After a rocky game against Switzerland, questions were raised about head coach, and former Bayern Munich coach, Julian Nagelsmann’s squad choices. He has defended his decision to start Nick Woltemade ahead of the in-form Deniz Undav in Germany’s recent match against Switzerland, offering a glimpse into his thought process as he balances club form and national team confidence.
In a recent interview captured by @iMiaSanMia, when asked about the choice, Nagelsmann pointed to Woltemade’s strong track
record with the national side, despite the striker’s current struggles at Newcastle. “Nick has a great record with us and isn’t having an easy time at Newcastle right now,” the manager explained. “Now I’ve got a choice: do I continue to boost the confidence of a top striker [Undav] who’s in really good form, or do I drop another top striker [Woltemade] who isn’t quite in such good form at the moment?”
The Germany boss suggested that giving Woltemade the nod was a calculated move to help the player regain his footing, noting that “it’s advisable for Nick Woltemade to get back on track with us, because things aren’t going well at Newcastle.” As for Undav, Nagelsmann downplayed concerns about the snub affecting his confidence, stating, “Deniz is on a good run anyway. Whether he would have played today or not, it won’t change his confidence for this week.”
With Germany set to face Ghana in Stuttgart on Monday, questions remain over whether Undav will finally get his chance to start. Nagelsmann, however, kept his cards close to his chest: “We haven’t decided yet.”
