A torn meniscus had sidelined Nico Schlotterbeck for months. But now the defender is back on the pitch—and is set to help the national team right away, as national coach Julian Nagelsmann revealed.
Nico Schlotterbeck is back—and made an immediate impact. The 25-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Wolfsburg and the 2-0 win over Mainz, helping BVB pick up six points.
Now he is set to return to the national team. Speaking on the sidelines of the premiere of a Sky documentary about the life of DFB sporting director Rudi Völler, national coach Julian Nagelsmann revealed that Schlotterbeck would “definitely be there” and that he had “earned it.”
Nagelsmann pointed out that Schlotterbeck no longer has “any problems” and at the same time emphasized the defender’s usefulness: “He gives us outstanding build-up play, a great will to win and, finally, a left foot at the back again. He was the best man on the pitch in his last international match against Italy and is now welcome to be so again. We are very happy to have him back.“
On Thursday, Nagelsmann will name his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg on Friday, October 10, and Northern Ireland three days later. In general, the national coach wants to be guided ”a little more” by the players’ current form, but he also has other aspects to consider.
Unstable situation
The national coach also hinted that there should not be many surprises in his squad this time around. “One or two, maybe,” said Nagelsmann, revealing that the team had been “discussing for four weeks” how to handle the situation.
“Players are easier to integrate in stable situations,” explained the 38-year-old, noting with regard to the current situation at the DFB that “we are in a very unstable situation.” In this respect, it is “not advisable” to bring many new players on board.
The problem with the core
And yet it is also the case that key players such as Marc-André ter Stegen, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, and Antonio Rüdiger are currently injured and need to be replaced. That is a serious problem.
“If we define a core, but the players are never there, it’s difficult,” Nagelsmann knows: “That argues a bit against defining a core; we have a lot of injuries in key positions. So we have to remain flexible.”