‘It’s a do or die match’ — Julian Nagelsmann expecting Germany to be at its best vs. Paraguay
· Yahoo Sports
Former Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann passed his first test of the World Cup by leading his team out of the group stage.
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Now, the German manager knows his team will have to be at its best.
“It’s a do or die match. The boys will bring their A-game. We have to be patient. Paraguay is a team which defends well and they stay compact. They have good players and strong physical players. We need a perfect performance (Monday). We had enough time to prepare well. We all want to do it better than we did against Ecuador,” Nagelsmann said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I think that in the group stage, Paraguay played with confidence — they conceded goals but they showed what they’re capable of. They are a very physical and uncomfortable opponent. They define themselves through their defensive football, which they play well. Offensively, they play very directly. We have to try to create chances and score, we have to be clinical in front of goal and not lose possession of the ball — if we manage to do that, I think we can show a good performance and advance to the next round.”
Nagelsmann has been the subject of much criticism of late, but the head coach is not letting it affect him.
“It is only about the team and success. To bring onto the pitch the good atmosphere we have as a group. I don’t feel I have to prove anything apart from helping my players and prepare them for the game. I do not think I have any responsibility to prove myself to anyone,” Nagelsmann said. “It’s always about winning when talking about the national team, trying to win every game. If you win everything is perfect, if you lose everything is sh*t, so we have to win (Monday).”
Finally, Nagelsmann was asked if there would be changes to his lineup and the coach was determined to not give anything away.
“There are tactical considerations to change something. But there are also considerations to leave everything as it is. I’m not going to reveal anything. You’ll see (Monday). We don’t need to make the opposing coach’s job easier than it needs to be,” Nagelsmann said.
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