Nagelsmann hits back at Sané critics before Côte d'Ivoire encounter | OneFootball

Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, Nagelsmann made it clear that Germany's objective remains unchanged.

"We want to win tomorrow - that's the goal," the 38-year-old said, while hinting that major changes to the team that has started the tournament so impressively are unlikely.

"There is no real reason for me to change anything about the lineup."

One player expected to play a significant role is Leroy Sané. The Bayern Munich winger has faced criticism for his recent performances, but Nagelsmann strongly rejected the negative assessments.

"I don't know why I wouldn't let Leroy play tomorrow," Nagelsmann said. "He trained really well, he's well integrated into the squad. He'll be important for us tomorrow."

The Germany coach later doubled down on his support.

"I really didn't like the criticism about Leroy Sané after the last match. I feel like there is always something people want to criticise about him. Whether it's his goal numbers or his work ethic. My opinion is: he played well, he trained well and he will have a good match for us tomorrow."

Beyond individual players, Nagelsmann highlighted the positive mood inside Germany's camp, pointing to a united group focused solely on success.

"Winning is the best recipe," he explained. “We are all adults, we're free to do whatever we want in our free-time and the togetherness in the camp is great. We have a great energy here and we train really well.”

When discussing Saturday's opponents, Nagelsmann offered glowing praise for Côte d'Ivoire, warning that Germany face a difficult tactical challenge.

"They've changed up the way they play in preperation to the tournament and are quite unpredictable. They are really strong on the flanks, their energy on and off the ball is extraordinary."

According to the Germany coach, his staff have spent considerable time preparing solutions to counter the Ivorians' strengths while maintaining Germany's own identity.

"We will not change our whole system, but it's about reacting to the opponent's strengths. That's always been the case for us."

Nagelsmann also took time to praise several fellow German coaches, including Hansi Flick, Thomas Tuchel and Klopp, describing Germany's coaching landscape as one of the strongest in world football.

As for the match itself, Nagelsmann is expecting an exciting occasion.

"It's a beautiful stadium we're playing in tomorrow. We are excited and believe it's going to be a really good match-up."

With confidence high, morale strong and key players backed by their coach, Germany head into their second World Cup group match determined to continue their positive start to the tournament.