Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said his side are still trying to close the gap on the top teams in the world after their 2-0 Nations League defeat by France on Sunday but he was confident they are building something special.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise earned France the victory and third place in the Nations League. Nagelsmann saw improvement in his side from their 2-1 semi-final defeat by Portugal on Wednesday.
“If we perform like we did today and don’t take a step back against the teams in the World Cup qualifiers, then hopefully, we’ll march through and prepare well,” he told reporters.
“Of course, we’re still a few percentage points behind where we want to be, and behind the top teams in the world. We can’t tear down the world in a year or two and make up for everything that may not have gone 100 per cent right over several years.
“Nevertheless, I sense something in the whole group, both the players and the staff, something special. There’s a special touch and a lot of potential still in waiting.”
Germany, who last won the World Cup in 2014 and have been eliminated in the group stage in the past two editions, are in Group A of Europe’s qualifiers for the 2026 tournament in North America.
They begin their campaign in September against Slovakia in Bratislava.
