Boston, June 25 (IANS) Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has criticised the FIFA World Cup scheduling format, arguing that teams finishing at the top of their groups are placed at a disadvantage due to limited preparation time ahead of the knockout rounds.

Germany secured first place in Group E after collecting enough points to guarantee qualification before the end of the group stage. However, the four-time world champions will not know the identity of their Round of 32 opponents until the conclusion of several other group matches later this week.

The delayed confirmation leaves Germany’s coaching and analysis staff with a narrow window to finalise preparations before their knockout fixture in Boston on June 29.

“I don’t think it’s ideal that you’re somewhat punished for winning the group. I’m not a big fan of it. Anyone can imagine that there are better setups than scrubbing through footage all Saturday night, only to present the opponent to the team on Sunday,” Nagelsmann told reporters.

With several possible opponents still in contention, Germany’s support staff have already begun extensive scouting work to avoid being caught unprepared once the final standings are confirmed.

According to Nagelsmann, the coaching group has split responsibilities and started analysing likely opponents well in advance of the knockout stage.

“We have divided up the opponents that are most likely. I’ve watched a bit, and our analysis team has watched some. We have all already watched three or four games of the potential opponents. We can work through the night once in a while; it’s not that bad,” he added.

Germany will now await the completion of the remaining group-stage fixtures before learning the team standing between them and a place in the Round of 16. Germany is one of the most successful teams in World Cup history, winning four titles; however, they suffered back-to-back group-stage exits in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. This time, the champion side has crossed the barrier.

–IANS

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