“No big telling-off”: Nagelsmann defends BVB star Schlotterbeck | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck endures a difficult evening against Switzerland, marked by costly mistakes. Even so, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann backs the BVB star and deliberately avoids harsh criticism.

Nico Schlotterbeck had a mixed evening in the German national team’s spectacular 4-3 win in Switzerland. The Borussia Dortmund center-back particularly stood out for an unusually high number of misplaced passes in the build-up play – two of them directly led to goals conceded. Even so, both Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann and his teammates publicly rallied behind the 26-year-old.

Nagelsmann did not want to overstate the mistakes and emphasized after the match: “He’s not going to get a huge telling-off now.” Schlotterbeck may have been “a little lacking in concentration on the ball,” but for the national team coach, another aspect matters more: “I want them to try things and be brave.” Nagelsmann especially praised the way the defender responded after the break and brought stability back to his game.

Schlotterbeck also continues to enjoy a great deal of trust within the squad. Florian Wirtz, one of the standout performers of the evening, put the blunders into perspective calmly: “Football is a sport of mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes.” At the same time, he underlined his teammate’s special qualities in build-up play.

DFB keeps faith with BVB star Schlotterbeck

Former BVB star Pascal Groß made a similar argument, clearly highlighting Schlotterbeck’s strengths: “That’s his game, his strength. We definitely don’t want to take that away from him.” Especially under pressure, the Dortmund man can bypass several opponents with his precise passing and launch attacks. For Groß, one thing is clear: “Nico is solid. He’s having a good season, he’s a defender at an absolute top level.”

Photo: IMAGO

Despite the uncertainty in the match against Switzerland, Nagelsmann sees no reason to make changes to his center-back pairing. Schlotterbeck remains first choice for now and is also expected to start again in the next friendly on Monday evening (8:45 p.m.) against Ghana.

The national team coach said he was convinced that his player, who could soon sign a new contract with BVB, will quickly return to his usual form. The performance in Basel is therefore likely to be seen more as a slip-up – without any major impact on Schlotterbeck’s standing within the team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.