Germany shakes up squad before Euro 2024 with 6 new faces, Kroos recall
Germany coach Julian Nagels‐ mann has shaken up the squad before the home European Championship by gathering six new players for warmups against France and the Nether‐ lands.
Nagelsmann also included the 34‐year‐old Toni Kroos in his 26‐man squad on Thursday, confirming the Real Madrid star's return from international retirement nearly three years since he last played for the country.
The coach also called up Bay‐ ern Munich's Aleksandar Pavlović for the first time, end‐ ing the 19‐year‐old midfielder's interest in playing for Serbia. Stuttgart players Waldemar Anton, Maximilian Mittelstädt and Deniz Undav are among the debutants. Stuttgart is flying high in third place in the Bun‐ desliga.
Hoffenheim forward Maximil‐ ian Beier and Heidenheim free kick specialist Jan‐Niklas Beste complete the new faces after im‐ pressing for their teams in the Bundesliga.
Nagelsmann's latest — and po‐ tentially last — bid to rejuve‐ nate the team comes after several failed attempts by his predecessors.
Germany has disappointed since an early 2018 World Cup exit as defending champion under Joachim Löw, who over‐ saw another flop at the coron‐ avirus‐postponed Euro 2020 in 2021 before Hansi Flick took over.
Flick oversaw another group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup and was eventually fired last year, when the 36‐year‐old Nagelsmann took over.
Nagelsmann's team stated with a win over the United States, then drew with Mexico, followed by successive defeats to Turkey and Austria last No‐ vember which laid out all of the team's insecurities.
Midfielder İlkay Gündoğan complained there was a lack of "positive energy" in the team.
Leroy Sané, who was sent off for shoving an opponent, is sus‐ pended for the games against France in Lyon on March 23, and the Netherlands in Frankfurt three days later.
Germany's new Euro 2024 jer‐ seys were also unveiled on Thursday, with a pink and pur‐ ple away shirt seemingly de‐ signed to divert attention from the players' lackluster perform‐ ances.
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and midfielder Jamal Mu‐ siala return after missing the November defeats, as does Stuttgart's Chris Führich, Eintra‐ cht Frankfurt's Robin Koch, and Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
There was no place for Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka, nor for Borussia Dortmund players Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotter‐ beck, Niklas Süle, Emre Can and Julian Brandt.
"The players know from the conversations what I demand and what's lacking in order to be perhaps nominated for the Eu‐ ropean Championship," Nagels‐ mann said. "And if they implement it well, the door is not closed."
Germany hosts the Euros from June 14‐July 14.