Sign up for The Athletic with our limited-time tournament sale offer.
As of Friday afternoon, Germany’s preparations for Euro 2024 had gone smoothly. Indeed, since the double wins over France and the Netherlands in March, Julian Nagelsmann’s squad for the tournament’s opening match against Scotland on Friday 14 June is still decided, with optimism surrounding their progress on a steady curve.
Advertising
However, a poor first half against Greece replaced the match. Germany eventually won Friday’s pre-tournament friendly 2-1, but not before their starting lineup showed their weaknesses. Germany was trailing 1-0 in the split time after forty-five minutes of ownership play and brutal attacks, and had to be kept by a replacement in formula and personnel.
Overreacting to warm-up matches is crazy ahead of the tournament, but the effect of some of those changes has been profound, a reminder that Germany is still a structured team full of subplots.
In fact, branch after branch, they are one of the most intriguing of this European Championship.
How to watch the European Championship and Copa America on The Athletic. . .
Current debutant: Manuel Neuer
Neuer’s form is disturbing. The fumble that allowed Joselu to draw for Real Madrid against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals last month was incredibly costly, but also typical in the sense that it occurred in a game where Neuer had still been eliminated. authoritarian, impressive.
On Friday afternoon in Mönchengladbach, he made another series of smart saves, but once made another mistake. Neuer let a Christos Tzolis shot twist, giving Giorpasss Masouras a simple chance to bounce back. As mentioned above, Germany have bounced back to win, but it’s a topic you can’t possibly overlook, even if coach Nagelsmann does his best to end the conversation.
“I will not allow any discussion (about Neuer),” he told the media after the match. “It doesn’t matter if we try. “
Neuer played well against Ukraine in Nuremberg 4 days before this match against Greece. He’s also had a lot of good times than bad since recovering from a leg injury he sustained while skiing on vacation after the World Cup 18 months ago. But at 38, each and every mistake he makes now triggers dark whispers about longevity, reaction speed, and ultimate decline. Even offside passes are cited as examples of his loss of confidence.
Advertising
There is no doubt about converting the goalkeeper. Nagelsmann has overlooked Leon Goretzka and Mats Hummels for reasons of team harmony, and to have an abandoned and (therefore) dissatisfied Neuer in the squad for this tournament would be unwanted baggage.
Not that quitting is the right answer, even in theory.
Marc-André ter Stegen has rarely been at his peak performance in Barcelona with Germany and his claim to be part of the team is not as strong as it seems. However, the big tabloid Bild continues to publish articles to the maximum about the situation of the national team. The team’s goalkeeper agreed with the most recent vote, which showed that 72 per cent of readers were in favour of Ter Stegen’s disintegration against Scotland.
GOING FURTHER
Germany Euro 2024 Team Guide: Wirtz and Musiala bring a spark, but defence is a concern
Current debutant: Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Antonio Rudiger, Maximilian Mittelstadt
Germany has to take risks with the ball to succeed. To play the way Nagelsmann wants, he has to put pressure on his own defensive zone and put the ball in danger.
This is to be expected, although some of the understandings are not yet fully mature.
Jonathan Tah and Antonio Rudiger are sure to start in central defence, with Joshua Kimmich and Maximilian Mittelstadt on the right and left of a back four, but the position between those players is not yet instinctive, and at worst, some faint. Defense can be scary to watch. Tah is a distributor. So did Rüdiger. Neither of them is yet absolutely comfortable in this new environment.
GOING FURTHER
Euro 2024 Group A guide: Germany’s tight No. 10s, Hungary and Scotland’s resolute set-pieces
With an explanation of why as well. It’s a symptom of recent years and the DFB’s decision to replace the season, sack Hansi Flick and reinvent the national team in a very short time.
Nagelsmann hasn’t even been in that position for a year, while his defensive unit has been combined for three-and-a-half matches. The result is a fragile team spirit that will have to expand as the tournament progresses, but will keep the pulse going. up from the start.
Current debutant: Toni Kroos, Robert Andrich, Ilkay Gundogan
The lack of breadth in Nagelsmann’s formation places special emphasis on the core mechanics. Toni Kroos will play the last games of his career at the base of this midfielder. Ilkay Gundogan will start as captain. And, for now, Robert Andrich – who has much more players at Bayer Leverkusen – will be the third member of the unit.
Advertising
Is this balance totally correct? Germany does not work without Kroos’ passing ability, that is clear, but we have to expect him to occupy the captaincy and the role of Gundogan.
His position is debatable due to his habit of drifting too far into a number 10 role. He’s not in his form at the moment and as a result, he’s proving to be an impediment to movement.
The second challenge is that he appointed captain through Flick, not Nagelsmann, which turns out to be an open door to media misdeeds.
Gundogan has already earned a slight rebuke from former Germany captain-turned-pundit Lothar Matthaus for putting too positive a spin on that game against Greece and for overlooking the team’s upheavals in chance-creation and the team’s inaccuracy on the ball. Gundogan suggested to enthusiasts to “stay with the team” and not live on the negatives. Matthaus disagreed, telling RTL that Gundogan was “too positive for me. “As captain, he has to find some critical words. There’s no need to blame, but he knows we need to communicate about (these disorders). “
GOING FURTHER
El Radar – The 50 Athletic to watch at Euro 2024
A more technical challenge is balance. As was the case at the 2022 World Cup and, more broadly, during Flick’s tenure as coach, Germany suddenly looks incredibly vulnerable to transitions again. They would possibly seem pressed with the ball and, when they lose it, too willing to counterattack in a way that leaves them out of position and faced with numerical mismatches.
Is it some other chemistry challenge and just a matter of allowing those three midfielders to get used to each other?Or does it require surgery?
Pascal Gross did it in the reserve team and made the difference against Greece. Aleksandar Pavlovic’s forward pass would be a hallmark of this formula and relieve some of Kroos’ pressure.
So there are options, but they would all come at times of greater instability or political turmoil.
Current debutant: Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz
Just a week ago, Germany’s initial attack was unmistakable. Kai Havertz as a false nine, with Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz behind, as a separate number 10. One of Nagelsmann’s wonderful triumphs was to bring Musiala and Wirtz together in the same team without forcing them to adapt too much, and together with Havertz, the attack benefited most from his training.
Advertising
These three players connected very well, creating spaces and opportunities between them. However, Nagelsmann’s team has little width, which means that opposing defenses can make the midfield incredibly crowded and difficult to get through. Greece did it and it worked. And it is worrying.
Does Germany want something a little more direct?
Nagelsmann is not without features either. Leroy Sané made a few appearances last week and Niclas Fullkrug made the team more damaging in his relief against Greece. Hoffenheim’s Max Beier was unlucky not to score against Ukraine and, like Fullkrug, represents a more orthodox centre-forward threat. Chris from Stuttgart Fuhrich is a fascinating runner, with a Jack Grealish-like taste in low socks, and can challenge a left-footed defence.
The complication is that all of them involve tactical adaptation.
Welcoming Sané, for example, would mean having to leave out Musiala or Wirtz, but also rebalancing the attack to make it symmetrical. And while Fullkrug is an attractive and effective option, capable of scoring goals, what would his inclusion mean for Havertz and the Fulkrug Fulkrug Fullkrug S. Fullkrug is an attractive and effective option, capable of scoring goals, what would his inclusion mean for Havertz and the Fullkrug team?Drop Havertz deeper and play with him as a ghost striker and what’s the result for the midfield?And so on.
This makes Germany fascinating. This time not because of politics or controversy, but because they are somewhere between a puzzle and a Jenga tower.
They are definitely capable of achieving excellence and can go far in this tournament at home, maybe even win it, but they will have to find a balance, and that without interrupting the progress they have already made.
It’s complicated.
GOING FURTHER
Pascal Gross’s Seven Gifts: How He Became Germany’s Alternative to Toni Kroos
(Top photo: Alex Grimm Getty Images)