Germany played their first game of the World Cup year \u2014 a friendly against Switzerland. While friendlies are generally inconsequential, this one was crucial for it is the earliest indicator of how Germany\u2019s squad is shaping up for the World Cup in June.<\/p>\n
The German performance left a lot to be desired but the impact Florian Wirtz had on this team has made it clear that their problems do not lie in attack. By dint of great attacking performances and subpar defensive work, Germany won this game 4-3, making it their first win against Switzerland in 17 years.<\/p>\n
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Manager Julian Nagelsmann started Kai Havertz at striker, and when substitutions came along, it was Nick Woltemade who replaced him. This raised a question \u2014 why not Deniz Undav? The Stuttgart man has the second highest number of goals scored this season, behind Harry Kane. In an interview with RTL, per Bild<\/a>, Nagelsmann answered the question of why Undav was not given playing time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a super-intense game in terms of the pace. Deniz has a ton of qualities, especially when you have a lot of the ball yourself and a lot of controlled possession in the opponent\u2019s half. It was a transition game with a lot of ball recoveries and quick moves forward,\u201d Nagelsmann said first, explaining the qualities Undav has.<\/p>\n Then, he gets to the crux of the issue \u2014 \u201cNick (Woltemade) has a great record with us, but he\u2019s not having an easy time at Newcastle right now. Now I have the choice between boosting the confidence of a top striker who\u2019s in good form or dropping a top striker who\u2019s not quite in good form right now,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n The National Team is perhaps the easiest way to boost an underperforming player\u2019s confidence, and Nagelsmann perhaps weighed the risk of losing a friendly with getting one of his striker\u2019s back on track.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n He further goes on, but takes an odd tangent about sports psychologists. \u201cI\u2019ll ask a few psychologists what they think. Probably the opposite of what I think. That\u2019s the hobby of psychologists who aren\u2019t in the field\u2014they always like to claim the opposite of what all coaches say,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Nagelsmann concluded it would be good for Woltemade to use the National Team to get back on track.<\/p>\n \u201cI say it\u2019s advisable for Nick Woltemade to get back on track with us, because things aren\u2019t going 100 percent smoothly at Newcastle. And Deniz is on a roll anyway; whether he plays today or not, it won\u2019t change his confidence for this week,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n Then came in the most important question \u2014 will Undav start against Ghana, at home? \u201cWe haven\u2019t decided that yet,\u201d Nagelsmann replied.<\/p>\n If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, Apple<\/a>, or any leading podcast distributor\u2026 <\/p>\n Join the conversation!<\/p>\n