After Germany’s 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the concluded FIFA World Cup European Qualifier, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann gave an interview to the media, sharing his views and feelings about the match.
On his views on the match
This was definitely not our best performance. The atmosphere on the pitch was very intense, and we had to give our all—fighting for the second, third, and fourth balls, competing for every single ball. Even the referee could hardly notice all the details that happened. In the end, a set piece played a decisive role; we practice this a lot because it’s crucial. This was an "ugly" win, but the most important thing is that we know how to secure three points in this way.
On Oliver Baumann’s performance and whether discussions about Manuel Neuer’s comeback annoy you
"Since Neuer retired, we have not lost a single game due to goalkeeping errors. Neuer has performed extremely well this season, but our goalkeeping issue is not serious. Such discussions are not helpful to anyone—neither to our goalkeepers nor to Neuer himself, who is focused on Bayern."
On the significance of winning the match
To be honest, the most important thing today is the result in the league table. It’s hard to play a brilliant game here. The ball was flying all over the place, and Northern Ireland is very good at using long passes to attack your defense, so you have to fight hard to seize opportunities.
