Germany exited earlier than expected in Euro 2024, as they lost 2-1 to Spain in the quarter-finals. While this doesn’t sound like success, there’s a huge positive feeling for Die Mannschaft as they look forward to the future.
Before Euro 2024, Germany were in disarray. Die Mannschaft couldn’t get going under Hansi Flick, who was the first fired head coach in national team history last year after their embarrassing international friendly defeat against Japan, but now it seems they found the right man in Julian Nagelsmann.
After hosting the continental tournament, Germany have a lot of questions to answer because they are in a state of transition, but at least they’ve restored a sense of pride among their fans, which only bodes well for them in the long run.
Germany witness the end of an era
Two of the remnants of Germany’s golden generation are officially saying goodbye after Euro 2024, as Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller have officially bid farewell to Die Mannschaft, while Ilkay Gundogan and Manuel Neuer could soon follow suit.
Before the start of Euro 2024, Kroos already announced that he would leave the game of football altogether. Muller, on the other hand, said he would only retire from the German national team and will continue to play for Bayern Munich.
Kroos and Muller are two of the greatest German midfielders of all time, as the two 34-year-olds combine for 62 goals and 245 caps. These two were pivotal players for the 2014 World Cup title-winning squad.
Other than having successful national team careers, Kroos and Muller also won a host of titles in club football.
Kroos won six Champions Leagues, four La Ligas, three Bundesligas, three German Cups, one Copa del Rey, and one UEFA Super Cup, among others. Muller, meanwhile, won two Champions Leagues, 12 Bundesligas, six German Cups, and one UEFA Super Cup, among others.
Kroos started all games for Germany in Euro 2024, as he was their rock in midfield, while Muller played an ancillary attacking role off the bench.
Germany will miss Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller’s veteran leadership and experience, but they shouldn’t skip a beat because of the emergence of their up-and-coming players.
Germany have their future building blocks
With Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, Germany already have the ready-made replacements for Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller.
Musiala won the Man of the Match award in their 5-1 demolition of Scotland, as he scored an early goal to set the tone and he was unplayable alongside Wirtz. Musiala ended up as the top scorer for the Germans with three goals, while Wirtz was right behind him with two, making up for most of Germany’s Euro 2024 highlights.
Before Euro 2024, these two youngsters have taken the Bundesliga by storm, as Jamal Musiala finished as the second-leading scorer for Bayern Munich with 12 goals and seven assists while Florian Wirtz led Bayer Leverkusen to winning their first-ever Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal with 15 goals and 15 assists.
Both are far from finished articles, but they have already found their stride despite being only 21 years old. Maximilian Beier also belongs in the same conversation as Musiala and Wirtz.
Other than Musiala and Wirtz, Germany have a couple of players who are about to hit their prime, such as Kai Havertz, Chris Fuhrich, Nico Schlotterbeck, Benjamin Henrichs, Deniz Undav, Robin Koch, Maximilian Mittelstadt, and Waldemar Anton, giving Julian Nagelsmann a great foundation to work with.
Nagelsmann will be a better coach
Let’s not forget that their head coach, Julian Nagelsmann, is also young too and has a lot more room to grow. The 36-year-old has done well for himself during Euro 2024, but he could’ve done better with his lineup selection.
Nagelsmann may not publicly admit it, but he over-analysed his starting XI against Spain, which ultimately cost them the match, as per the SBOTOP Euro 2024 odds.
Leroy Sane and Emre Can were inexplicably started over Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich, despite the latter pair doing well in the matches prior to the quarter-finals.
Nico Schlotterbeck was also benched in favour of Jonathan Tah, despite turning in a good shift against Denmark, another head-scratcher for Nagelsmann.
For Germany to find success in the next big tournaments, Julian Nagelsmann has to go back to his core values that made him one of the best young managers in the first place, which is to trust his young stars instead of relying on veterans who might yield short-term results.
Nagelsmann can only improve from here, and Germany will be better for it.
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