Germany have the talent to beat anyone, but Julian Nagelsmann's project is still far from complete

Analysis

By Nick Bidwell for World Soccer in the 2026 World Cup Special, May 2026.

German football federation sporting director Rudi Voller may have spoken too soon last year when, while the Nationalmannschaft were flourishing again under head coach Julian Nagelsmann, the former Germany striker claimed that they could beat anyone in the world on their day. Over the past 12 months, the Germans have been anything but invulnerable, beaten twice on home soil by Portugal and France in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final four and not particularly convincing in topping their qualifying pool for these finals, the nadir being the shambolic 2-0 loss in Slovakia on matchday 1, their first-ever World Cup qualifying defeat away from home.

Despite winning all their remaining games in Group A, conceding just once, it was only in the final World Cup qualifier that they truly came alive. Needing to avoid defeat to secure first place, they came out totally committed in Leipzig for the return clash with Slovakia, producing a five-star performance of remarkable intensity, assured retention of possession and attacking adventure en route to a 6-0 thrashing. When the Germans had to step up, they emphatically did so.

Cue multiple media reports of a “statement win” and national team skipper Joshua Kimmich describing the game as “our best 90-minute performance of the year”. However, one swallow does not make a summer and the Nagelsmann project clearly remains a work in progress. A stable first-choice XI has yet to fully crystallise, inconsistency still tends to rear its ugly head and there are question marks in certain areas of the pitch, not least at full-back, in defensive midfield and at the point of attack.

Take Newcastle United’s Nick Woltemade, Nagelsmann’s first-choice centre-forward during the qualifiers. The lanky ex-Stuttgart star plainly has talent, but he has struggled during his first season in the Premier League – so much so that Magpies manager Eddie Howe has used him in midfield. With Kai Havertz back from long-term injury and Deniz Undav sparkling in the few minutes he gets, Nagelsmann has a decision to make.

Much will be riding on four individuals this summer. Borussia Dortmund’s fast-improving defender Nico Schlotterbeck, goalkeeper Oliver Baumann – who has successfully taken over between the sticks following the international retirement of Manuel Neuer and the injury travails of Marc-Andre ter Stegen – and the major threat constituted by attacking midfield twins of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.

Grade A displays from this quartet could be the spark to light the flame.

Julian Nagelsmann's view

What are your feelings on the eve of the tournament?

I’ve never taken part in a World Cup. It’s one of the biggest events in sport and I’m really looking forward to it. You can’t ignore things that are happening in the world right now, and privately I have thoughts about them. I’ve certain values and standards. That said, my responsibility as Bundestrainer concerns sporting matters, looking for the team to have a good tournament, play attractive football and hopefully encourage people who are still sceptical to see the positives.

You have spoken about winning the World Cup as the overarching goal...

I believe it’s healthy to set that out as the objective. It’s difficult for a team to have no goals to aim for, to have nothing to work towards, to not have the enjoyment of the challenge. We’ve consciously announced the objective and I’m sure that no player would have it any other way. We’ll take it one game at a time, trust in the process and hopefully reach the goal. Some of the big national teams have more depth than us, but I have faith in our players. We’ve a good mixture of experienced and fresh young players.

How would you describe the challenge awaiting you in the group stage?

Although not the easiest, it’s one with lots of possibilities, where we will be going all out to impose ourselves. We must apply ourselves and play to our absolute limits. We will not make the mistake of underestimating Curacao. Ivory Coast are a team we can beat, though we must not take them lightly. Ecuador won’t be easy opponents. They have three or four absolute top stars.

Florian Wirtz has been relatively quiet since joining Liverpool. Are you concerned?

His transfer was not a straightforward phase for him. It’s normal for a player to need time at a new club. He is our most important player. What makes him stand out is his engagement as a No.10 or out wide, the amount of running he puts in and his activity in all aspects of the game. If he maintains his high standards, he will be at the very top for a long, long time.

You’ve had more than your fair share of injuries in recent times...

Quite simply we’ve had far too many long-term absences in the last year, including Kai [Havertz], Antonio [Rudiger] and Jamal [Musiala]. Marc-Andre ter Stegen too would have been part of the setup. The trouble is, he’s hardly played in 12 months. At the last Euros, Kai, Jamal and Florian were three enormously important figures for us. If they are out, it naturally affects the team’s development.

How significant psychologically was the 6-0 win over Slovakia, the night that clinched qualification?

In that game, we showed that when we get our approach right on the pitch, we’re extremely difficult to beat. While Slovakia isn’t a yardstick like France, Spain or Portugal, performing so well was an absolutely vital moment.

Tactics

As he tended to do while in charge of Bayern Munich, Julian Nagelsmann mainly sets up with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the emphasis on a high and heavy press, a pro-active approach and a great deal of fluidity between the lines. While Nagelsmann has been critical of his side’s attacking output, there is nothing that a touch more pace and sharpness would not rectify.

Germany have an abundance of interchangeable technicians in the creative department (Wirtz, Musiala, Havertz and Sane) and offer a good mix in build-up options: neat and tidy combinations, clever switches of play and long accurate diagonal balls, and excellent delivery from the flanks. The drive of right-back Kimmich is very important, especially when he moves inside to bolster the central area. Also, watch out for their top quality set-piece routines: almost a third of their goals in qualification (five) came from dead balls.

Defensively Germany are much more stable under Nagelsmann, the clean sheet quest exemplified by backline individuals ready and willing to put their bodies on the line and midfielders and forwards only too happy to do their share of the off-the-ball spadework.

The View From Germany

“The fact is that the Nationalmannschaft lacks world-class quality in a lot of areas. On the other hand, if the talent we have in attack is in good shape, we could be dangerous. With the likes of Wirtz, Musiala and Karl, we have more than enough to choose from. Wirtz fits well in Julian Nagelsmann’s system." - Thomas Strunz, ex-Germany midfielder

“We need structure, with players put in their best positions and each knowing their job. In Musiala and Wirtz, we have two outstanding attacking players, almost identical position-wise, yet with different characteristics. Musiala the slalom specialist and the brilliant Wirtz." - Jurgen Kohler, former Germany defender

The Coach

After his sacking at Bayern in the spring of 2023 – a dismissal he did not deserve – Nagelsmann now has the massive task of restoring the Nationalmannschaft to its all-conquering days of yore. In his first tournament as coach, a Euro 2024 on home soil, his team did reasonably well, somewhat unfortunate to lose to a late Spanish extra-time winner in the quarterfinals. The second-youngest Bundestrainer of all-time, Nagelsmann is intelligent, a progressive football thinker and, above all, is bold, sufficiently confident in his team to declare that the world title is the only point of the exercise.