Nagelsmann: We Suffered a Deserved Defeat, Stop This Nonsense

Julian Nagelsmann, the coach of the German national team, expressed his dissatisfaction with some interpretations that accompanied his team's 2-1 loss to Ecuador in the third round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, confirming that the defeat was deserved, but he refused to question his players' commitment or their desire to give their utmost.

After the match, Nagelsmann responded to a question about what the team needs to improve its performance after the loss: "There are many things, but I will not discuss them with you."

The German coach saw that his team lost control of the match after a strong start, explaining: "Unfortunately, right after the goal, we started making big positional errors, and from there things became more difficult. When we advance this quickly, we need to secure the match with much more conviction."

Nagelsmann defended his tactical decisions, saying: "We made many substitutions on purpose, and it was clear that some players looked exhausted. Naturally, the performance becomes slower in such circumstances, and no player can be blamed. We trust all members of the squad, and we must give them the opportunity to prove themselves."

The German coach refused to link the guaranteed group lead before the match to a decline in enthusiasm, affirming: "Please, stop this nonsense. Honestly, do you think the players did not want to give their best? Of course, we made the substitutions differently than we would have if we were in desperate need of a goal, but no one can say that any player did not give their all, this is an overly simplistic view."

Nagelsmann also denied that changing the playing style to 5-4-1 was merely a tactical experiment, saying: "No, this was not the first time we trained on this style or applied it. We had prepared for it before the Ivory Coast match, and there will be other stages in the tournament where we will need this style."

The German coach concluded his remarks by criticizing his team's performance against Ecuador, saying: "Ecuador played with full force, while we lacked the correct organization with the ball and were no longer able to relieve the pressure on us."