Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has responded to calls to drop Arsenal’s Kai Havertz for the Euro 2024 knockout stages.
Hosts Germany, who topped Group A with seven points, face Denmark on Saturday night for a place in the quarter-finals.
Havertz scored in Germany’s opening 5-1 thrashing over Scotland before drawing a blank in the 2-0 win over Hungary and 1-1 draw with Switzerland.
The 25-year-old enjoyed an impressive season for Premier League runners-up Arsenal but has been subjected to some criticism during the Euros.
Some pundits and fans have suggested Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug should be starting ahead of Havertz but Nagelsmann has defended the Gunner ahead of his side’s last-16 tie with Denmark.
Fullkrug, who played in the Champions League final earlier in the month, has impressed from the Germany bench at the Euros, scoring twice including a last-minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland last time out.
‘If you look at it from the outside, a demand for Fulle is understandable, even though Kai comes off much worse in the public assessment,’ he told RTE.
‘He has a clear job in many games, which means that he doesn’t have many ball actions because he should create space for others. He did that exceptionally well.
‘In the internal assessment, Kai is ranked much higher than in the public. For the striker, it’s not always just about scoring a goal.
‘If you’re substituted and the opponent is already tired, you might have a little more space.
‘Fulle has a good rating, but Kai is an important player for us. We’ll see who starts [against Denmark].’
Germany’s last-16 opponents Denmark finished second in Group C behind England, who they held to a 1-1 draw.
But the Danes face a tough task in the knockout stages and ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton expects them to be eliminated by Germany.
‘I am covering this game with Vicki Sparks for Radio 5 live and I’m looking forward to seeing what Germany do next,’ he told BBC Sport.
‘They started the tournament like a train against Scotland and played well again against Hungary but then found it more difficult against Switzerland.
‘They fought back well to get a draw, though, and I am a big fan of Niclas Fullkrug who came on to score their goal.
‘Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann named the same starting XI for each of those three group games but he will have to make at least one change here because Jonathan Tah is suspended after picking up two bookings.
‘We saw against England that Denmark are stubborn and well organised, and their wing-backs play an important role in the way they are set up. They also have Christian Eriksen who can make things tick when they get on the ball.
‘I am still backing the hosts to get through this one, though, because they have got enough attacking firepower to get past the Danes’ defence.’