Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann wants to continue the momentum from their victory over France heading into their final match with the Netherlands before the European Championship in June.
Nagelsmann’s side ran out 2-0 winners over France on Saturday to end a run of three games without victory – dating back to October where they beat the United States 3-1 – and will now face the Netherlands in their last dress rehearsal before their home Euros.
The German manager does not want the result over France to be a one off and is keen to build on the performance by naming an unchanged side.
He told a press conference: “It’s about the team believing in itself and this path – even in negative moments in the game.
“We have turned into what we want to continue on the road towards the home European Championship.
“I plan that it will be the same first XI as in France.
“In football, you always have to back up a performance. A one-hit wonder, that can be nice, but we have to continue on our path.”
Germany will be hoping to go further in the upcoming Euro 2024, which will be played in front of their home fans following a disappointing World Cup which saw them head out in the group stage.
One game. One win. 🔥
Not a bad first outing for the new threads 🪡👀#DFBTeam #FRAGER 📸 IMAGO pic.twitter.com/mVoezCvxQ4
— germanfootball_dfb (@DFB_Team_EN) March 24, 2024
Nagelsmann knows the result has made some supporters content and was keen not to undo all their hard work going into the competition.
He added: “The team must be able keep things in perspective. We played a great game. We know it’s a first step, now we need to take another. We can’t just let everything fall apart tomorrow.
“The advantage with such euphoria is that we now feel a little more support from the population. From this point of view, yes, we can rely on it.
“To say that everything is magnificent, no. We just have to continue like this.”
The Netherlands come into the match fresh from their 4-0 victory over Scotland and are currently on a run of four wins on the bounce.
Despite the scoreline, boss Ronald Koeman was not happy with his side’s performance and knows they have to improve if they are to get a result against Germany.
He said: “We will have to do much better in the build-up against Germany, otherwise we will concede goals.
“We also have to play more compactly and communicate better with each other.
“Of course you want to win, swing on the field and score a lot of goals. But if you win a lesser match 4-0, you are not doing badly. And playing better when in possession of the ball does not seem that difficult to me.”
