Latest news with #JulianNagelsmann
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Germany's ‘Big Nick' Woltemade brings nicknames and goals to main stage
If there was any doubting Nick Woltemade's star quality, a brilliant hat-trick in Germany's opening match of the European Under-21 Championship against Slovenia showed the beanpole striker with numerous nicknames is the real deal. Known variously as Woltemessi, the Tower of Stuttgart, Goaltemade or just plain old Big Nick, he has been the standout player of the first two rounds of matches in Slovakia, having helped to book his side's place in the quarter-finals with another goal in their win over the Czech Republic on Sunday. With England up next as Germany attempt to seal top spot in Group B and avoid a meeting with the favourites, Spain, in the last eight, the coach, Antonio Di Salvo, has a decision to make. Such has been Woltemade's success this season that he was also called up by Julian Nagelsmann for the senior squad's Nations League games and made his debut against Portugal in the semi-final less than a fortnight ago. Advertisement Related: Club World Cup: Jobe Bellingham makes Dortmund debut in draw with Fluminense 'Honestly, I just want to rest,' Woltemade said after the 4-2 victory over the Czech Republic, in which he contributed two assists as well. 'It's been a tough schedule and I've played a lot of minutes in a short time.' Di Salvo, a former Bayern Munich forward who was an assistant to Stefan Kuntz with the under-21s before taking over when Kuntz left to manage Turkey's seniors in 2021, is expected to rotate when they face Lee Carsley's side in Nitra on Wednesday evening. Yet after Germany failed to get past the group stage in Georgia two years ago for the first time since 2013 as England went on to win the tournament, he is under pressure to deliver the country's fourth title at this level. 'I don't need to say more about how important Nick is to us,' Di Salvo said. 'He changes our game.' A shade under two metres tall, Woltemade has played for Germany at various youth levels but it was not until his move to Stuttgart from his hometown side Werder Bremen that he announced himself on the big stage. Despite becoming Bremen's youngest player at 17, he had struggled for game time owing to Niclas Füllkrug's blistering form before a loan at third-division SV Elversberg transformed his fortunes. He earned a move to Stuttgart to replace Serhou Guirassy when the prolific Guinea striker departed for Borussia Dortmund last summer, and scored the opening goal in the DFB Pokal final victory in May – his fifth in that cup run – to add to his 12 in the Bundesliga. Advertisement A hat-trick against Spain, who drew 1-1 with Italy to win their group on Tuesday night, in an under-21s warm-up game in March put Woltemade firmly on the radar, with reports of interest from around Europe including from Chelsea, Everton and West Ham. The 23-year-old born on Valentine's Day is eligible to play at the tournament because he was 21 at the start of qualifying – one of 73 players at the start of the finals who are two years older than the age limit. England are the only squad not to contain a 23-year-old, although Middlesbrough's midfielder Hayden Hackney will reach that age on 26 June, two days before the final. That is an indication of England's approach, with Carsley – who has extended his contract until the next tournament in 2027 – having assembled a much more inexperienced squad than the one which triumphed two years ago. If he had followed Germany's example with Woltemade, seven members of Thomas Tuchel's latest selection could have been on double international duty this summer. Adam Wharton, another senior international, was ruled out as he recovers from concussion sustained in the FA Cup final. Newcastle's Tino Livramento, who excelled in the opening win over the Czech Republic, is the only player to have also been capped at senior level and England's squad contains two teenagers, who have featured in the first two games: Tottenham's Archie Gray and Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal. Advertisement Carsley will make changes against Germany, citing 'age and the amount they've played', with a point required to ensure a place in the knockout stages. If Germany are without Woltemade from the start, England – who have lost only twice to Germany at this age group and won 2-0 in the group stages two years ago – will know that Di Salvo's side boast plenty of other firepower. Nicolò Tresoldi, who scored the opener against the Czech Republic and described Woltemade as 'the perfect strike partner', has just joined Club Brugge, and Brighton's Brajan Gruda and Paul Nebel of Mainz provide creativity. At the other end, Freiburg's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu has made 20 appearances at the age group and has been tipped as a potential long-term successor to Manuel Neuer. 'We want to win every game,' said Germany's captain, Eric Martel, 'especially against England, because, as they say in Germany, it's 'the classic'.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Germany's ‘Big Nick' Woltemade brings nicknames and goals to main stage
If there was any doubting Nick Woltemade's star quality, a brilliant hat-trick in Germany's opening match of the European Under-21 Championship against Slovenia showed the beanpole striker with numerous nicknames is the real deal. Known variously as Woltemessi, the Tower of Stuttgart, Goaltemade or just plain old Big Nick, he has been the standout player of the first two rounds of matches in Slovakia, having helped to book his side's place in the quarter-finals with another goal in their win over the Czech Republic on Sunday. With England up next as Germany attempt to seal top spot in Group B and avoid a meeting with the favourites, Spain, in the last eight, the coach, Antonio Di Salvo, has a decision to make. Such has been Woltemade's success this season that he was also called up by Julian Nagelsmann for the senior squad's Nations League games and made his debut against Portugal in the semi-final less than a fortnight ago. 'Honestly, I just want to rest,' Woltemade said after the 4-2 victory over the Czech Republic, in which he contributed two assists as well. 'It's been a tough schedule and I've played a lot of minutes in a short time.' Di Salvo, a former Bayern Munich forward who was an assistant to Stefan Kuntz with the under-21s before taking over when Kuntz left to manage Turkey's seniors in 2021, is expected to rotate when they face Lee Carsley's side in Nitra on Wednesday evening. Yet after Germany failed to get past the group stage in Georgia two years ago for the first time since 2013 as England went on to win the tournament, he is under pressure to deliver the country's fourth title at this level. 'I don't need to say more about how important Nick is to us,' Di Salvo said. 'He changes our game.' A shade under two metres tall, Woltemade has played for Germany at various youth levels but it was not until his move to Stuttgart from his hometown side Werder Bremen that he announced himself on the big stage. Despite becoming Bremen's youngest player at 17, he had struggled for game time owing to Niclas Füllkrug's blistering form before a loan at third-division SV Elversberg transformed his fortunes. He earned a move to Stuttgart to replace Serhou Guirassy when the prolific Guinea striker departed for Borussia Dortmund last summer, and scored the opening goal in the DFB Pokal final victory in May – his fifth in that cup run – to add to his 12 in the Bundesliga. A hat-trick against Spain, who drew 1-1 with Italy to win their group on Tuesday night, in an under-21s warm-up game in March put Woltemade firmly on the radar, with reports of interest from around Europe including from Chelsea, Everton and West Ham. The 23-year-old born on Valentine's Day is eligible to play at the tournament because he was 21 at the start of qualifying – one of 73 players at the start of the finals who are two years older than the age limit. England are the only squad not to contain a 23-year-old, although Middlesbrough's midfielder Hayden Hackney will reach that age on 26 June, two days before the final. That is an indication of England's approach, with Carsley – who has extended his contract until the next tournament in 2027 – having assembled a much more inexperienced squad than the one which triumphed two years ago. If he had followed Germany's example with Woltemade, seven members of Thomas Tuchel's latest selection could have been on double international duty this summer. Adam Wharton, another senior international, was ruled out as he recovers from concussion sustained in the FA Cup final. Newcastle's Tino Livramento, who excelled in the opening win over the Czech Republic, is the only player to have also been capped at senior level and England's squad contains two teenagers, who have featured in the first two games: Tottenham's Archie Gray and Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Carsley will make changes against Germany, citing 'age and the amount they've played', with a point required to ensure a place in the knockout stages. If Germany are without Woltemade from the start, England – who have lost only twice to Germany at this age group and won 2-0 in the group stages two years ago – will know that Di Salvo's side boast plenty of other firepower. Nicolò Tresoldi, who scored the opener against the Czech Republic and described Woltemade as 'the perfect strike partner', has just joined Club Brugge, and Brighton's Brajan Gruda and Paul Nebel of Mainz provide creativity. At the other end, Freiburg's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu has made 20 appearances at the age group and has been tipped as a potential long-term successor to Manuel Neuer. 'We want to win every game,' said Germany's captain, Eric Martel, 'especially against England, because, as they say in Germany, it's 'the classic'.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wirtz and Kimmich headline Germany squad for Nations League finals
Germany have released their 26-man squad for the Nations League semi-finals against Portugal next month. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann has handed maiden call-ups to Tom Bischof and Nick Woltemade. Bischof recently concluded an impressive 2024/25 campaign with Hoffenheim, establishing him as one of the promising midfielders in the Bundesliga. Advertisement The 19-year-old is set to join Bayern Munich ahead of the Club World Cup after penning a long-term contract with the German giants in January. Woltemade has turned everyone's attention with his stellar performances for Stuttgart, racking up 16 goals and three assists in all competitions. He is looking to finish the season on a high when Stuttgart face Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB Pokal finals this weekend. Several Bayern players have made the cut, including Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka. Jamal Musiala is one of the notable absentees due to fitness concerns. The Bayern youngster has been sidelined since suffering a muscle strain during a game against Augsburg last month. Advertisement Bayern also decided not to let Musiala leave for international duty as they want him to recover completely for the Club World Cup. Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz will spearhead the attack, while Niclas Fullkrug has also returned to the squad after a long time. Angelo Stiller, Nadiem Amiri and Pascal Gross add quality and depth to the midfield. The backline misses star names like Antonio Rudiger and Nico Schlotterbeck due to injuries. Nagelsmann will rely on the likes of Jonathan Tah, Yann Aurel Bisseck and Waldemar Anton. Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has returned to the fold after months, having recently recovered from a knee injury. Advertisement Ter Stegen will reclaim his No.1 spot for Die Mannschaft, with Alexander Nubel and Oliver Baumann as his deputies. Germany will face Portugal on June 4th, with the other semi-final played between France and Spain.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nick Woltemade was slated to leave Germany's camp in favor of U-21s, but is sticking around for France match
With Germany losing 2-1 to Portugal, head coach Julian Nagelsmann was prepared to send Nick Woltemade to the U-21s for the EUROs (via @iMiaSanMia): Nick Woltemade will join the U21 national team immediately and will not feature in Sunday's Nations League third place playoff Julian Nagelsmann: 'We will send him to the U21s. We agreed that would be the case if we don't reach the final. I want to stick to the agreement so that they can have a good tournament.' Well, not so fast... After examining the exact schedule of the U-21s, Nagelsmann decided to keep Woltemade longer per Bild (via @iMiaSanMia): Update: Change of plan for Woltemade. He will stay with the senior national team because the U-21s have Friday and Saturday off. The striker will train with the senior NT and will be in the squad in the third place match on Sunday, but he'll most likely be rested ahead of the U-21 EUROs. Advertisement If you wanted to see the whole roster for the Germany U-21s, check out this strong looking group: Looking for more thoughts and discussion on Bayern Munich and the German national team? Awesome, then check out the latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show! You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, Acast, or below: Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more. Advertisement More from
Nahar Net
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Nahar Net
Germany reassesses World Cup prospects after lessons from France and Portugal
by Naharnet Newsdesk 10 June 2025, 15:05 Two defeats and last place in a mini-tournament it expected to win have dealt Germany a cold dose of reality ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The Nations League final four in Germany was supposed to show Julian Nagelsmann's team can count itself among Europe's best, but a 2-1 loss to Portugal in Munich followed by a 2-0 defeat to France in Stuttgart instead revealed a gulf in class. It showed that tournament-winner Portugal, beaten finalist Spain – the European champion – and a talent-packed France team are among the favorites with defending champion Argentina to win soccer's biggest prize next year. Nagelsmann was keen to highlight the positives, noting that Germany dominated and created a host of chances in the first half against France on Sunday – but counterpart Didier Deschamps had already said what little importance he gave the third-place decider, and it was clear which side was more motivated in front of the Stuttgart fans. Kylian Mbappé scored before the break and set up Michael Olise for the second goal as Les Bleus shook off their apathy in the second half and might have scored more. "If you look at the first half, honestly, they were not bothered about winning. But they still won," Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said. Germany's forwards were simply not as clinical as France's. It was a similar tale against Portugal, which rallied to beat Germany on Wednesday. Portugal coach Roberto Martínez changed the game when he introduced substitutes Vitinha, Francisco Conceição and Nelson Semedo in the second half, and Germany needed goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen at his best to stop the visitors scoring any more. Coach Nagelsmann pointed to the injury-enforced absences from his team – Jamal Musiala, Angelo Stiller, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rüdiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Tim Kleindienst, Jonathan Burkardt and Yann Aurel Bisseck. But France was also without key players like Ousmane Dembélé and Eduardo Camavinga while Deschamps had to do without three of his preferred four-man backline – William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé. Even with a full-strength squad, it's debatable whether Germany can match its rivals' strength in depth when it comes to player development and the quality of youngsters coming through. Nine players in Spain coach Luis de la Fuente's Nations League squad are young enough to play at the Under-21 European Championship starting Wednesday in Slovakia. Star player Lamine Yamal is just 17 while Real Madrid's new signing Dean Huijsen looked like he'd been playing for Spain for years. The final was just his fourth appearance. "It's quite clear, when it comes to the depth of the squad, that we have to abandon the illusion of getting it sorted out in a year," Nagelsmann said. "We have a few positions in German soccer that are given too little attention." Nagelsmann pointed to Spain's use of wide players in attack – like Yamal or Nico Williams – and said Germany's dearth of wing backs had been a problem for years. Kimmich has been deployed at right back when his favored position is in midfield. "Right now we're looking at what's important to see where we are in the world, what we need for the future, and to learn the right lessons from that," Nagelsmann said. "It would be nice if we could get one or two of the players up to speed by next year, but of course that's a limited window of opportunity." The 37-year-old Nagelsmann appealed for patience from journalists, saying he was sure with the players he has that they "will play a very, very good (World Cup) qualifying campaign and a very, very good tournament" in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer. Nagelsmann then attempted to push some of the responsibility onto the media. "You have to have a bit of trust and pull the handbrake a bit," he said. "You're in the same boat."
