Former Bayern Munich coach and current Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann said that there will be some changes to Germany’s lineup against France on Sunday.

“There will be a few changes. I won’t reveal it in detail. We still didn’t decide everything at 100%. The system we used against Portugal was similar to against Italy. It had to do with the opponent. When you want to defend man against man, then you have to change the formation. We’ll try to win the ball higher tomorrow than we did on Wednesday, so we’ll adapt the system to the opponent,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “We analyzed the [Portugal] game well. It’s true that the third place game is a bit less important. But tomorrow it’s not about finishing third or fourth in the Nations League, it’s about playing well and preparing for the World Cup qualifiers. We want to give the fans a good performance in the last game of the season.

“There are many facets to this game, third place, preparation for the World Cup qualifiers, world ranking, players preparing for the Club World Cup. At the end of the day it’s the German national team. If you need motivation to play this game, then maybe we have to change the squad. Playing for the national team should always be something special.”

Nagelsmann would like to see a better effort from his defensive group vs. France.

“For us it’s more about limiting the space for the opponent. Against Portugal, it wasn’t mostly that we were slow in running duels, it was more that we didn’t close the spaces well and didn’t make sure that pace plays a small role. It’s true that France have very quick attackers and we don’t have defenders with a 36 km/h top speed. We have to block through passes, press well, be smart and also hold our own in running duels. I remember Josh had a running duel with Neto who has a 36 km/h top speed, but didn’t get beaten. You have to bring your body in the first step and solve the situation well. It’s not always easy to defend through balls against quick attackers — but even if you lose a running duel, there are others next to you that can help. Apart from the Portugal game, we didn’t have many games where the lack of pace was noticeable.”

Nagelsmann recognizes just how good France is, even without Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, and Clément Lenglet.

“The depth of the France squad is more than impressive, to be honest. I think they have like 10 center-backs at a similar level. Yes they have some problems in some positions, but overall the quality is brutal. It’s difficult to outplay them when they’re in the flow. But we’ve beaten them in March and will try to do it again tomorrow,” said Nagelsmann.

Finally, Nagelsmann was asked if he consulted any of the Club World Cup teams about his lineup selections — particularly as it pertains to rest.

“No, I didn’t speak to the clubs. All players can play tomorrow and then play at the Club World Cup, there’s still time before the tournament. I didn’t get any messages from the clubs,” Nagelsmann remarked.

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