Julian Nagelsmann Believes Germany Face Real Tests in World Cup Group E

While many supporters of the German national team consider the World Cup draw favourable — with Germany set to face Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curaçao — head coach Julian Nagelsmann insists that the group presents its own challenges.

“It’s not a super easy group, but a manageable one. We want to win our group-stage matches. The most important thing is to take it one step at a time: get through the group and reach the knockout stage, without taking the second step before the first. Every opponent deserves respect. But I think it’s also perfectly normal to consider whom you might face in the later rounds and what it will take to go far,” Nagelsmann said, as reported by @iMiaSanMia.

“Curaçao will be interesting to analyse, but we will not make the mistake of underestimating them. Ivory Coast are a team that can be beaten, but certainly should not be taken lightly. Ecuador will not be easy to play against. They have three or four genuine top players and finished second behind Argentina in the qualifiers.”

Privately, Nagelsmann may well be delighted with the outcome of the draw, regardless of his public tone. On paper, Germany appear well positioned to progress beyond the group stage of a World Cup for the first time since 2014.