Nagelsmann Confident In Germany's Progress Post Euro 2024 Setback

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Julian Nagelsmann feels Germany have progressed after their thrilling draw with the Netherlands on Tuesday. Tijjani Reijnders scored early for the hosts, but Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich responded before halftime. Five minutes into the second half, Denzel Dumfries equalised, leaving both teams tied at the top of Group A3.

With aspirations to be strong contenders at the next World Cup following their Euro 2024 disappointment, Nagelsmann aims for continuous improvement in every match. He emphasised the importance of each game, stating, "We have the Nations League now, the qualifiers next year and then hopefully off to the World Cup. We have 18 games left until then - if all goes well."

The German coach was particularly impressed with his team's resilience after falling behind early to Reijnders' goal. "The way we came back was very good. It took us five or six minutes, but then we were well in the game," he noted.

Nagelsmann acknowledged that there are areas for improvement on both ends of the pitch. Germany had only five shots on target from their 21 attempts and an expected goals total (xG) of 2.94. Despite limiting the Netherlands to 11 shots, they allowed four big chances compared to their own three.

"Both defences were too vulnerable but offensively, we were stronger, tried to create more and took a bit more risk," Nagelsmann said. He added that in the early stages of the second half, they might have been overly aggressive in tackles.

Upcoming Fixtures and Team Confidence

Germany will continue their Nations League campaign with two away fixtures next month. They will face Bosnia and Herzegovina first, followed by another match against the Dutch on October 14.

Nagelsmann highlighted that belief within the team is crucial for success. "The team believes in itself and that is the key. That is what we all want to see. Today we saw a team that wanted to win," he remarked.

The match statistics showed Germany's offensive efforts but also highlighted defensive vulnerabilities. The Oranje won 53.1% of duels compared to Germany's 46.9%, indicating areas where Germany needs to improve.

The German coach remains optimistic about future matches despite acknowledging current shortcomings. The focus remains on refining tactics and improving performance as they prepare for upcoming challenges.