Overview
- Germany beat Luxembourg 2–0 in qualifying, yet the first half was labeled poor and the overall display was criticized as barely acceptable.
- Julian Nagelsmann said he felt the squad cannot handle being loudly admonished at halftime, a comment that set off questions about his approach to leadership.
- A BILD reader poll reported that 95% of respondents believe national-team players should be able to withstand strong criticism from coaches.
- Sport psychologist Matthias Herzog argued that loud criticism only works with certain personalities, and Torsten Frings said the team lacks clear on-field leaders while noting Joshua Kimmich’s role should be fixed.
- Peter Neururer faulted Nagelsmann’s public handling of Leroy Sané, endorsed Sané’s place after an orderly showing, and urged a settled system with 12–14 core players while warning against credibility-sapping experiments.