After Germany’s 2-1 victory against Greece in their final warm-up game before EURO 2024, head coach Julian Nagelsmann reaffirmed his support for number one goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer. The veteran keeper’s mistake allowed Greece to open the scoring in Mönchengladbach when he failed to hold onto the ball. Earlier in the week, Neuer also had a subpar performance against Ukraine. Speaking to RTL, Nagelsmann stated, “I won’t let any discussion arise, even if everyone tries to start one.”
Squad adjustments and game performance
Earlier in the day, Nagelsmann announced that Alexander Nübel would be the player sent home as he trimmed his 27-man squad down to the required 26. This decision was confirmed during the game against Greece.
In the second half of the match, Germany showed significant improvement. Kai Havertz scored the equalizer, and Pascal Groß came off the bench to net the winning goal in the 89th minute. Reflecting on the game, Nagelsmann commented, “The second half was significantly improved compared to the first. For the first time in a long time, we had simple ball losses in the first half, played far too slowly and far too much through the center. I mentioned this clearly at half-time. We simply needed more sharpness in all actions to win this game. In the second half, we brought both wings into play in order to open rooms in the middle.”
Preparations for EURO 2024
Germany now faces the task of addressing the issues that emerged against Ukraine and Greece. As they prepare to face stronger opponents in their group stage matches, including Scotland, Hungary, and Switzerland, these weaknesses could be more severely tested.
Germany’s next game is on Friday in Munich against Scotland, marking the opening game of EURO 2024.
