The Freiburg left centre-back was recently called up to the German national team and he is one of the best players in the Bundesliga this season.
“I am not a person who desires to play in England or Spain. I have always wanted to play in the Bundesliga, preferably with the best team.” Nico Schlottbeck recently accepted “Kicker” Said in the interview.
This is not a hint; it is a very clear statement. The 22-year-old Freiburg central defender is open to offers from Bayern Munich and is ready to take the next step in the summer.
Since Jule looks likely to leave, Bayern has entered the market to find a central defender, so this deal looks feasible, and Schlotterbeck is widely regarded as Germany’s best young player.
For many people, he is the most impressive defender in the Bundesliga so far this season-he is the main figure in Freiburg’s gorgeous defense. The team has only conceded 16 goals in 17 games. Bayern tied for the best defensive record in the Bundesliga.
Freiburg has zeroed opponents seven times and the team ranked third during the winter break. This may be the club’s best season since 1994-95, when they finished third.
Schlotterbeck even scored a few goals in December, which was the icing on the cake in his breakthrough year.
At the beginning of 2021, almost no German fans had heard of this defender. He hardly played for Freiburg in the 2019-20 season, and he suffered a muscle injury when he was loaned to Berlin United in the previous season and missed it. The first half of the season.
However, in January, he regained his health and delivered an outstanding performance, helping Berlin jointly win seventh place in the Bundesliga and qualify for the European Cup.
Berlin United wanted to extend his loan contract, but Freiburg coach Christian Streiich wanted Schlottbeck to return to the team. Since then, he has built a defensive line around the left-footed central defender, and Schloterbeck has performed well in both 4-4-2 and 3-5-2 formations.
Schloterbeck is tall, athletic, very good in air dominance, and is fast, has a strong ability to interpret the game, and is good at playing the ball.
His elegance is similar to that of the 2002 World Cup finalist Jens Novotny, who is still the best central defender trained by the Karlsruhe Youth Academy. Like Nowotny, Schlotterbeck has the ability to play a role in a defensive midfielder, although he has not yet tried these aggressive forward runs in the game.
Nowotny grew up when Karlsruhe was a strong Bundesliga team, but now this club is no longer the same year, they were poached by Freiburg Schlotterbeck in 2017, which disappointed them .
Edmund Becker, who was the head of the Karlsruhe Academy at the time, told ka-news: “I know very well that Nico will continue to be a top professional player, but he has always kept his feet on the ground and still keeps in touch with us. ”
In Freiburg, Nico played with his older brother Kevin, who was ahead of him at the time. In April 2019, Nico and Kevin completed their Bundesliga debut. This is an exciting sibling group. Their parents watched the game in the stands.
“When we were young, we often played in the garden and dreamed of becoming a professional football player. Few children can realize this dream. We both succeeded, which is really incredible. This is still my favorite moment in my career. “Nico told Sport1 this month.
He also mentioned the phone call from Hans-Flick, who invited him to join the German national team before the German national team’s World Cup qualifiers in September.
Frick was enthusiastically recommended by Stefan Kunz, who led the German U21 national team to the European Championship this summer.
In the U21 European Championships, Schloterbeck and Bielefeld teenager Amos-Piper partnered as a central defender. The German team only conceded 4 goals in 6 games and defeated 1-0 in the final. Portugal.
Schloterbeck was very happy to get his first medal in his career. He happily returned to Freiburg and played an active role in the second round of the Bundesliga, helping Freiburg to beat Freiburg 2-1. Dortmund only lost an unlucky own goal.
For Schlotterbeck, who has not faced Bayern or Dortmund during the joint lease in Berlin, it is very important to mark Harland, and he is also capable of this task.
“That was the first time I played against a real world-class forward. It was very special to me because I finally knew where my level was and where I could go in the future,” Schloterbeck said.
“The challenge brought by Harland in terms of physical fitness and quality is cruel. I have to stay focused throughout the game. He didn’t score a goal, and I realized that I can compete with a forward of this level. This is a Key experience,”
After that afternoon in August, his self-confidence rose sharply, and the German team’s call-up also helped him.
Schloterbeck has not played for the German senior team after spending five games on the bench, but watching Rudiger, Correll and Züller up close is very valuable. of.
All these players are right-footed players, as is Hummels. The left-footed central defender is in great demand, and Frick is very happy to see the development of Schlotterbeck.
The German coach said: “You definitely want to see a left-footed midfielder, and Nico’s talents are quite comprehensive.”
In the first half of the season, Schloterbeck made almost no mistakes. In the 2-1 defeat of Bayern, Freiburg impressed people defensively, and Bayern’s senior officials also carefully observed the player who might become their target in the summer.
Schlotterbeck likes to play under Streiich, who is one of the best managers and tacticians in the Bundesliga, but Schlotterbeck is already thinking about the next step.
“Very few players will refuse to play for Bayern. I am now in Freiburg and will focus on this season until the end.” He told Sport1, “Then I will see what happens in the future.”
Teammates usually call him Schloty, but fans who admire him have invented the longest nickname-Schlott Beckenbauer. Time will tell if this name will come true.