As the first manager of the Germany national team ever to be sacked, Hansi Flick left a legacy, if not the one he presumably wanted. Yet should a side resurgent under his successor Julian Nagelsmann mark a recovery by winning Euro 2024, the images will reflect a more positive part of Flick’s influence. He appointed Ilkay Gundogan captain and, while Nagelsmann’s decisions often feel a repudiation of Flick’s, with a marked determination to be different, he has left the armband with the Barcelona midfielder.
Gundogan has not been deposed, even if he has been displaced. Nagelsmann’s flagship move, the proof of his powers of persuasion, some evidence Germany had recaptured their lustre, was to persuade Toni Kroos to come out of international retirement before he goes into actual retirement. It represented terrific news, except for central midfielders. Leon Goretzka lost his place in the squad altogether. Joshua Kimmich was shifted to right-back. Gundogan was pushed further forward.
