„Difficult to understand“ – Effenberg harshly criticises Goretzka’s suspension
The announcement of the German national team squad by national coach Julian Nagelsmann has caused a lot of discussion. In particular, the decision not to call up Leon Goretzka has been met with incomprehension by many. Ex-Bayern professional and football expert Stefan Effenberg has now spoken out on the subject and sharply criticised the decision.
In his column for t-online, Effenberg talks about a situation that is „difficult to understand“. He emphasises: „It’s difficult to understand. (…) Goretzka has been very stable again for weeks and has been a fixture in the centre at Bayern.“ The decision to leave such an established and high-performing player out of the squad raises questions for Effenberg. Particularly in view of the upcoming home European Championship and the current situation of the German national team, he strongly doubts Nagelsmann’s decision.
At the same time, Effenberg comments on the goalkeeper duel between Manuel Neuer and Marc-André ter Stegen, which he sees as „completely open“. He sees the decision on the number one goalkeeper as one of the big decisions that Nagelsmann will have to make in the future. Effenberg expects that both goalkeepers could be used in the test matches against France and the Netherlands. Nagelsmann should then „continue to observe the development up to the European Championships, how stable and powerful who will then be heading for the European Championships. And only then make a final decision.“ The 36-year-old coach had recently left it open as to whether the recovered Manuel Neuer would immediately be the starting goalkeeper again.
Pavlovic nomination „right“
Effenberg also praised the nomination of the young Aleksandar Pavlovic, who has shown impressive performances at Bayern under Thomas Tuchel. Effenberg says the appointment of the teenager is „right“. However, it could also have a political background, as the Serbian association had also shown interest in the player. However, the 55-year-old also emphasised: „He didn’t play his 17 competitive matches for just any club, but made his mark at FC Bayern.“
On 23 and 26 March, the German national team will play their final test matches against France and the Netherlands before the European Championship in Germany. Julian Nagelsmann’s team will then open the tournament against Scotland on 14 June.
