Germany cult hero Lukas Podolski was recently asked about Denis Undav and his role with the German national team. In recent weeks, Julian Nagelsmann has been under extreme scrutiny to give more opportunities to VfB Stuttgart striker who is enjoying the best form of his career and has yet to play a major role with Die Mannschaft.
“Deniz is having a good season, he’s scoring the goals. He also has that self-confidence. I hope it stays that way, that he maintains this form, helps the team in the USA
and is there for the World Cup. That’s the most important thing,” said Podolski as per Maximilian Koch.
Podolski knows himself what it takes to deliver at the national team level and as a fellow striker, can understand what is needed in his position. While Podolski didn’t necessarily make any big statement, it is certainly true that he is having a top season with VfB Stuttgart.
The question surrounding Undav is not necessarily his talent but how he fits in with this formation and squad. Undav might be Germany’s best striker at the moment but does he fit in with Nagelsmann’s way of thinking? While Nick Woltemade and Kai Havertz haven’t been perfect, there is clearly some chemistry there. Undav has a different profile than these two so how he fits in is not as clear.
While most fans are keen to see Undav start, Nagelsmann’s tactics might not lean best on the Stuttgart man but at the very least he will be an elite scoring threat coming off the bench this summer.
