Julian Nagelsmann did not step down after Germany’s shock World Cup exit at the hands of Paraguay, but left the decision in the hands of the German FA. After a 1-1 draw in Boston, the last-32 contest went to a penalty shootout that provided plenty of drama in a short space of time.
Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade saw their efforts saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, but then Antonio Sanabria and Fabian Balbuena both missed, sending the shootout to sudden death. Jonathan Tah sent a terrible effort over the bar, allowing Jose Canale to step up and score the winning penalty.
Nagelsmann's Stance on His Future
While there was not great optimism in Germany over their chances of winning the World Cup, falling at the last-32 stage to Paraguay is a disastrous performance. The tournament started so well for Nagelsmann’s side when they hammered Curacao 7-1 and beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in their first two matches. A surprise defeat to Ecuador followed in the final group stage, and then the nightmare against Paraguay, which saw Julio Enciso open the scoring before a Havertz equaliser and then the nerve-shredding shootout.
It is hard to see Nagelsmann continuing in his role from here, but he will not be resigning, pointing to his contract that runs till 2028. ‘I’m available. If they want me to stay until 2028, I will. And if they don’t want me to, I’ll go,’ he said.
Analysis of the Defeat
Analysing the game, he said: ‘Our possession was very slow overall. At some point, we resorted to a brute-force approach. In the end, you still have to beat Paraguay. We had control, but we lacked the cutting edge. We had hardly any presence in the penalty area with our two strikers. Especially in the opening minutes, we didn’t win any duels in the opposition’s box.’
Jurgen Klopp is seen as the obvious successor to Nagelsmann as Germany boss, and he was quick to criticise the performance. ‘You have to attack down the wings. There’s no alternative. We all know how well these guys can play, but they didn’t bring that to the pitch,’ the former Liverpool boss said in his role as a TV pundit.
Klopp Calls for Structural Change
He added that it could need structural change at the German FA, having exited at the previous two group stages. ‘We can talk about the DFB (German Football Association). We absolutely have to change a few things. We can start with the U10s and wait a few years to see what the results are,’ said Klopp.
Nagelsmann took charge of Germany in 2023, losing to Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 in his previous tournament at the helm.
