EURO train departed? Nagelsmann reacts to Goretzka’s announcement

Leon Goretzka’s form has been on the rise again for a few weeks now. Although he has not been nominated for international matches recently, he is still hoping for a place in the German European Championship squad. National coach Julian Nagelsmann has now commented on the Bayern star and his chances with regard to the EURO.

One of the biggest surprises when the squad was named for the international break in March was the absence of Leon Goretzka. Alongside players such as Mats Hummels, Goretzka was one of the casualties of the fundamental reorganisation of the national team squad following the painful defeats against Austria (2:0) and Turkey (2:3) in October.

In an interview with MagentaTV, Nagelsmann once again made it clear that although he had always said that no door was closed, it was generally the art of a coach to find a team for the tournament where every player was 100 per cent suited to their respective role.

The national team coach also emphasised that he had the task of finding the right players for the role he had in mind: „I have to make that decision.“ He thus reaffirmed his position regarding the squad structure. He intends to establish a clear role defence with regulars and highly motivated challengers for each position.

Goretzka wants to „jump on the bandwagon somehow“

Although Nagelsmann currently leaves little hope for Goretzka’s participation in the European Championship, the 29-year-old was still combative a few days ago. EURO 2024 is his clear goal: „My attitude is that I always try to be on the pitch and show Julian that I’m there and that I’ll take the fight. I try to bring that onto the pitch week after week to somehow get on the train to the Euros,“ he said in the Sky interview after the away win in Berlin, in which he contributed a goal and an assist.

The problem for Goretzka is probably not his performances, but rather the contested position on the double six. His rivals, national team returnee Toni Kroos and captain İlkay Gündoğan, are currently ahead of him. And even if Gündoğan is deployed one position further forward, as he was in the test matches against France and the Netherlands, the vacant position in defensive midfield is currently likely to remain with Robert Andrich.