Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann has his eyes on the big prize for Germany \u2014 winning the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n
This week, the Germans embark on their next steps toward achieving that goal with games against Slovakia and Northern Ireland. Nagelsmann is not apologizing for having lofty goals.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a healthy thing to declare a goal. It\u2019s difficult for a team or for people in general to work and fight without a goal. It\u2019s healthy for all of us to have the goal of becoming world champions. I also told the team that\u2019s our goal. If any of the players think differently then they don\u2019t even need to travel there. We\u2019re focused on the process, we want to play game by game and find our rhythm. At the end of every process, it\u2019s important to declare a goal, that\u2019s what I did,\u201d Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia<\/a>).<\/p>\n Due to injuries, positional changes, and integration of new players, Nagelsmann\u2019s roster is in flux and he would not reveal if he is planning to use a back three or back four system vs. Slovakia.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve always been flexible, there are phases during the game where you have to adapt to the opponent \u2014 sometimes with a back 3, sometimes with a back 4. Every opponent and every game requires something different,\u201d said Nagelsmann, hinting that both systems were on the table.<\/p>\n The manager also has some key selections to make for his starting XI, including at striker \u2014 where Nick Woltemade is looking to establish himself.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cNick has made a very normal impression. He\u2019s very focused now that his transfer has gone through. He can also show himself to his new club and new coach via the national team. I haven\u2019t decided yet whether he will start tomorrow,\u201d Nagelsmann stated.<\/p>\n One player Nagelsmann will be counting on is Liverpool signee Florian Wirtz.<\/p>\n \u201cFlo is one of our most important players. He\u2019s not a classic No. 10 that only wants to have the ball, he moves and works a lot. The phase before his move wasn\u2019t easy for him because he had to think a lot. His performances at Liverpool so far were not so dominant but weren\u2019t so bad either. He was the top star in Leverkusen with all the focus on him. Now at Liverpool he\u2019s one of many stars, that divides the focus and the pressure on many players. It\u2019s normal that you need some time at a new club, new league, new culture, new stadium. He will definitely still have great games, score goals and make assists. He can start that with us tomorrow,\u201d Nagelsmann said.<\/p>\n Bayern Munich\u2019s summer transfer window is over, but the assessments can now finally begin.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n There were big acquisitions, important sales, and devastating misses. This transfer window pretty much had it all, so let\u2019s break it down.<\/p>\n