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German national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann answered a direct question about the fact that he selected a relatively disproportionate number of Premier League players during his Thursday DFB press conference. A little later, it was time to discuss specifics.
In addition to supplying a glowing endorsement of Brighton’s Pascal Groß, Nagelsmann went into great depth as to why he opted to call up former Leeds United and former Hoffenheim man Anton Stach. The 27-year-old is back with the senior team after earning his first two caps in 2022.
What makes Anton Stach’s call up interesting
Nagelsmann’s selection of Stach runs contrary to his comments on the player in a recent interview with Kicker Magazine. Nagelsmann actually struck a rather cruel tone when discussing the Hamburg native’s work on the Isle, calling him “not the best tackler” and noting that Stach “wasn’t the strongest in the air“.
Nagelsmann also noted that he was fond of Stach’s work as a central defender in a back-three. This seemed to play a role in why Stach got the nod over the likes of Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Robin Koch.
Nagelsmann on Premier League players:
“The fact that there’s a few more players from England has nothing to do with the Premier League,” Nagelsmann noted in response to an early question. “Naturally, it is a league that demands a lot of physicality from players. We do receive players who are physically quite fit and trained in a specific type of football. [It’s a league] That’s quite fast and demands a lot of players due to the packed schedule, but which league a footballer plays in isn’t a criteria for selection.“
Nagelsmann on Stach:
“We wanted a No. 6 with a different profile,” Nagelsmann said of Stach. “His journey has been from a No. 6 to a No. 4 [central defender] and then up to a No. 8. With Robert [Andrich], the path is the other way around. Both of them have a similar profile, yet bring a different physical robustness. With Robert, thanks to his training performances and European Championship experience, we know what we’re getting athletically and personally. We know what we’re getting with him.
“Stach hasn’t had a chance to prove himself with us yet,” Nagelsmann continued. “He’s playing with Leeds. Unlike Leon [Goretzka] with Bayern and even Robert [Andrich] with Leverkusen, Leeds aren’t favored to win many matches in the Premier League. We want to see how he can give to us with [this underdog mentality].
“He [Stach] was very happy,” Nagelsmann concluded. “He was euphoric upon receiving the call and will see if he can bring this euphoria with him this week. It meant a lot to him that he was valued. We’ll see if he can slip in and compete with a few of the other players I’ve mentioned.“
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