Winston Salem. The day after his next big Joker appearance, Deniz Undav had to go back to reservist training in hot summer Winston-Salem. The starting eleven in the 2-1 win against Ivory Coast were able to regenerate comfortably with music in the fitness room. When will Germany’s new football favorite be able to enjoy this at the World Cup? Fans, experts, media, everyone is wondering when Julian Nagelsmann the Stuttgart striker starts for the first time. Is the time for that DFB-Team boss on Thursday (10 p.m./ARDORF1) came to the end of Group E against Ecuador in the final stadium in East Rutherford?
In a football team, performance should always be the top criterion, especially when selecting the first eleven. Performance must be worthwhile and rewarded; role profiles assigned before a tournament must be adjusted. As the saying goes: football is a daily business. And form and momentum are central building blocks. Undav, 29, can demonstrate both. Two games, three goals, two assists – do you need any further arguments?
Julian Nagelsmann knows what he has in Deniz Undav. Imago / Bahho Kara
There is no way around Undav on offense. The 29-year-old is, alongside Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha in midfield, the strongest German World Cup player to date. Of course he would line up. And especially the fans who chanted their “Germany Deniz” in Toronto when the 0-1 score remained after the break. Undav came and turned the game around.
But what does the “speaker of the team” himself say about the starter’s debut at the World Cup? “That’s up to the team boss. He makes the decision. I just try to do my job,” he said surprisingly quietly. He can do it too, if he is allowed to start. In the 4-0 win against Finland right before leaving for the USA, he scored in the 34th and 57th minutes – and not just when the opponent was tired. Leaving the striker with the best rate (nine goals in eleven international matches) out is a luxury that four-time world champions Germany can no longer afford, at least in the knockout rounds. Undav is brimming with self-confidence. And doesn’t it make more sense to lead through Undav goals instead of chasing a deficit with Joker Undav?
Another argument: If Undav starts, someone other than Joker could always fire. Possibly Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United), the top German goalscorer in World Cup qualifying. Nagelsmann himself addressed the pro arguments for match winner Undav in Toronto: “You can say, yes, of course, great performance, let him play from the start.” He announced that he would also discuss this internally, “including with Deniz”.
Why change what has worked great twice? Kai HavertzFlorian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sané play the defenders tired at first. And then the fresh super joker Undav comes along, finds rooms and “snaps”.
Jurgen Klopp works as a TV expert at the World Cup. The former Dortmund and Liverpool champion is now working as “head of global soccer” for the energy drink company Red Bull and is primarily responsible for hiring new coaches in Leipzig and Salzburg. He can empathize with Nagelsmann’s thoughts. It is “legitimate” to discuss a starting role for Undav. But Nagelsmann is responsible for “ensuring that we can push the starting eleven at the moment when they get tired.” You have to be able to improve on that, it worked. Klopp: “I can’t think of any reason why that should be changed. Against Ivory Coast we were suddenly able to create a completely new situation with two strikers.”
Nagelsmann argues similarly. “You can say, why should I break his flow now?” Undav’s impact on the game and result was immediately apparent both times; also in the result. “As soon as the space opens up a bit, he’s just super smart when it comes to moving. Every player wants to play right from the start. But deep down, I think he’s also quite happy with how things are going at the moment because he already has a very important role.” (dpa)
