Ahead of the upcoming UEFA A League third round match between Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 2:45 a.m. BST on Oct. 12, Germany head coach Jürgen Nagelsmann attended a press conference and spoke on a number of topics.
In response to Leno's refusal of a call-up to the national team, Nagelsmann said that Leno made demands that he could not fulfill, and that despite his attempts to explain to Leno from an interesting perspective, the other side was not satisfied with this. Nagelsmann emphasized that everyone needs to take responsibility for their own decisions. As to whether Leno still has a chance to be selected for the national team in the future, he didn't close the door completely, but didn't leave much room either.
Speaking on the issue of frequent injuries in the squad, Nagelsmann argued that despite the busy schedule, he does not want to keep complaining about this because of the high frequency of games that fund the expensive sport of soccer. However, he also noted that there needs to be a focus on the types of injuries players are sustaining, and if those injuries are a reaction to overwork, then schedule adjustments could be considered. He specifically mentioned the injuries to Phil Kruger, Raum, and Henrichs, arguing that Phil Kruger's injury was not related to overwork, while Raum's ankle sprain was likewise not caused by overwork. Regarding Henrichs' back injury, Nagelsmann said he was not yet sure of the exact cause, but saw that he did not look overburdened during his appearance in Leipzig. He emphasized that the number of games will not decrease, but rather increase in the future, so there needs to be a discussion about how specific rest breaks should be scheduled, pointing out the differences in rest breaks between the world of soccer and sports such as the NBA and NFL.
In addition, Nagelsmann revealed that one of Kleindienst or Burkart is expected to start tomorrow's match. He expressed his great anticipation for the upcoming battle against Bosnia and Herzegovina and believes that it will be a positive challenge. He emphasized that the German team is not only used to playing in top European stadiums, but also attaches great importance to maintaining their stadium form. He also mentioned that the crowd in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be very loud and frenzied, which will be an expectation and a challenge for the German team.
