World Cup Qualification | DFB Team: Julian Nagelsmann counters his own revolution

Julian Nagelsmann could have saved himself all the thoughts he was thinking about late Thursday evening in Bratislava. The incomprehensible thing is: The national coach actually knows better – and has already proven it in quite impressive fashion. Now, an unacceptable performance by his German national team has him saying that everything was "dark." Indeed, the 2-0 defeat against Slovakia was reminiscent of the dark days of the German national team under Joachim Löw and Hansi Flick .

Structure and system

The first match of the new international season was also supposed to be the first step towards winning the World Cup. With a new structure and a modified system, defensive security and dominance were supposed to complete the path back to the top of the world , which Nagelsmann had undoubtedly set out with great hope. But after 90 minutes against the 52nd-ranked team, the fear of missing out on qualification for next year's World Cup is great. Against Slovakia, everything was missing: without any effective solutions, the German national team failed to put their opponents under pressure and create more than two clear-cut chances. Their defense, on the other hand, was so shaky that the Slovakian team must accept the accusation of a lack of utilization of opportunities. The deserved reward for their hard work came with goals from David Hancko and David Strelec, three minutes before and ten minutes after the break.

The national coach declared his system change a failure at the start of the second half: Because 21-year-old right-back Nnamdi Collins was overwhelmed in his DFB debut, Maximilian Mittelstädt suddenly found himself in that position in the back four – a left-footer who only needs his right to avoid falling over. The 28-year-old gave his best after his substitution, but apparently remained a stopgap. Later, Nagelsmann invited everyone to "offer themselves with good performances" for this position. That sounded rather desperate.

Logical solution

Joshua Kimmich isn't the only alternative among footballers with a German passport, but as one of the world's best right-backs, he's the most logical solution in this position. Nagelsmann, by the way, also saw it this way in March 2024, when he instigated a small revolution with his squad selection, which, in retrospect, successfully combated the years of lethargy under Löw and Flick . In addition to moving Kimmich from central midfield to right-back, the decisive and ultimately profitable move at the time was the omission of several established players. These included Leon Goretzka. And Nagelsmann's words still hold true today: "There's no better right-back than Joshua Kimmich in Germany. And in general, we have far fewer problems at number six than at right back."

The full-backs, whether in a defensive three-man or five-man lineup, have become increasingly important given the widespread focus on speedy wingers in attack. For this reason alone, Kimmich's renewed move is questionable. After the match against Slovakia, the captain criticized the "lack of pace" in Germany's game. He's right – and at the same time, he himself is responsible for it. In the build-up, Kimmich repeatedly dropped between the two central defenders Antonio Rüdiger and Jonathan Tah, then played one safe pass to the left, the other to the right, but was missing from the center of midfield to truly influence the game.

Failure with midfield duo

Nagelsmann also had good reasons to drop Goretzka from the squad back then. As a midfield duo, he and Kimmich were among the faces of Germany's ongoing failure, and they were often criticized at Bayern Munich as well. On Thursday evening, they were reunited in the Germany team – and the sluggish, unimaginative midfield was back. It was forgotten for a year until Nagelsmann allowed Goretzka to play in the national team jersey again in March 2025, because of his goal-scoring threat, the national coach explained. Yes, the 30-year-old also had Germany's best chance in Bratislava, but missed it. Are 15 goals in eleven years with the national team really an argument? No. And certainly not when the entire game suffers as a result.

When you have three attackers on the pitch—Nick Woltemade, Florian Wirtz, and Serge Gnabry—there's no need for another Goretzka, who runs wildly into all the attacking spaces but doesn't add anything to the crucial midfield. Against Slovakia, the decisive, goal-scoring passes were also missing. But who's going to play them when Goretzka is somewhere in the penalty area and Kimmich is in defense? This leads to precisely the problem Nagelsmann was actually trying to solve: security and stability in the center. He had missed these qualities against world-class opponents like Portugal and France in the Nations League . In Bratislava, against a good, but limited Slovakian team, they were completely lost.

Acute measures

Because the national coach was also lacking " emotion " on Thursday evening, he subsequently considered relying on "less quality" for the benefit of the team. Yes, Julian, one might say to him, do it like he did in spring 2024, be brave. Back then, he paid no attention to big names, but instead put together "a group," as he often put it, that ultimately played on a level playing field with eventual European champions Spain in the quarter-finals of the European Championship. Right-back Kimmich would be a suitable immediate measure, and midfielders in the current squad such as Robert Andrich, Pascal Groß, or Paul Nebel could also contribute to the improvement on Sunday in Cologne. A win in the qualifier against Northern Ireland is a must if you want to become world champions.