Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann is not spending too much time thinking about Spain teenager Lamine Yamal and more considering his plans for his own player Jamal Musiala ahead of Friday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final, he said on Thursday.
The 16-year-old Yamal, the youngest player ever to feature at a Euros, has taken the tournament by storm, helping Spain to four consecutive victories with his speed and creative play down the wing.
The Germans will have to find ways to contain the teenager’s speed and skills, Nagelsmann told a press conference, but said he was more focused on his own creative forward Musiala.
“My focus is less on Yamal and more on Jamal. I think we can do a lot ourselves offensively. There are always different ways of tackling such an extremely good possession team,” Nagelsmann said. Musiala, the tournament’s joint-top scorer, has netted three times so far.
Nagelsmann said while Spain were brimming with talent and had moved away from the ‘tiki-taka’ passing game of previous years, it was his team that needed to have possession to control the game.
The Germans, who have not beaten Spain in a tournament game since 1988, are eyeing their first title in a decade after a string of disappointing tournaments.
