Germany's Soccer Squad

In a bid to turn things around for the German national football team, coach Julian Nagelsmann is considering making some immediate changes. The team's performance in the recent World Cup qualifier against Slovakia left much to be desired, with a disappointing 0:2 loss.

Nagelsmann has identified the right-back position as a key area for improvement. He sees Joshua Kimmich, one of the world's best right-backs, as the most logical solution for this position. Kimmich, who was moved from the center of midfield to the right side of defense by Nagelsmann back in March 2024, has proven to be successful in fighting the long-standing lethargy under Loew and Flick.

However, Kimmich's absence from the recent match against Slovakia was noticeable. In his stead, Nnamdi Collins, the 21-year-old right-back, struggled in his debut, leading to Maximilian Mittelstaedt being substituted in as a left-footed makeshift solution.

The team's inability to create more than two convincing scoring chances and a wobbly defense were criticized, with Slovakia's David Hancko and David Strelec scoring the goals three minutes before and ten minutes after the half-time whistle respectively.

Nagelsmann expressed his disappointment with the performance, stating that it was "dark" and reminiscent of the gloomy days under Joachim Loew and Hansi Flick. He felt that "the emotions" were missing in the game, and the decisive, goal-threatening passes were also lacking.

Despite these setbacks, Nagelsmann has not lost faith in the squad. He has invited everyone to offer themselves for the right-back position with good performances. Current squad midfielders like Robert Andrich, Pascal Groß, and Paul Nebel could contribute to improvement on Sunday in Cologne.

Moreover, Nagelsmann allowed Leon Goretzka to play in the national team again in March 2025, citing his goal-scoring threat. However, Goretzka's performance in the game against Slovakia was less than impressive, with him missing Germany's best chance in the game. Nagelsmann dropped Goretzka from the squad in March 2025 due to the midfield duo's frequent criticism and struggles.

A win in the qualification against Northern Ireland is the goal if Germany wants to become world champions. Nagelsmann is determined to turn things around and is urging the team to show more passion and commitment in their upcoming matches.