In a major interview with a German sports magazine rioter In early March, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann said that a team’s confidence can emerge in just two matches. Those two matches this month were against Switzerland and Ghana – and they won both, providing ample evidence that this group is not lacking in confidence.
Germany proved against Switzerland on Friday that, if nothing else, they are an entertaining team that can win high-scoring games. The defensive issues are familiar, but with players like Florian Wirtz on offense, there are a couple looks this team is capable of overcoming.
Germany had to face a different test in Stuttgart on Monday. Against a depleted Ghana, who largely looked like the 72nd best-ranked team in the world, Nagelsmann’s team was tested not for its resilience but its patience.
It took until the last minutes of both halves for that patience to bear fruit. After two unsuccessful power plays, it took a penalty from Kai Havertz in first-half injury time to break the deadlock. And after Abdul Fatavu scored Ghana’s only chance of the game, Deniz Undaw needed a late winner to seal victory.
“It was important to win the game, there was no point in drawing or losing,” Undav said. ARD After that.
Nagelsmann later said, “If we are discriminated against tactically like in the first half, you can see how strong we keep it. Then we were impatient because we didn’t score.” “We no longer had the right players in the right positions, and we were playing a lot of freestyle again like Switzerland. This made us very vulnerable to counter-attacks. However, I thought we played better here than in Switzerland.”
The combination of rain, a spate of substitutions and a poor opponent made the game a scrappy, disjointed affair. Germany were never really in danger of losing, but proving they can win these types of games is valuable experience even for this team so close to the World Cup.
Creation of Nagelsmann’s team
Both coach Nagelsmann and captain Joshua Kimmich have made great efforts to focus on the team’s strengths rather than the combined skills of individuals. Indeed, as the months and weeks go by before the World Cup, the rhetoric around team building has grown stronger.
Both Undaw and Nagelsmann expressed their displeasure about the abuse Leroy Sane received when he took to the field. Sane responded by assisting the winner with a daring header which was a fitting response. Obviously, this group is going strong. A core is clear and competition for places is hot.
Left back Nathaniel Brown impressed, but it is not clear that a good hour is enough to raise questions, even in a position that has long been a puzzle for Germany. The same is true for Lennart Karl. The Bayern Munich teenager played just 72 minutes in two games, but showed glimpses of a player who can change tempo.
Perhaps the most interesting option will come in attack, where Kai Havertz’s return from injury means Nagelsmann will have to decide between Arsenal player, out-of-form Nick Voldemort and in-form and fan-favourite Undau.
Deniz Undav: Germany’s in-form striker
Voltamede missed a chance he probably should have taken in the first half, and in the second he hit another good chance over the bar. Perhaps inevitably, Undaw came off the bench and scored the eventual winner. The man whose name echoed in Stuttgart’s stadiums even before his arrival reminded Woltemaid and Nagelsmann of what an on-form striker looks like.
His goal was a combination of perfectly timed runs and superb instincts in the box.
“I know my role for the team but with goals like these, maybe my role will change,” Undav said.
Nagelsmann was unimpressed by the Stuttgart striker’s comments, leaving it increasingly likely that Undau would be used as an influential player off the bench.
Ultimately, the real answer to all the positivity in March will come this summer, when Germany’s 26-man squad will be selected and they head off to tournaments in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
But the signs after two and a half months are encouraging. Does this team really believe it can win the World Cup? Who knows, but they probably feel better about their chances now than they did last year and if ever there was a time to boost your confidence and regain your confidence, it’s April of a World Cup year.
Edited by: Matt Ford