Julian Nagelsmann open to starting either Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah for Germany in EURO 2024 quarterfinals
Schlotterbeck stepped in for the suspended Tah for the win over Denmark, but will Nagelsmann go back to Tah for the next round?
Germany booked their place in the quarterfinals of EURO 2024 by virtue of a 2-0 win over Denmark in Dortmund in the round of 16. Arsenal’s Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala provided the goals for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, both of which came in the second half after a first 45 minutes where Germany were left bemused as to how that had not scored yet. The break in play a little over half an hour into proceedings arguably broke up what was positive momentum for Germany, working in Denmark’s favor.
Nico Schlotterbeck had a headed goal disallowed in just the 5th minute of play after Joshua Kimmich was ruled to have impeded a Danish player from being able to close down Schlotterbeck’s run, but Germany always looked the far more likely side to score first. When all was said and done, it did not come as too much of a surprise that Germany registered nine shots on target to Denmark’s two and the home side were the deserved winners on the night.
Due to Jonathan Tah’s cumulative yellow card suspension from the Group Stage, Nagelsmann started Schlotterbeck in his place alongside Antonio Rüdiger. He also started David Raum at left-back instead of Maximilian Mittelstädt, who was an unused sub on the night. While some questioned the lineup when it was released ahead of kickoff, it proved to work wonders for Nagelsmann, but he will now have to decide how he will want to line up for the quarter-finals.
Tah will be back available and started all three of the group stage matches against Scotland, Hungary, and Switzerland. Schlotterbeck put forth an immense performance in the win over Denmark and provided the assist for Musiala’s goal, so it will be up to Nagelsmann which of the two players start in the next round. He was asked about the matter after the Denmark win, and he said it is still open for now.
“I’m happy for Schlotti that he did his job perfectly in his home stadium (on Saturday). But Tah also played very well in the games before. I can choose between very good players. It’s a luxury problem to have,” Nagelsmann explained when he was asked about the starting back line selection for Germany’s next match
For now, Nagelsmann will have just under a week to assess his full squad and plan for how he will want to approach the next match. There will be a lot to take into full consideration, but whoever he chooses, Germany’s defensive record in the tournament thus far has boded well for themselves, having only conceded twice while having scored a total of 10 goals.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Germany’s 2-0 victory over Denmark? Good, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show where we cover the starting lineup selection, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and takes on how it all played out. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below:
