Julian Nagelsmann walked into the press conference knowing the question was coming. And when it did, he didn’t sugarcoat it. Nico Schlotterbeck is done for the World Cup. The Borussia Dortmund center-back tore a medial ligament in his left ankle during Germany’s 2-1 win over Côte d’Ivoire over the weekend, and the scans came back about as bad as they could have.
He’ll be out for months. Not weeks. Months.
The injury happened in a fairly routine play. Schlotterbeck went up for a header, came down wrong, and immediately grabbed at his ankle. The stadium went quiet. Germany fans watching at home probably felt that knot in their stomach too. Turns out, they had every reason to worry.
Nagelsmann didn’t hide what this means for the team, or for Schlotterbeck personally.
“Schlotti will be greatly missed on the pitch as an outstanding defender, especially for his excellent build-up play,” Nagelsmann said. “This could have been his World Cup.”
That last part stings. Schlotterbeck is 26, in his prime, and this was supposed to be the tournament where he locked down a starting spot for years to come. Instead, he’s crutching around the team hotel while the rest of the squad prepares for the knockout rounds without him.
Nagelsmann also talked about the human side of it. The team tried to rally around him after the diagnosis came through.
“Yesterday we all tried to lift him up — fortunately he is a very positive character who is already looking ahead again,” Nagelsmann said. “It is a good sign that he will initially stay here with the team, because he also has an impact off the pitch.”
So Schlotterbeck is sticking around for now. That’s not nothing. But Germany still has to figure out who fills that massive gap in central defense.
Who steps in?
The good news for Nagelsmann is he’s not exactly scraping the barrel. Jonathan Tah has been playing at an elite level all season. Antonio Rüdiger is Antonio Rüdiger — experienced, vocal, occasionally chaotic but usually effective. Waldemar Anton and Malick Thiaw are both capable options off the bench.
Expect Rüdiger to slot in alongside Tah for the next match. That pairing has the chops to handle most attacks. But Schlotterbeck brought something specific with his passing range and his ability to break lines from deep. Germany’s build-up play won’t look quite the same without him spraying those diagonal balls to the wingers.
Nagelsmann acknowledged they’re still well covered. He named all four of his healthy center-backs in his comments, which felt like a deliberate message to the squad: we’re fine, keep moving.
Still, losing a starter this early in a World Cup is never ideal. Germany’s path to the final was already going to be tough. Now it just got a little harder.
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