News (engl.)

The Germany national team have played their final friendly game before the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and ran out 2-1 victors over the USA in Chicago. In an interview with DFB.de, head coach Julian Nagelsmann discussed the game and the final touches to be made ahead of the competition kicking off.

Question: Mr Nagelsmann, how are you assessing this win against the USA in your final friendly ahead of the World Cup?

Julian Nagelsmann: Overall, I’m very satisfied. That was a truly special atmosphere. We should have made more of our strong start, though. After that, the game became more open. It was important that we won that game. Nine consecutive victories are good for confidence. There are still things we need to work on, but we’re looking forward to doing that.

Question: What will you be working on over the coming week?

Nagelsmann: How we adapt our positioning when facing high pressure. That’s an area where we can still improve. We also need to make better use of our good positional play in the final third, so that we can create more clear-cut chances.

Question: How will the team spend their free Sunday?

Nagelsmann: The coaching staff will watch the match again and clip together some key sequences. The players have the day completely off. It’s a great city, so there’s plenty they can go and enjoy. After that, the full focus will be on the tournament.

Question: How did you assess Leroy Sané’s performance? The entire team celebrated with him after his goal.

Nagelsmann: He had a very strong opening spell and, overall, I’m pleased with him. He scored the winning goal, and that’s the most important thing a player can do on the pitch. When he gives everything in training and in matches, the lads are ready to give everything for him as well.

Question: How satisfied are you with Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz?

Nagelsmann: Jamal is getting back into his rhythm more and more. He still needs a little bit of time, but he has another week, and then he’ll be at 100 per cent. I’m not particularly worried about him. Flo is in top form himself. If needed, both of them can still go up another two or three gears.

Question: What do you make of Nathaniel Brown?

Nagelsmann: He doesn’t even realise how good he is yet. He’s humble and very eager to learn. Sometimes I’d like him to back himself even more. He’s a touch too modest for the level of ability he has.

Question: Apart from the goalkeeper position, did we see your World Cup starting XI today?

Nagelsmann: We’ll have to wait and see whether everyone stays fit and how they perform in training. Today showed that we need every player in the squad. Everyone gave it everything. Whether the starting line-up will look exactly the same is still somewhat uncertain.

Question: After around 20 minutes, the team seemed to loosen their grip on the game a little. Why was that?

Nagelsmann: We have to be prepared for different game situations. If we’re playing in New York in 40-degree heat, we can’t press aggressively for 90 minutes. If we defend high up the pitch, we have to do it with 100 per cent intensity. Otherwise, we drop off. We need to find the right balance there.

Question: Oliver Baumann played well today. How has he handled the situation?

Nagelsmann: Exceptionally well. He’s a great sportsman. From a personal point of view, he’s been first class. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he hadn’t spoken to me for two or three weeks. Instead, he prepared superbly for both matches. Something similar could happen again during the World Cup.