Stuttgart – Saba:
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has urged his team to give their utmost in Sunday's UEFA Nations League third-place match against France, emphasizing the importance of a positive result before the World Cup qualifiers commence in the fall.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Nagelsmann dismissed concerns about motivation, highlighting the privileged lives of his players.
"This is still the first German national team. If I always have to motivate them in the dressing room, I have to change something about the team's composition," he stated, adding, "This is football. It's a beautiful thing we do. Nobody digs the pitch with their own hands. It's a wonderful job we do, a beautiful thing."
Germany's hopes of winning their first title since 2017 through the UEFA Nations League were dashed with a 2-1 loss to Portugal in the semifinals last Wednesday.
Nagelsmann confirmed that he plans to make some changes to his squad for the upcoming match, though he did not reveal specific names. He indicated that he would closely monitor his players' performance. "We want to take advantage of the match. Reaching third place is the least motivating thing for us," the young coach explained.
Despite this, Nagelsmann cautioned, "I think all the players also want to be in the World Cup qualifiers."
Pascal Gross is expected to start, having joined Nagelsmann at the press conference. Gross affirmed his readiness, stating, "I don't have to motivate myself in any special way to play for Germany. I'm really looking forward to the match against France, against a strong opponent." He added, "We can score points in the world rankings, we can finish third, so I'm playing for some goals."
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