MUNICH. Many have tried, but few have succeeded. Organizing and winning the European Championship seemed automatic at the dawn of the competitiongiven that two of the first three editions rewarded the hosts (Spain 1964 and Italy 1968), and instead it has become a taboo capable of causing atrocious mockery. He knows something about it Germany who lost the 1988 edition, losing in the semi-final against the Netherlands of Gullit and Van Basten, future champions, and 36 years later they want to close that circle in front of their fans. He tries with a coach who at the time was still a year old and he is used to managing expectations as well as pressure, after having forged ahead as baby coach of Hoffenheim and Leipzig. “It’s useless to talk about the past: we’re thinking about beating Scotland and we want the country to push us after organizing a great tournament,” he says Julian Nagelsmann on the eve of the debut in the conference room of the Allianz Arena. A blow-up of the Bayern stadium looms over him and it has a bit of an effect: he should feel at home, given that he was born in Bavaria and lives there, butThe experience in the richest and most successful club in Germany has not yet been digested. The sudden and unjustified dismissal in March 2023 stings, even if it was an assist for the Mannschaft who signed him last September and perhaps found the right man to lead a group where there is no shortage of young talents (Musiala and Wirtz above all) e there is a group of champion-senators around Kroos, who lives “the last dance” after returning to the national team precisely for Nagelsmann.
Germany hasn’t won anything for ten years and after that World Cup he only collected flops. This is why he plays against everything and everyone, including the curse of a tournament that the hosts have won only 3 times in 16 editions. The last to succeed were the French in 1984 with Le Roi Platini, so stuff from forty years ago, but the Transalpines lost in 2016 in Paris against Portugal, who in turn were defeated in 2004 by Greece. Historical courses and recurrences that also involve Italy with the unfortunate 1980 edition. In the end there is much more luck in organizing a World Cup, won 6 times out of 22 by the host country, but that’s another story. Like that of Germany who “missed” their debut in three games with three defeats: the last one came against France in 2021 in Munich. Some taboos are best dispelled immediately.
