“You could feel the desire to win” – Julian Nagelsmann reflects on Germany’s five star performance
Germany put five goals past Hungary in their UEFA Nations League opener in Düsseldorf as a new era gets underway following the retirements of Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gündogan and Thomas Müller.
A controlling performance, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala both provided fans with a masterclass, the latter scoring one and creating three, including one for the former. Dubbed ‘Wusiala’ by Julian Nagelsmann, Germany’s head coach believes the duo can go on to win a Ballon d’Or in their careers.
Speaking in his press conference after the game, Nagelsmann praised how quickly the team can adapt to various scenarios.
“We had two ten-minute periods that didn’t go optimally,” said Nagelsmann. “We were a bit passive. But it’s extraordinary how quickly the team adapts to things. The chemistry of this team is completely different when you compare it to a year ago.”
When pressed on what he liked, Nagelsmann responded: “We created a lot of great chances. We often get in front of the goal. The only criticism is that we missed a few chances but you could feel the desire to win. This desire, this hard work, that’s what we want to see. We immediately re-established a connection with the fans. That was important.”
Germany will now travel to Amsterdam ahead of their game against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
