"Then I can forget about my credibility!" Julian Nagelsmann makes his position clear in the debate over Deniz Undav

"Deniz has plenty of good moments, especially when the opposition is already tired. His qualities tend to fade a bit when he has to work hard during the match. If we look at what we did in the first 60 to 70 minutes against Switzerland to win the game, that’s exactly how it will be at the World Cup. That’s one reason," Nagelsmann explained on ARD.

He cited a second reason: "We have defined roles. And I must stick to them in the next two matches, otherwise I can forget about my credibility. If I then do everything differently, there’s no point in having the discussion about roles in the first place."

Even in the run-up to the 2024 European Championship, Nagelsmann had considered it crucial to his decisions which player was best suited to which role in the squad, thereby justifying, for example, the omission of Leon Goretzka – who is, however, now once again a regular in the national team. Nagelsmann had also initially justified the omission of Angelo Stiller ahead of the international matches against Switzerland and Ghana on the basis of his role, but then called him up after Aleksandar Pavlovic’s injury and selected him in the starting line-up for both matches.

Nagelsmann’s reasoning can be backed up by the statistics, which show that Undav is indeed more effective in the closing stages of a match. Of his 23 goals this season for VfB Stuttgart, he scored seven in the first half and 16 in the second – although he was usually in the starting line-up for those matches.

From the outset, the national team manager put his faith in Nick Woltemade against Ghana, a player who has seen very little action at Newcastle United in recent weeks and has become a symbol of the crisis. Nagelsmann also attributed this slump to the club manager of the former Stuttgart player. He explained: "I tried to reassure him. It has nothing to do with him. If you look at Newcastle, it’s the same for everyone. Even in the two crucial Champions League matches, Gordon was left on the bench despite being the top scorer. I think it’s Eddie Howe’s philosophy to rotate the squad a lot.”

He suggested that Woltemade would act as a backup for Kai Havertz at the World Cup. "He is a very good player who can also take the pressure off Kai when we need a similar type of player."

Undav, on the other hand, is a different type of player, “more of a finisher”, which he actually proved against Ghana. After coming on as a substitute, it was he who secured victory for the DFB team with his goal.

After the match, the Stuttgart player also spoke about his role as a substitute in an ARD interview. Undav said: "I’ve had a chat with the national coach; I know my role. But scoring goals might just change my role." He then added: "I’m simply trying to accept my role, carry on, give it my all, and score goals for the team. That’s the most important thing."

Earlier, he had indirectly made a case for a place in the starting line-up. Undav analysed: "We were already in control in the first half and really should have scored from our chances and half-chances, or at least posed an even greater threat."

Immediately after the 4-3 victory over Switzerland, Nagelsmann had vehemently defended his decision to bring on Woltemade rather than Undav. He explained that in such a “highly intense match”, Undav had not necessarily been able to showcase “his many qualities, particularly when he has the ball himself”. Furthermore, he said it was the national coach’s job to boost Woltemade’s confidence given his difficult situation at his club, whereas Undav, who is in fine form, did not need this.

The 29-year-old striker from VfB Stuttgart had also caused a stir in the run-up to the squad announcement, having stated that he had had no contact with Nagelsmann since the winter break – for which the coach, in turn, publicly defended himself.

During the international match in Stuttgart, he was once again the centre of attention from the start despite being on the bench: the crowd chanted his name three times in the first half. Undav responded with a smile and waved to the crowd, clearly delighted. Undav responded with a smile and waved to the crowd, clearly delighted. TV pundit Bastian Schweinsteiger joked: “I was a bit disappointed that he didn’t bring himself on as a substitute.”

Undav finally came on for Serge Gnabry at the start of the second half, once again accompanied by chants from the crowd. In the 88th minute, Undav scored the winning goal to make it 2-1 for the German national team, following an assist from Leroy Sané.