Germany vs. Paraguay: The key selection dilemmas facing Julian Nagelsmann ahead of World Cup 2026 last-32 clash

Germany are preparing for their archetypal World Cup knockout quality successful 12 years aft finishing apical of Group E astatine this summer’s tournament, though they participate the circular of 32 connected a disappointing note.

Having already qualified arsenic radical winners, caput manager Julian Nagelsmann opted against wide rotation for Germany’s last fixture against Ecuador, and that determination backfired arsenic Die Mannschaft fell to a 2-1 defeat past Thursday.

The four-time satellite champions volition beryllium keen to bounce backmost with a triumph successful their last-32 brushwood with Paraguay successful Boston connected Monday, but Nagelsmann has been presented with respective enactment dilemmas up of this important knockout fixture.

How Kimmich positional alteration could payment Germany successful midfield and defence

Germany person conceded successful each 3 games astatine the World Cup frankincense far, portion they person not kept a cleanable expanse successful immoderate of their past 9 World Cup games since winning the 2014 last 1-0 against Argentina.

Forty-year-old Manuel Neuer has struggled betwixt the sticks, but it would beryllium a existent astonishment to spot the seasoned dropped for this last-32 tie. Nagelsmann whitethorn contemplate a reshuffle successful the full-back departments, though.

Germany skipper Joshua Kimmich is 1 of the nationalist team’s astir dependable players, but his skillset is amended suited successful midfield wherever helium plays regularly astatine nine level with Bayern Munich, according to 1990 World Cup and Ballon d’Or victor Lothar Matthaus.

“Do him a favour and get him retired of the backline,” Matthaus told Bild. “I don’t spot the Joshua connected the transportation that I’ve known for years.

“At Bayern Munich, helium is implicit world-class. In presumption of his assemblage connection and positioning, I don’t spot him arsenic idiosyncratic who leads the squad oregon exerts power erstwhile things aren’t going well. From the right-back spot, helium conscionable can’t look to negociate it.”

Germany could payment successful cardinal positions if Kimmich takes up the relation of a midfield orchestrator astatine the disbursal of Alexander Pavlovic, who has failed to scope the heights expected astatine this World Cup, with in-form Felix Nmecha playing alongside him.

Die Mannschaft could besides payment from this determination defensively, arsenic a much diversion and pacey option, specified arsenic Nathaniel Brown, could regenerate Kimmich astatine right-back to help neutralise direct, skillful opponents connected the flanks.

Brown is predominantly a left-back and played determination successful Germany’s archetypal 2 World Cup games, but the versatile 23-year-old is susceptible of moving to the right.

Should Nagelsmann beryllium against the thought of playing a left-footed subordinate astatine right-back, past either Malick Thiaw oregon Pascal Gross could beryllium considered successful a makeshift right-back role.

David Raum, meanwhile, could clasp his starting spot astatine left-back if Brown starts connected the right, arsenic Jonathan Tah and Antonio Rudiger renew their concern astatine centre-back pursuing the wounded sustained by Nico Schlotterbeck.

Should Sane clasp starting spot connected the close wing?

Nagelsmann besides faces a captious determination connected the close helping regarding whether Leroy Sane did capable successful the last radical crippled to fastener down a starting role.

Sane exploded into beingness against Ecuador, scoring the opening extremity aft conscionable 1 infinitesimal and 49 seconds to registry the second-fastest World Cup extremity successful Germany's history.

However, the 30-year-old Galatasaray winger’s performances person been mostly underwhelming and helium has received disapproval for his wide attacking output.

While keeping Sane successful Germany’s lineup rewards directness and offers the cleanable instrumentality to agelong Paraguay’s compact antiaircraft block, Nagelsmann whitethorn beryllium tempted to revert to a much possession-oriented attacker to power the game's tempo.

Jamie Leweling would correspond a like-for-like replacement for Sane, but playmaker Jamal Musiala is besides a contender to determination implicit to the close broadside of attack, particularly if Nagelsmann decides to marque different alteration successful the last 3rd (see below!)

Is Undav Germany’s super-sub oregon a deserving starter?

The eventual focal constituent of Julian Nagelsmann’s tactical headache surrounds however champion to deploy 1 of Germany's astir businesslike interaction players: Deniz Undav.

Arsenal's Kai Havertz is inactive heavy favoured to pb the enactment from the opening whistle, but Undav's explosive returns of 3 goals and 2 assists arsenic a substitute marque it incredibly hard to relegate him backmost to the bench.

Undav, a "born goalscorer" successful the eyes of Nagelsmann, has surely made an interaction connected the planetary signifier since making his debut successful March 2024, straight contributed to 13 goals (nine goals, 4 assists) successful 12 caps for Germany, with his minutes-per-goalscoring ratio lasting astatine 50.78.

If Nagelsmann opts to commencement both, Germany could unleash a fascinating dynamic wherever Undav and Havertz perpetually alternate betwixt the cardinal striker presumption and the fig 10 relation passim the match.

This positional fluidity would let them to nexus up seamlessly with Musiala and Florian Wirtz, creating a dizzying, unpredictable beforehand 4 susceptible of pulling Paraguay’s rigid antiaircraft lines wholly retired of shape.

While Undav has publically stated helium is perfectly blessed accepting a super-sub identity, accommodating his lethal output alongside Havertz mightiness conscionable beryllium the tactical masterstroke Germany needs to spark their knockout campaign.

Possible Germany starting XI vs. Paraguay: Neuer; Brown, Rudiger, Tah, Raum; Kimmich, Nmecha; Musiala, Undav, Wirtz; Havertz