Nagelsmann speaks on potential return of Kroos to national team
As a guest on the Saturday evening German public broadcaster ZDF's "Aktuelle Sportstudio" last night, Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann answered a variety of questions last night about the state of the German national team.
The questions directed at Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann by ZDF presenter Jochen Breyer last night mostly revolved around the pressures associated with steering the German national team out of its current crisis in time for this summer's Bundesrepublik-hosted Euros. Nagelsmann acknowledged that he knew that he had signed on for a difficult task and noted that he endeavored to "read very little" of the criticism published in the German press.
"I learned from my time at Bayern that [reading the press critiques] can drive you crazy," Nagelsmann said, "I try to avoid it. Of course, I still get messages from my sister saying 'did you read that'? That's part of the job; dealing with it."
When it came to the specifics of the type of team he was trying to build, Nagelsmann cited debutants called up under his watch for the first time as "precisely the sort of players we need". Two players he referenced individually were Leverkusen's Robert Andrich and his former TSG 1899 Hoffenheim protégée Grischa Prömel.
Asked about the much-maligned decision to deploy Kai Havertz at left-back, the 36-year-old noted that - though he didn't consider it a failure - the experiment was most definitely over. The same did not necessarily apply to the idea of placing Joshua Kimmich back at the right-back position.
Nagelsmann remarked that it remained an option, taking care to sidestep the ultimate "minefield" question of whether he planned to split Kimmich and captain Ilkay Gündogan up in midfield. Breyer then continued to push Nagelsmann on the potential question of midfield changes.
The Bundestrainer gave his longest answer when his interviewer brought up the topic of potentially recalling Toni Kroos to the German national team. The 33-year-old left the national team after the disappointing Euro 2021 campaign under something of a cloud.
Nagelsmann revealed that he often spoke with the Real Madrid professional.
"That's an interesting thought," Nagelsmann said, "I was in contact with Toni long before my time at FC Bayern and exchanged ideas with him. He's doing exceptionally well in Madrid and is one of the kings there."
"He speaks his mind selflessly on many topics," Nagelsmann continued, "I always find the dialogue with him very interesting. And he's one of those players with whom you can discuss issues in complete confidence. He does that very, very well."
"I definitely talk to him a lot about football," the Bundestrainer continued, "and I've also told him that so long as he holds a German passport, he's welcome to put in his best performance. And if he shows the best performance, then I might call him again."