So EUFA is still going to decide if they will up the squad size from 23 to 26, but at this stage its still 23 players only. Some coaches argue that 23 man is better as what do they do with the other 3 players in training, where as some again say its a long season and what happens if some gets injured then they can not train 11v11 My Point however is now that we are getting closer and closer is that at this stage its only 23 players to be selected. I have a few names here that the coach will have to think about : below all have ben performing well of late and many would be left behind if its a 23 man squad Hummles Goretska Pavlovic Undav Muller Brandt Adeyemi also seeing that BVB is in the semis and might make the finals If we go with 23 man Squad it will probably be: Neuer, MTS and one more - 3 Kimmich , Heinrichs, Mittelstadt and Raum - 4 Rudiger, Tah, Anton and I would actually take Hummels - 4 ( if anyone of of the other get injured or suspended I believe Hummels is the best back up ) Kroos, Andrich, Gross and I would probaly select Goretska - 4 (he is in good form) Gundogan, Sane, Musiala, Wirtz, Muller and (either Fuhrich or Undav) - 6 Havertz and Fulkrug -2 If squad size gets increased to 26 Can take the other person from UNDAV or Fuhrich maybe Pavlovic all though we have so many others, maybe Brandt or Adeyemi ?? some one we haven't had on the list
Goretska is great at the moment , he should come to Euros. I mean he can be a super sub, what happens to Kroos if injured and can he actually play all games 90+ minutes Gundo also not in great form, he should actually be benched
Goretzka looks to have gotten better once he stopped playing with Kimmich, LOL. When Bayern won CL, Goretzka was in M and Kimmich was at RB. these 2 don't work that greatly together. Goretzka needs a real DM next to him to be able to play to his best. Goretzka as sub could be interesting as he does have scoring prowess especially with NT.
Goretzka in this form should absolutely be alongside Kroos in central defensive midfield. All respect to Andrich but Goretzka is just as good defensively and brings much much more to the table.
Goretzka can do a good job as a 6, but for me he is better as an attacking 8. I feel like with Andrich/Kroos we found a decent balance against France & Netherlands so not sure I'd change that now. Andrich is not spectacular but he helps provide a better base for our AM's. Could be the unsung hero in our midfield this summer. I agree with @BorisG that Gundo is the player whose position should be more in question.
the problem is when you make Gundo captain he becomes unbenchable, LOL. we can't seem to pick right player for captain.
If we went with a 23 man squad this is who I would choose: GK: Neuer, Ter Stegen, + Baumann or Trapp DEF: Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah, Mittelstadt, Heinrichs, Schlotterbeck N., Anton, Raum MF: Kroos, Goretzka, Andrich, Pavlovic AM: Sane, Wirtz, Musiala, Gundogan, Fuhrich Wherever he needs to be: Havertz (still my 1st choice for up front) FW: Fullkrug, Undav Some points about the list: I'm a big fan of Hummels and after that performance against Bayern I was all for him, but there were too many errors against A.Madrid in both legs. Also he is close to retirement and we should reward a player like Anton for his development. I know people here have issues with Schlotterbeck but I think he is Germany's young defender with the highest ceiling. I think it may be too soon for Pavlovic but I want to lock him in for Germany. Gross has not been impressive in the 2nd half of the season. Stach is also a consideration as he has the best defensive stats of CDM in the Bundesliga but he's a bit inconsistent. With a 26 man squad I would add: Stach, Beste, and Beier.
I agree he is better as an attacking 8 than as a 6 but I think he does just as good a job as a 6 as Andrich and brings much more when going forward. It's up to Nagelsmann to instill in him what is needed from him.
I'm a simple man whenever I see someone making a squad list I do Ctrl+F and then type in Mustafi followed by Draxler when I don't see either name, I don't bother reading the rest of post.
For me Goretzka maintains his form then he should make it in the squad. And I see him as a 8 who would come on for kroos. As for who starts with kroos as the six it has to Pavlovic. He complimented Goretzka brilliantly last weekend and he was brilliant. No disrespect to Andrich, but Pavlovic already on a another level. Gundogan form is a concern, but I would actually play wirtz as the CAM, with him and Musiala interchanging, with probably sane and Fullkrug.
As good as Pavlovic is, there is a reason Bayern didn't him play against Arsenal. We've really only seen him in a small number of games and mostly relatively weak opponents. We have many options if Gundogan is in poor form. Assuming we are playing 4 2 3 1, Wirtz as CAM with Musiala and Sane either side; Havertz as CAM with Wirtz and Musiala. Goretzka and Undav can also play as CAM. I just hope that if he is in poor form that Nagelsmann is not stubborn and insists on playing him. Gundogan is very tactically adept; often the manager's brain on the field, so I worry that Nagelsmann will stick with him even if he's not playing well. Whilst tactics are always important, for international games trying to implement complicated tactical plans is unwise as the players dont get to play together often. It's more important to have in form talented footballers on the field.
Pavlovic non involvement in the arsenal game was due to coking back from illness, hence he missed the internationals.
After the success of Andrich+Kroos, that has to be the first choice for me, especially given how good the Andrich+Xhaka midfield has been. Xhaka is more action than Kroos, but there is a definite analogy in terms of how Andrich is the perfect helper for the midfield general player. I agree Goretzka has been good of late - I'd have him in the squad as option and first change at 8. Personally I see Wirtz as the successor to Gundogan as the 3rd midfielder but I also see why Nagelsmann values his link up and positional play
Sure - that is why it's great to have options. Havertz has played quite a bit for Arsenal as a midfielder for these kinds of reasons. When there is a 9, he can arrive late in the box from deep
Meh I think you underrate how good both of them are to play to a high level in 2 different positions. Lahm played 6 both for Bayern and German because of injury crises. Obviously you lose a lot without him at fullback because he was just so good at that position. If Kimmich were shit the decision would be easy. But he does cause problems for the balance of the side. One of the most important points about 2014, was unlike in 2010 when Germany played with two holding players, Schweini was able to play at 6 by himself (partly because Kroos and Khedira were such good 8s) The emergence of Andrich and Pavlovic solves so many of these issues, and with Pavlovic you can probaly end up playing a genuine 6 which Germany has not had since '14-16
Kroos role is not an 8. It's a registra 6; a deep lying playmaker with defensive responsibilities. Watch Kroos for RM against MC, both games and check his stats. Defensively he was very good in both games. Camavinga in the first game played a hybrid 8/6 role. In the 2nd leg, once RM scored, they played catenaggio where both Kroos & Camavinga were effectively 6's. The Kroos / Goretzka combo equates Kroos as a registra 6 and Goretzka as a hybrid 8/6. The problem we had before was with the Kimmich / Goretzka combo is that both were playing as 8's. Kimmich has zero defensive nous & skills for central midfield, especially against counterattacking strategies. In those situations he just pushes forward more and more. The Gundogan / Goretzka combo also is weak as Gundogan does not have any defensive skills. Anyway we have no influence on what happens. I just hope that Goretzka is selected for the NT, because if he doesn't that indicates that Nagelsmann has fixed biases or cannot rationally evaluate players, which does not bode well.
Goretska, for me should be part of the team, but yes agreed not in the combination of Kroos and Gundo , All three of them need a Andrich/Gross or Pavlovic next to them. I would see our Midfield as follows: 8 - Kroos backup Goretska (he can be super sub for Kroos, Gundo and even for Musiala later in the game or when we need a bit more Muscle) If nagelsmann can convince Groetska that his role is purely based as a sub and even being subbed wont be guaranteed and if LG is fine with that he might select him - but if LG is not happy with that Nagelsmann wont take him along 6 - Andrich backup Pavlovic But would be great to have Leon there as a backup 8 for Kroos Gundo must play it out between Musiala and Muller at 10 mhhh Gundo could become a luxury issue
UEFA vote gave the green light to expand the Euro 2024 squads from 23 to 26 players. 26-player squads will become the norm for all UEFA national competitions going forward [@SkySportsNews] pic.twitter.com/DI1AIopWgD— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 23, 2024
Ok there we have it - Nagelsmann was not a fan of this ...... But that allows UNDAV or another, Goretska and possibly Pavalovic a spot in the team.
I think 26 is important due to the topic of ever increasing German duals. Its easier to perm cap players like this. players like Pavlovic, Undav, Thiaw, Bisseck, Bella-Kotchap, Schade etc aren't perm cap tied. not helped with whole nothing but friendlies for 2 years.....