Club regulars who are staying out of the World Cup because they cannot fill the role as supplementary players – Julian Nagelsmann announces decisions that “will not be met with great understanding”.

I think this is exactly the right approach. And at the same time it reveals the biggest risk the national coach is taking.

What Nagelsmann does is not self-evident

Nagelsmann thinks so Tournament in terms of the squad, not the name. He doesn’t first ask who has the best individual qualities, but rather who is prepared to accept a serving role. That sounds banal, but it is anything but self-evident in German football.

Too often, cadres were assembled based on hierarchy and merit, not functionality. The result was tournaments in which stars sulked and reservists poisoned the atmosphere.

National coach is looking for specific profiles

The fact that Leon Goretzka should have a good chance of a regular place at Bayern despite reduced playing time fits into this logic. Nagelsmann appreciates his power, his header strength and his willingness to go into the penalty area. At the same time, he explains that Aleksandar Pavlovic and Felix Nmecha do not complement each other perfectly.

The national coach is looking for a specific profile for the double six – and Goretzka apparently fulfills it better than the younger competition. This is a clear statement that you can share or not. But it is understandably justified.

If Nagelsmann is nominated in March, we will almost see the World Cup squad

With Joshua Kimmich as right-back, Nagelsmann sticks to his line. Oliver Baumann should be in goal, even if a back door remains open for Marc-André ter Stegen. With Antonio Rüdiger, however, the national coach is keeping all options open – the defense chief’s knee problems make it impossible to make a decision.

The March squad should already be “similar” to the World Cup squad. Nagelsmann wants to create clarity early on so that he can have the role discussions that he considers crucial.

Nagelsmann exposes himself to danger

My observation: Nagelsmann is trying to avoid a mistake that has repeatedly weakened German tournament teams. He doesn’t want to take players who are internally struggling because they think they’re too good to sit on the bench. That’s brave. But it is also risky.

Because anyone who relies so consistently on role acceptance has to deliver. If the tournament goes badly, the names that will be mentioned will be those who stayed at home.

The real question is not whether Nagelsmann is right with his squad composition. The question is whether he will retain his courage when the pressure increases. At the home European Championships he did without Goretzka – and later brought him back.

This time he announced that the March squad and the World Cup squad should be almost identical. This leaves little room for corrections.

Anyone who decides so much so early on must know that the responsibility for the result then lies entirely with them. Not with the players he didn’t nominate. Not at the clubs that rest their stars. But only with the national coach, who has decided to prioritize character over class