Julian Nagelsmann is happy to have former Real Madrid star Toni Kroos back at his side as they prepare to host Euro 2024, but the Germany coach said his return did not come without serious persuasion.
“It took us a while to convince him, because he wanted to know what we were going to change in the future for the national team,” Nagelsmann said before Germany's first match against Scotland on Friday in Munich. “In one of the first phone calls he told me that he would only be part of the team when he had the feeling that we could win something with the team.”
Nagelsmann laid out his plan for Kroos, who had retired from international football in 2021, and said he had many questions to answer from the six-time Champions League winner with Madrid.
“And so you want to know what the next steps are?” Kroos asked Nagelsmann last year. “What are the next decisions, how do we change the team? And I told him, and then he was like, 'Yeah, I'll be a part of this,' and 'Let's rock!'”
Now Kroos, who confirmed his return to Germany in February, will try to help the hosts beat a dangerous Scottish team that features several Premier League players and beat Spain during qualifying.
“Scotland is not a team full of world stars, but that makes them dangerous, because they are very agile players who give everything, with the classic Scottish mentality,” Nagelsmann said at a press conference on Thursday.
While Germany is feeling the pressure and tension ahead of the tournament's opening match, that was necessary, Nagelsmann added, and the team is fully fit and prepared.
“When I look into my players' eyes, I see a lot of faith and a lot of confidence, which is what I want,” said the former Bayern Munich coach. “We have the advantage of playing at home, we want to win.
“We can beat the pressure and we can beat Scotland too.”
Germany has won four World Cups and three European Championship titles, but its stellar tournament reputation has been somewhat tarnished by a series of failures since victory at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
They were eliminated from the next two World Cups in the group stage, their worst performance in more than 80 years, and were eliminated from the last European Championship in the round of 16.
“We will have more pressure on us than Scotland and they will want to take advantage of that,” said Nagelsmann, who took over as Germany coach in October 2023.
Scotland can create chances and retain possession and will test the German defense in the Group A match.
“We have to be concentrated to avoid crossings,” he added.
Nagelsmann also said he was feeling excited before the match, describing that he comes from a small town with 700 inhabitants and more cows than people, and that he was now preparing for the opening match of Euro 2024 in Munich.
Germany captain Ílkay Gündogan said Nagelsmann gave the players clarity and a sense of calm, which helped the team.
“The coach gives us confidence, a clear direction, he has discussed the roles with us,” Gundogan said. “Everyone knows what is expected of them and can give their all on the field, and that helps us a lot after the negative experiences of the last tournaments.
“No other match is like the first one, because then you can use that momentum and that euphoria for the next matches, and that's why the most important goal tomorrow is to win the match.”
After their match against Scotland, Germany will face Hungary and Switzerland in a bid to reach the last 16 and lift the trophy on home soil.
Information from Reuters was used in this story.
