"We'll see who starts against Denmark" – Julian Nagelsmann weighs in on Kai Havertz vs Niclas Fullkrug debate for Germany at Euro 2024
Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has asserted that Kai Havertz is vital to his side's playing style ahead of their UEFA Euro 2024 last-16 match against Denmark on Saturday (June 29).
So far, Havertz has started all three of his national team's games at the Euro 2024. The 25-year-old Arsenal star has recorded a goal and an assist at the tournament, whereas Borussia Dortmund forward Niclas Fullkrug has scored two goals in three substitute appearances.
Ahead of Germany's last-16 game at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, Nagelsmann was asked if Fullkrug would start ahead of Havertz against Denmark. He replied to German television channel RTL (h/t 90min):
"If you look at it from the outside, a demand for [Fullkrug] is understandable, even though Kai comes off much worse in the public assessment. He has a clear job in many games, which means that he doesn't have many ball actions because he should create space for others. He did that exceptionally well."
Nagelsmann, who helped his team finish atop Group A, continued:
"In our internal assessment, Kai is ranked much higher than he is in the public. For the striker, it's not always just about scoring a goal. If you're substituted and the opponent is already tired, you might have a little more space. Fulle has a good rating, but Kai is an important player for us. We'll see who starts [against Denmark]."
Chris Sutton offers prediction for upcoming Germany-Denmark last-16 tie at Euro 2024
In his column for BBC, ex-Chelsea star Chris Sutton backed Germany to record a 2-0 win over Denmark in their Euro 2024 clash. He wrote:
"I'm looking forward to seeing what Germany do next. They started the tournament like a train against Scotland and played well again against Hungary but then found it more difficult against Switzerland. They fought back well to get a draw, though, and I am a big fan of Niclas Fullkrug who came on to score their goal."
Sutton, who represented England just once during his career, added:
"We saw against England that Denmark are stubborn and well organised, and their wing-backs play an important role in the way they are set up. They also have Christian Eriksen who can make things tick when they get on the ball. I am still backing the hosts to get through this one, though, because they have got enough attacking firepower to get past the Danes' defence."
Germany finished atop Group A of the ongoing Euro 2024 with seven points, while Denmark ended as second in Group C with three points.
Julian Nagelsmann's side have recorded 15 victories and eight losses in their last 28 overall meetings against the Euro 1992 champions.