With a mental coach to the World Cup? He's in Nagelsmann's plans

All of a sudden, there is once again a player making a strong case for himself in attacking midfield, even though a place at the 2026 World Cup seemed virtually unthinkable for him just six months ago. After a disastrous first half of the season, Paul Nebel is currently in outstanding form. That surely will not have escaped the national team coach either.

But what has changed within just a few months, and is a strong second half of the season enough to earn a World Cup ticket? Quite a lot, would probably be the fitting answer at first glance when it comes to Nebel and his club Mainz 05. After a nightmare start to the season, Urs Fischer took over at the Palatinate club on December 7.

In Fischer’s 5-3-2 system, Nebel had fully taken control of the midfield again by the time teammate Nadim Amiri got injured at the end of February. “I’ve felt very comfortable on the pitch in the last few games. I can move into the half-spaces, but also drift out wide, deliver crosses and dribble one-on-one,” Nebel explained to the club’s media department in March.

📸 Alex Grimm - 2026 Getty Images The statistics also show impressively just how comfortable he has felt lately. Since February 28, 2026, Nebel has contributed three assists and four goals in eleven games. Before that, he had managed just two goal contributions in 23 matches this season.