Julian Nagelsmann stood up for Leroy Sane before Germany’s 2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası E Grubu match against Fildişi Sahili. The Germany coach said he saw no reason not to play him, after criticism grew around Sane following the 7-1 win over Curaçao.
Deniz Undav is not part of the verified facts here, but the focus is clear: Nagelsmann made his support public at a moment when the player had just gone 90 dakika against Curaçao without a goal contribution. That leaves the immediate question on selection and trust, not just on form.
Leroy Sane and Curaçao
Sane played the full 90 dakika in the 7-1 win and did not contribute a goal. That performance became the target of German media criticism, even though the result itself was comfortable for Germany.
Nagelsmann pushed back on that reaction with a blunt line: "Onu neden oynatmayayım ki? Dışarıdan gelen yorumların etkisinde kalan biri değilim. Teknik ekip olarak bir görüşümüz var, takımın da bir görüşü var. Ayrıca sahada çok iyi yaptığı şeyler gördük."
Julian Nagelsmann’s response
He went further and described the criticism as a "psikolojik olgu". His point was not about one bad touch or one missed chance; it was about the way a player gets framed after a match and how quickly that label can stretch a routine performance into a bigger judgment.
That view was spelled out even more clearly in another line: "Bir insanı belli bir kalıba sokup onu belirli şekilde etiketlediğinizde, o yönde görülen en küçük şey bile olduğundan çok daha büyük değerlendirilir." For Sane, that means the conversation has moved from the scoreline to how his work on the pitch is being read.
Before Fildişi Sahili
Nagelsmann also said the criticism did not trouble Sane as much as it troubled him. "Şunu garanti edebilirim ki bu durum onu rahatsız etmiyor. Açıkçası bu daha çok beni rahatsız ediyor. Oyuncularım hakkında böyle şeyler yazılmasından hoşlanmıyorum."
That is the practical part of the story for Germany before Fildişi Sahili: the coach has put his backing on record, but he has not answered the only question that now matters for the lineup. Will Leroy Sane be selected to play against Fildişi Sahili?
