you can forget it. We have our backs against the wall," Bastian Schweinsteiger said on ARD.

But what was the reason? The German national team arrived with another change. Once again, countless starting lineup candidates were missing, and once again, improvisation was necessary. The national coach and his coaching team met in a cabin in the Allgäu region this summer to plan for the World Cup season following the recent setbacks in the Nations League. Nagelsmann revealed last week that they had gained some insights. There was a need for more defensive stability, and the most important change: captain Joshua Kimmich would return to the center of midfield.

In the week leading up to the match, Nagelsmann had to talk a lot about right-backs. About why Kimmich suddenly found himself back in midfield. About the so-called German virtues. About the World Cup title, which he desperately wants to win. Nagelsmann explained that he doesn't just want his team to win the qualifying matches, but rather he wants to see dominance. The German national team should leave no room for doubt among its fans in these six matches.

" Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

The national coach had publicly shared all of this in the run-up to the match in Bratislava. On the pitch, he saw that none of it had sunk in with his team. The German national team picked up seamlessly where they left off against Portugal (1-2) and France (0-2) in the Nations League this summer. It was only with great luck that Nagelsmann didn't fall behind after just two minutes, when Slovakian central defender Lubomír Šatka, completely unmarked, failed to connect with a cross.

Nagelsmann then paces through his coaching zone. He encourages his players, trying to wake them up. At one point, he audibly urges Bayern star Serge Gnabry to chase the ball, all the way to the press box: " Run, run, run!" The national coach becomes increasingly dissatisfied. At times, he turns to his bench, shaking his head. He adjusts his polo shirt, scratches the back of his head, his forehead, puts his fists on his hips, sometimes he whistles, sometimes he directs. At one point, he even buries his hands in his face.

In the stands, one gets the feeling that the national coach has overtaxed his team. Nagelsmann has had his footballing passion for experimentation under control for almost two years – but with just 1.5 training sessions, he's now revamped his system. He's done away with traditional wingers; all the attacking players are somehow clustered in the middle, in the so-called half-spaces. Leon Goretzka suddenly appears as a sort of number 10. In theory, an interesting idea to create more physicality in the penalty area. In practice, however, this means he's constantly standing on the toes of the 90-million-euro man Nick Woltemade, completely missing the mark.

And then there's Kimmich's move to the center. This means he's playing everywhere in the build-up play. His replacement at right-back is young Frankfurt player Nnamdi Collins, who not only appears unhappy and isolated, but also faces the best player on the pitch in Leo Sauer. A first international match couldn't have gone any more stupidly. At halftime, the U21 hero is finally relieved by David Raum.

But things didn't improve in the second half. Instead, Slovakia played down the lead in a controlled manner. As early as the 55th minute, David Strelec danced around the weak Antonio Rüdiger and fired a truly spectacular shot into the DFB goal. 2-0. There was no resistance, no defense against the defeat. The DFB players didn't get any more punctual in their duels afterward. A party atmosphere took over in the partially sold-out stands. Shortly before the final whistle, the Slovakians bid farewell to the German fans with chants of "Auf Wiedersehen!" (Goodbye). The third consecutive defeat under Nagelsmann was complete.

"...then you can close the book"

All of this also affects the national coach. Immediately after the game, he gave a remarkably irritated interview to ARD. "If we start with very simple things, with the emotional aspect, the opponent was simply miles ahead of us from the first to the last minute, that's a fact," complained the 38-year-old. "If we can't get that emotional aspect right, then we can close the book, because then quality won't matter." Boom.

His squad "supposedly" contained Germany's best players, with a few exceptions. He didn't have 150 German players to choose from. "But maybe we actually have to focus less on quality and more on players who simply give it their all, because that would have led to better results today than if the best players were playing," Nagelsmann said. He "does have confidence in the team, but everyone has to understand that we have to approach a game like this – even if it sounds totally stupid – like a Champions League semifinal," the national coach demanded: "We have five games left, and we have to win them all – and win them decisively. Otherwise, we'll just be playing in the playoffs. If we want that, then we have to perform like that."

All of this is particularly remarkable because it's up to the national coach to set up the team. Later, at the press conference, Nagelsmann calmed down a bit. But he still hasn't found an explanation for this performance. Since the European Championship at home, the German national team has been suffering from a hangover, steadily deteriorating. The emotionality, Nagelsmann said, can't come solely from the outside; the team has to develop it from within. And anyway: "I can't hear this constant 'quality, quality' anymore."

And yet the question remains: what's wrong with this German national team? The Qatar debacle at the 2022 World Cup certainly shattered something. First, Hansi Flick despaired of this generation of players, and now Julian Nagelsmann faces the same fate. Five games remain to prove the opposite. The match resumes on Sunday (8:45 p.m. on RTL and in the ntv.de live ticker) : in Cologne against Northern Ireland. Hopefully with a better performance. And significantly more emotion. After all, you have to qualify for the World Cup first to win the title.