Maximilian Mittelstädt praises Julian Nagelsmann after Germany beat Hungary 2-0

Germany sealed their place in the round of 16 for Euro 2024 with their 2-0 win over Hungary in Stuttgart, following up on their emphatic 5-1 win over Scotland at the Allianz Arena last week to open the tournament. Hungary also lost their first group stage match against Switzerland 3-1, which means Germany is mathematically guaranteed a place in the knockout stages with one group match left to spare, which is against Switzerland.

Hungary did register four shots on target against Germany and did force Manuel Neuer to make a spectacular save in the first half, but Julian Nagelsmann’s side were by far the better team and the deserved winners. Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala netted home a goal eerily similar to the goal he scored against Scotland in the 22nd minute and Barcelona’s Ilkay Gündoğan scored Germany’s much-deserved second goal in the 67th minute.

For Nagelsmann, there is now a bit of weight lifted off of his shoulders with the amount of pressure he is under for this tournament, especially given how poor Germany had been for their friendlies at the end of 2023 an beginning of this year. They went through a poor run during the end of Hansi Flick’s reign and slumped again under Nagelsmann, but they look a finely-tuned machine thus far at the Euros.

After the win over Hungary, defender Maximilian Mittelstädt, who assisted Gündoğan’s goal in the second half praised the German manager, saying that he has the right attitude and approach despite the immense pressure he might be under. “Despite his status, he’s a very down-to-earth guy and has a good relationship with the team. He has extreme energy,” the defender told Abendzeitung’s Maximilian Koch (via @iMiaSanMia).

It is evident with the evidence on display from Germany’s opening two Euro 2024 that Nagelsmann has struck the right balance and harmony within the squad and it is a breathe a fresh air to see a player like Mittelstadt perform so well. He has been able to carry his form over from VfB Stuttgart to Germany seamlessly, and that is more testament to the preparation work Nagelsmann has done.