Germany national football team coach Julian Nagelsmann on Thursday excluded Borussia Dortmund duo, defender Mats Hummels and midfielder Julian Brandt, from the squad that will compete in the 2024 European Football Cup finals on home soil.
Hummels, the 2014 world champion, and Brandt were among the most prominent elements of Dortmund’s journey this season towards the Champions League final, where they will face Spanish Real Madrid in early June.
But Nagelsmann preferred to stick to his squad that defeated France and the Netherlands last March.
Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka was also absent from the squad, which includes 27 players and will be reduced to 26 after two friendlies against Ukraine on June 3 in Nuremberg and Greece four days later in Mönchengladbach, while the injury affected the participation of his fellow striker Serge Gnabry.
After being eliminated from the group stage in the last two World Cups and from the round of 16 in the last European Cup in the summer of 2021, the three-time European champion’s results were normal in 2023, as she won only three times in 11 matches, which cost coach Hansi Flick his position.
After losing to Turkey and Austria in late 2023, Nagelsmann called up a renewed squad for the March friendlies, which included names from Bayer Leverkusen, which this season dominated the local league and won the first title in its history, in addition to Stuttgart.
Die Mannschaft produced outstanding results by defeating France, the 2022 World Cup runner-up, and the Netherlands.
The former Leipzig and Bayern Munich coach said Thursday, “We did not make major changes because the group did well.”
He continued, “I feel that we can win the title. Most of the time, my intuition is not bad.”
The 36-year-old coach summoned Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck and Stuttgart goalkeeper Alex Nobel, instead of Jan-Niklas Beste and Fulham’s English goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The squad, which was announced in central Berlin near the famous Brandenburg Gate, included three members of the Germany squad that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil: goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, striker Thomas Muller, and midfielder Toni Kroos.
Nagelsmann said that Kroos “is no longer twenty years old, but he is made of steel.” He considered that Muller (34 years old) adds great importance on and off the field. “Thomas brings the team together.”
Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will remain captain despite Neuer’s return, something Nagelsmann previously confirmed.
The German Federation announced the names of 18 players in succession, leaving a narrow margin for expectations.
The European Cup begins on June 14 with Germany’s match against Scotland in Munich. Between May 26 and June 1, Germany will camp in the Blankenhaye area, where the England team will stay during the finals.
Four players from the squad will play in the Champions League final: Schlotterbeck, Niklas Volkrug (Dortmund), Kroos and Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid). Nagelsmann said that they will join the team’s delegation two days after the final.
German lineup
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Alex Nubel (Stuttgart), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona, Spain)
Defense: Waldemar Anton, Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs, David Raum (Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Niko Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfield: Robert Andrich, Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Fuhrich (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton & Hove Albion, England), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona, Spain), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Spain), Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Leroy Sané. (Bayern Munich)
Attack: Maximilian Bayer (Hoffenheim), Niklas Volkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart).
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