From talk of a football nation in crisis to potential dark horses for Euro 2024, it’s been quite the week for Germany, showing again that seven days is a long time in football. Could Julian Nagelsmann mastermind a stunning return to glory for both Die Mannschaft and himself this summer?

Not even 37 until nine days after the July 14 final, Nagelsmann found himself at a bit of a career crossroads after being abruptly sacked by Bayern Munich just over a year ago, with rumours of player unrest and over-complicated tactics.
Thomas Tuchel was parachuted in, viewed as a significant upgrade on his younger counterpart, while both him and Jurgen Klopp were undoubtedly the preferred candidates for the national team job.
With both unavailable, the former Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig manager was appointed last September on a short-term contract that ends after the upcoming tournament; it’s a bit of a hit and hope for both sides.
He got off to an inauspicious start, winning just one of his first four games in charge, with the fabled ‘new manager bounce’ seemingly non-existent and the continued downturn that started under Joachim Low and went into overdrive with Hansi Flick, showing little sign of being halted.
Related video: James Sharman still has faith in Gareth Southgate! (Homestand Sports)

but international friendlies before a major tournament hold weight because

Friendlies against France and the Netherlands, arguably their two biggest rivals alongside England, could have spelled disaster for Nagelsmann. Instead, two wins and two strong performances have breathed new life into the nation, with revolution now in the air.
It took only seven seconds in Lyon for that sentiment to grow, and it fittingly came from two players of different eras but who could be the symbols of this current team.
Toni Kroos’ return was a major boon for Nagelsmann, with the Real Madrid man still at the peak of his powers and enjoying a brilliant season.
His metronomic passing is widely renowned, and it was a quick lofted ball to Florian Wirtz that put the young Bayer Leverkusen star in range to fire in his first international goal from 25 yards to the amazement of everyone in attendance.
Wirtz, alongside fellow starlet Jamal Musiala, is the great hope for a brighter future but his time is evidently now. Both will start this summer and are key to Germany’s attacking threat in the absence of a top-level striker – an issue that has plagued the country for close to a decade.

READ: Will Wirtz or Musiala be the next £100m footballer?
That striker role is likely to be filled by Kai Havertz, scorer of the second goal against France and someone who’s shushed his numerous critics of late. Niclas Fulkrig will serve as his deputy – he scored the late winner against the Dutch, showing Nagelsmann’s ability to change both the shape of his side and a game from the touchline.
Kroos isn’t the only member of the old guard still about either; Thomas Muller came off the bench, Ilkay Gundogan remains a big threat in the 10 role, while a fit Manuel Neuer will be the starting keeper.
While only 29, Joshua Kimmich has over 80 caps, adding further experience to the side. Nagelsmann has moved him to right-back, which, despite not being his favourite position, has worked a treat so far for the Bayern midfielder.
His regular spot in midfield has been taken by one of the two uncapped players drafted into the team – Robert Andrich, a key cog in Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen machine this season.

Andrich does the dirty work, allowing Gundogan and Kroos the freedom to do what they do best. Leon Goretzka’s omission from the squad raised eyebrows, and questions about his relationship with his former club manager, but he has not been missed to date.
Aleksander Pavlovic has displaced Goretzka at club level, and is another potential option in midfield.
The other unlikely success story in the Bundesliga this season, third-placed Stuttgart, has catapulted one of their stars – left-back Maximillian Mittelstadt – into first choice in another problem position. His equaliser against the Netherlands was the exclamation point.
Nagelsmann lavished the 27-year-old with praise, calling him “statistically the best Bundesliga left-back by some margin right now” and “one of the four best” in the world.
Quietly an established first XI has been formed – Antonio Rudiger and Jonathan Tah completing the back four – and suddenly, things are looking up.

You would be foolish to ever write off the Germans – haven’t we learned this over time? Despite their recent woes, they are a tournament team and history certainly matters in the biggest moments; just ask England.
Outside of Gareth Southgate’s side and France, as well as maybe Portugal (dependent on Roberto Martinez), there aren’t too many sides that look strong enough to triumph, and Nagelsmann is arguably the best manager in the tournament alongside Italy’s Luciano Spalletti.
It is the potential differentiator for Germany, as well as the fact they are hosting the tournament and every game will be a cauldron of noise. Of course, added pressure comes with that, but it certainly worked in their favour with their last gig in 2006.
Nagelsmann is the only manager who should be in the reckoning for any of the big jobs this summer – apologies Southgate, you are not the one, despite what the All Saints song might have once said.

READ: Southgate to Man Utd? England boss has been replicating Ten Hag’s biggest failing for years
There are plenty of options too. He has been linked with the Barcelona and Manchester United jobs, while there could be openings at Chelsea and Newcastle. Liverpool can’t be ruled out, while a return to Bayern isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
The ongoing issues at Germany’s biggest club have helped somewhat repair the bruised reputation of Nagelsmann, and it’s not as if other top managers haven’t been sacked there before.
Success at the Euros – which is probably a semi-final berth and some good performances – will likely see him end up in one of the mentioned dug-outs come August.
Anything more and he could have his pick. Taking the national team job was a serious risk for the young manager, but it could yet have multiple rewards. A big summer awaits.

Three-in-three Marcus Rashford must ‘seriously raise his game’ if he wants to avoid England Clamour

There needs to be a narrative from an international break and this week, we are all pretending that Marcus Rashford is in awful form (he’s scored more than Bellingham, Toney or Gordon in 2024) and will be dropped.
 
Rash decision
There is inevitable speculation about the likely make-up of the England squad in the English media (like the England ladder but not as good), with The Sun‘s Charlie Wyett along those trying to ramp up the notion that Marcus Rashford is likely to miss out.

Yes, the same Marcus Rashford who has more England goals than any other current player bar Harry Kane. Yes, the same Marcus Rashford who has played 57 games under Southgate and has been in every England squad since the World Cup, where he excelled. That Marcus Rashford.
First, what kind of lunatic narrative is this?

Either way, it is a tournament the England manager has to win.
This is the new Golden Generation and this one must deliver.

Ludicrous. England are quite rightly one of the favourites but France are World Cup finalists. And Germany are the hosts. If you’re thinking that this is a tournament England ‘have to win’ then you are one of the myriad reasons why England are likely to fail.

Southgate possesses a reputation for sticking with his favourites while refusing to pick players on form.
Yet the dramatic elevation of Kobbie Mainoo – and Ivan Toney’s selection after his betting ban – is proof that there is recognition and reward for those who tear it up in the top flight.

Pesky fact: Ivan Toney has not scored in his last five Premier League games. Toney has been picked precisely because he is a favourite of Southgate; Ollie Watkins is the striker currently ‘tearing it up in the top flight’.

In contrast, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, Jack Wilshere, Chris Smalling and Dele Alli will testify that Southgate can be a smiling assassin with little regard for big reputations and often there is NO way back.
There is sometimes a chance of salvation. John Stones (16 months) and Kyle Walker (15 months) were both bombed out of the England squad for long periods and had to fight incredibly hard to get back into the reckoning.

Wyett has conveniently forgotten the small matter of Covid here; Stones was ‘bombed out’ for three international squads at the back end of 2020 while Walker was ‘bombed’ out for three international squads at the back end of 2019. Neither missed a tournament.

Even so, Raheem Sterling looks stuffed for the Euros, even though he was England’s best player at the same tournament three years ago and has a wealth of experience with 82 caps.
And this is a warning as to why both Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish need to sort themselves out and end the seasons with a flourish.

Now Sterling has definitely been ‘bombed out’. Unlike Rashford, who is nowhere close to being bombed out. And has also – and this seems important – scored in his last three Manchester United games, making it six goals in his last 12 club games. What exactly does he need to ‘sort’?

Rashford has to seriously raise his game. He has scored 17 goals in 60 games for England but remains infuriatingly inconsistent and previously irked Southgate by the number of times he has pulled out of squads.

See above. We’re not sure how he ‘raises his game’ from scoring in three consecutive matches.
And ‘previously irked’ is the key here; he has pulled out of one squad since returning to the England fold for the 2022 World Cup. Southgate has spoken extensively about his importance since then.

Although he suffered a poor start to the season with Manchester United, Rashford played well in the 3-1 win at Scotland in September and scored against Italy in the 3-1 triumph in October.
Since then, Rashford continued to struggle for United and let himself down with an unauthorised trip to Belfast in January which included a 12-hour Tequila bender. Southgate would have been both concerned and hugely unimpressed.

Well he clearly hasn’t ‘continued to struggle’ in recent weeks. And Southgate called him up for these March friendlies, suggesting he is very much part of his plans.

Although Watkins was poor against Brazil, if he breaks the 30-goal barrier for Aston Villa and Rashford continues to look lost, Southgate could end up axing the United star.

‘Continues to look lost’? He’s fresh off the back of scoring an extra-time equaliser v Liverpool in the FA Cup. And we do feel a tad sorry for Watkins, but he has started back-to-back England games without making an impact; it probably doesn’t matter if he breaks the 40-goal barrier for Aston Villa.
 
More Rash decisions
Over to the Daily Mirror now and John Cross has a card he wants to play…

England stars Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish are in serious danger of missing out on the Euros.
Manchester United forward Rashford must rediscover his form while Grealish has been plagued by injury which has put his place in the squad in serious jeopardy even if UEFA decide to allow nations to name 26 man squads. England boss Gareth Southgate admitted that he wanted to look at other contenders ahead of Rashford for the back-to-back friendlies with Brazil and Belgium.

He really must ‘rediscover his form’; after all, a grand total of six English players have outscored him so far in 2024, all of whom are in the England squad barring Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
He has scored the same number of goals (5) in 2024 as Jarrod Bowen and is ahead of Ivan ‘tearing it up in the top flight’ Toney as well as Anthony Gordon and golden boy Jude Bellingham.
And is it possible that Southgate ‘wanted to look at other contenders ahead of Rashford’ because he’s certain about Rashford but needed to see Gordon and Bowen? That’s certainly why Watkins has been picked ahead of Harry Kane in several Autumn internationals.

Southgate names his provisional squad for the Euros on May 21 and the clock is ticking for Rashford with Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and potentially Jarrod Bowen ahead of him.‌ Rashford, who was fined by United earlier in the season after going on a boozy trip to Belfast, was just a substitute against Brazil and was fit for selection against Belgium but did not get any minutes‌.

The slight problem with that list of players ‘ahead of’ Rashford is that most of them don’t play in the same position. Saka is England’s first-choice right-winger, Foden is England’s first-choice left-winger, and Cross has then named two more forwards who don’t play on the left. Rashford’s direct competition comes from Grealish and Gordon, who has started one friendly England game.
And Gordon is not ‘ahead of’ Rashford after that one game. Unless you are desperate for a back-page headline, that is.
READ: The F365 England ladder has Rashford keeping his place
 
All of the Rash decisions
Mediawatch expects a little better from The Guardian than this:

Rashford’s England rivals circle as his United slump goes international

FFS.
And the Daily Telegraph say: ‘Despite being without captain Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, England manager Gareth Southgate gave Rashford just 15 minutes across the final friendlies, against Brazil and Belgium, before he names a provisional squad for the Euros.’
Yes, despite being without two footballers who play in different positions, Southgate gave Rashford just 15 minutes across two friendlies.
And despite England being without Luke Shaw and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson didn’t get off the bench at all. Clearly, he is toast.
Related video: Erik ten Hag says Manchester United have no plans to sell Marcus Rashford (Daily Mail)

You have envisaged a situation where the club may look

Premier League chief Richard Masters wanted 13-point deduction for Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest would have been slapped with a 13-point deduction had the independent commission listened to the recommended punishment outlined by Premier League CEO RIchard Masters.
Forest were deducted four points earlier this month after they were charged for breaking Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules, reduced from six due to the club’s compliance with the investigation.

Masters wanted a 13-point deduction

But when speaking to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Premier League chief Masters recommended that any breach should be a six-point deduction, plus a further points for every £5m over the limit.
As football finance expert Kieran Maguire has explained, that means Forest’s £34.5m overspend should have seen them docked 13 points, which would now see them rooted to the bottom of the table.
“I think what we have seen from the Nottingham Forest hearing is a much more concise and interesting breakdown,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“But that has generated as many questions as it provides answers.
“The Premier League, according to the commission, asked for an eight-point deduction.
“Yet, when you look at Richard Master’s submissions to DCMS, he said that the Premier League’s preferred tariff would be a six-point deduction and an extra one point for every £5million over the limit.
Related video: Nottingham Forest drop into Premier League relegation zone after being deducted four points (Dailymotion)

“That means that under the Premier League’s own suggestion, they were asking for a 13-point deduction – yet they only asked for eight.
“So we’ve got increased confusion and an increased lack of clarity coming from those at the top.”
READ MORE: Liverpool sign Murillo as Elanga returns: Nottingham Forest stars reassigned due to FFP…

Nottingham Forest appeal

Forest, who consulted lawyers before deciding to appeal, were disappointed with the ruling and said the process has “harmed the trust and confidence we had in the Premier League”.
Forest had no further statement to make about the matter on Monday when they confirmed their appeal.

“Nottingham Forest can confirm that it has today lodged an appeal against the four-point sanction imposed by the commission in relation to the club’s breach of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR),” the statement read.
“The club will not be making any further statement at this time.”
READ MORE: What the FFP is going on with Man City, Chelsea, Everton and Nottingham Forest?