By James Cormack
Expectations are starting to rise for Germany ahead of Euro 2024. This summer's hosts have struggled at major tournaments since winning the World Cup a decade ago, but there's scope for them to dazzle in front of a home crowd this summer.
2023 was a wretched year for the German national team in the wake of their early World Cup elimination in Qatar. Die Mannschaft recorded defeats to Colombia, Poland, Japan, Turkey and Austria within a six-month period, with supporters fearing the worst ahead of a home Euros.
However, 2023/24 was a bright season for German football. Bayer Leverkusen emerged as the standout team on the continent as they finally dethroned Bayern Munich following a decade of subjugation, while Borussia Dortmund's Champions League run despite a fifth-place Bundesliga finish depicted the division's strength in depth.
With an emerging generation coming to the fore, there's a sense of the hosts entering the tournament with plenty of momentum behind them.
Here's 90min's guide to Germany heading into Euro 2024.
Germany Euro 2024 squad selection
Julian Nagelsmann selected a 27-man provisional squad which was then whittled down to 26 for the tournament, dropping fourth-choice goalkeeper Alexander Nubel.
There were a couple of notable omissions, with Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka and Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels missing out. Goretzka perhaps isn't the player he was during Bayern's dominant 2019/20 campaign but remains a prominent figure in Munich and his absence was seen as a surprise.
The same goes for Hummels, who many expected would return to the international fold this summer off the back of a vintage season. The centre-back played a pivotal role in Dortmund's Champions League success. With Hummels out, Antonio Rudiger is set to be partnered by either Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah or Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck.
Germany faced Ukraine and Greece in two pre-tournament friendlies at the start of June, picking up a draw and a victory.
Germany's Euro 2024 squad
Tactics
Julian Nagelsmann is regarded as one of the shrewdest tacticians around and the German manager is attempting to instil a club-like system with the German national team.
Following some initial teething problems, Germany's victories over France and the Netherlands offered sources of vindication.
His principles focus on possession. Nagelsmann wants his team to control games with the ball, build efficiently and win it back rapidly. The German coach has previously been revered for his pressing structures and the emphasis he places on counter-pressing. Installing a cohesive press is tough at international level given the reduced time the manager has with his group of players, but Germany have shown signs of evolving into a coherent team without the ball having struggled throughout 2023.
In possession, Nagelsmann encourages attacking fluidity via rotations, with his introduction of a 4-2-3-1 allowing Germany's playmakers to operate in close proximity. Width can be supplied from full-back, with Nagelsmann wanting the likes of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz to receive the ball between the lines as much as possible.
Their shape in possession can resemble the 3-2-5 or 2-3-5 commonly seen at club level. Overall, Nagelsmann's Germany are fast, dynamic and ever-improving. The return of Toni Kroos aids them immensely in terms of control and their evolution without the ball has seen them produce sturdier defensive showings ahead of the tournament.
Fixtures
As the hosts, Germany were placed into Group A and are favourites to top an evenly-contested set of teams.
Switzerland are perennial major tournament contestants and very rarely fail to make it into the knockout stages. Their last group-stage exit came at the 2010 World Cup.
Hungary were very impressive in qualifying and, led by Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, could emerge as one of the dark horses this summer as an aggressive and defensively stout outfit. They faced Germany at Euro 2020, earning a 2-2 draw, and have improved since their previous appearance.
Scotland are regarded as the outsiders in Group A, but their victory over Spain in qualifying showed they can not only compete with the best but beat them, too. Germany must be wary of Steve Clarke's side when they face off in the tournament opener on 14 June.
Germany's Euro 2024 group stage fixtures
Germany's record vs Euro 2024 group stage opponents
Germany's potential knockout opponents
If Germany meet expectations and win Group A, they'll face the runner-up of Group C in the round of 16. England are likely to top that group, with second place well up for grabs.
Germany could face Serbia, Slovenia or Denmark in the last 16 and potentially take on the Group B winner in the quarters. Spain, Italy and Croatia will fight it out for top spot in that group.
Should they follow the group-winning path, Nagelsmann's side could face Portugal in the semi-finals.
However, a second-place finish would see them take on the runners-up of Group B. That's likely to be Spain, Italy or Croatia. That's a route Germany will be keen to avoid, especially given France and England will probably be on that side of the draw.
Key players to watch
Toni Kroos' impact was felt during Germany's March friendlies and the superstar midfielder has a huge role to play for Nagelsmann this summer. His ability to provide control should counter-balance Nagelsmann's verticality and ensure Germany aren't constantly playing in back-and-forth contests.
Ilkay Gundogan also has a key role to play in this regard. The Barcelona star could perform a handful of roles this summer, but he'll likely drop deep and operate closer to Kroos and crash the box when necessary.
These two will be aiming to serve Germany's two potential standouts at Euro 2024,Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. The two young playmakers have been around the national team set-up for quite some time and this feels like their time to come to the fore. While Musiala had an up-and-down season with Bayern, Wirtz inspired Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic season.
Nagelsmann's in-possession structure revolves around these two majestic creators, although Leroy Sane is a game-breaking talent who simply can't be ignored.
Emerging talents
Germany's Euro 2024 squad has a largely familiar feel, although there are a few young stars who could enjoy breakout tournaments this summer.
Left-back is an area of contention for Nagelsmann and Stuttgart's Max Mittelstadt could fill the void. The 27-year-old perhaps doesn't fit the 'young' brief, but he's nonetheless new to the international stage. Mittelstadt has just two caps for the national team, with his performances in March highlighting his potential to thrive in Nagelsmann's set-up. The defender scored in Germany's 2-1 win over the Netherlands.
In attack, Kai Havertz's impressive end to the Premier League season means he's the favourite to start as Nagelsmann's number 9 this summer, but Hoffenheim's Maximilian Beier also enjoyed a stellar domestic season and is poised to be an option for the Germany boss. Beier's a savvy operator with Raumdeuter-like qualities. He ended 2023/24 with 16 Bundesliga goals.
Predictions
Germany once enjoyed perpetual success at major tournaments but they've been starved of success for the past decade. A home Euros increases expectation and pressure, but Germany's momentum heading into the tournament suggests they should enjoy an exciting summer.
Plus, is Toni Kroos really going to go out with a whimper? No chance.
Germany should top a competitive Group A and progress deep into this summer's tournament. They should at least match their performance at the 2006 World Cup, which they hosted, by reaching the semi-finals. Victory of their group should leave them on the 'easier' side of the draw.
Anything can happen if they make the last four and the Germans cannot be written off on home soil this summer - even if there are doubts over who'll be scoring the goals.
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Germany Euro 2024 squad guide: Fixtures, predictions and best players.
