Germany: How far can they really go?
A 7-1 thumping of newcomers Curaçao, a last-gasp win against Ivory Coast and a careless loss to Ecuador, the German national team showed plenty of promise in parts, however a consistent lack of conviction may halt their hopes of progression in the knockout phases of this year’s World Cup.
Game 1
Germany have topped their group with 6 points out of the 9 possible and a +6 goal difference, much to the credit of Curaçao. The nation holds just over 150,000 people, which will be less than the amount of people in all of Germany that have ever even touched a football. It was a game that ramped up in intensity, as Curaçao’s only goal of the tournament seemed to shift Nagelsmann’s men up a gear, to avoid any further embarrassment. Most players got involved, with UCL Final-goalscoring forward Kai Havertz registering 2 goals, whilst Musiala, Nmecha, Schlotterbeck and newly-signed Bayern Munich left-back Nathaniel Brown all got on the scoresheet. Deniz Undav also contributed 2 goals and an assist off the bench, registering himself as the tournaments best ‘super-sub’ so far.
Game 2
Moving on to what is certainly the best game to analyse from Germany’s tournament so far, ‘Die Mannschaft’ managed a 2-1 victory over 2nd place finishers Ivory Coast. Franck Kessié’s rebounded finish put Ivory Coast 1-0 up in the 30th minute, which Germany failed to respond to for much of the game, until Deniz’s double in the second half, once again from the bench, claimed all 3 points. Whilst statistically Germany dominated this match, Ivory Coast shone brighter. Their silky strike-force of Yan Diomande and co. will cause problems for any team they face, a solid midfield structure is more than competent at breaking up play and distributing to their threats out wide, but in this affair, Christ Inao Oulaï put on a stellar performance. Reminiscent of Ayyoub Bouaddi Vs Brazil earlier in the tournament, he ran the show for all to see, winning the most duels of any player (10) and truly showing Germany how intense they need to be if they want to win this tournament. It was a game for reality to set in for Nagelsmann and his team.
Game 3
Finally, it was Ecuador’s turn to test the European outfit, and they did just that. A genuinely convincing display saw Ecuador earn a place in the Round of 32, winning 2-1 on the night. Leroy Sané opened the scoring early with a controversial goal, after a high foot scraped the head of Pedro Vite. Newly starting Sunderland winger Nilson Angulo fired a shot through Pavlović’s legs to take it to 1-1 in a must-win game for the Ecuadorians. From that point on, the team in yellow were making Germany look like the underdog. Long spells of possession, snuffing out passes and recycling the ball, Ecuador were on top of this fixture. Eventually, Gonzalo Plata tucked the winner home from a corner to send the fans wild. On a historic night for Ecuador, it’s hard to see if Germany would have truly rolled over this easily in other circumstances. They had 1st place secured, but Nagelsmann still went for a full-strength lineup. A relaxed performance or a concern going forward?
Verdict
All things considered for Germany, they’re Round of 32 fixture will be favourable. Finishing 1st means they will play a 3rd place team, currently lined up to be Paraguay, however this is subject to change with the remaining groups yet to be concluded. Beyond this however, is where the real test lies. If all goes as expected, Germany will have to take on back-to-back finalists France in the Round of 16. Whilst the French have not looked invincible, their attack against Germany’s defense will be a battle. There is a real recipe for disaster going into this fixture: losing Nico Schlotterbeck this early in the tournament to injury, full-backs that possess immense quality going forward, but can be susceptible to faltering at the hands of superior wingers, and a goalkeeper liable to errors in a 40yr old Manuel Neuer. If Germany are to get it done, they will have to be perfect. So far, it remains to be seen if they have that in them…
