The first major endurance test for the German national football team under Hansi Flick takes the DFB team to Amsterdam. The winning streak breaks against the Netherlands, but a number of youngsters come to the fore. One is particularly convincing.
How was the starting position in Amsterdam?
Two teams in upheaval after a disappointing European Championship. Two teams aiming to compete for the World Championship at the end of the year have now met at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena just days before the group draw for the World Desert Championship. On the one hand the hosts, the number ten in the world rankings from the Netherlands trained by Louis van Gaal, and on the other hand the DFB-Elf, who have been so convincing under Hansi Flick and who started the game with eight wins in a row. The 45th “Derby against Holland”, as Thomas Müller called it, promised a lot. And there was something else at stake: The winner of the game could hope to go into the World Cup draw as the group leader. Under certain conditions, at least for the DFB-Elf almost impossible.
Flick didn’t really care. It was about self-confidence. “If we can say at the end of December that we’ve won eight games, then I could live with that very well,” the national coach didn’t want to attach too much importance to his starting record. The starting formation of the Adlerträger showed that things are slowly getting serious on the road to Qatar. The two Julians, Draxler and Weigl, moved to the bench, Marc-André ter Stegen vacated his post between the posts for Manuel Neuer and Jonathan Tah made room for Antonio Rüdiger, who celebrated his 50th international match alongside Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg.
Leroy Sané replaced Draxler and Jamal Musiala took over the position on the double six alongside İlkay Gündoğan for the first time. Thomas Müller, of course, also started, whose great career began under Louis van Gaal and, after a dark period under Niko Kovač, was revived by the current national coach during his intoxicated Bayern months. Van Gaal had kept his line-up a secret for a long time, but ultimately didn’t change much from the 4-2 draw with Denmark. Interesting from a Bundesliga perspective: Dortmund’s Donyell Malen got a chance up front.
teams and goals
Netherlands: Flekken – de Ligt, van Dijk, Blind – Dumfries, Koopmeiners (46th Wijnaldum), de Jong, Malacia (74th Ake) – Berghuis (58th Klaassen) – Malen (58th Bergwijn), Depay – Trainer: van Gaal
Germany: Neuer – Kehrer (79th Henrichs), Rüdiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Raum (86th Günter) – Musiala (69th Neuhaus), Gündoğan – Havertz (69th Brandt), Müller, Sané (86th Draxler) – Werner ( 80. Luke Nmecha) – Coach: Flick
Referee: Craig Pawson (England)
Gates: 0: 1 Müller (45th + 1), 1: 1 Bergwijn (68th)
Spectator: 50,000 (at Amsterdam)
The “Derby against Holland” in the feature film
6 minutes: The hosts develop a slight advantage in the first few minutes and get a first shot with a header from Bergamo professional Teun Koopmeiners after a short corner. Ultimately, however, a safe prey for Manuel Neuer. Until then, a lot goes through Malen, who is always looking for duels with Freiburg’s Schlotterbeck.
12 minutes: The ball reaches Leroy Sané via Havertz, who lets it through for Thomas Müller and turns into the penalty area. The world champion puts him in the limelight with a great chip, but Sané has already gone too far outside. His shot from a tight angle only reaches the side netting.
19 minutes: Painting escapes Schlotterbeck. But then the Dortmunder fails with a simple cross pass into the middle. The approaching Tyrell Malacia can only shake his head and breathe deeply the German defense. That’s the safe 1-0 for the hosts. Almost in return, Timo Werner is offside. The way there is worth seeing. Havertz moves well between the lines, bringing the ball to the side to David Raum, who crosses how he can cross. Only Werner is offside. His header on the crossbar is not included in any statistics.
29 minutes: Musiala draws a yellow card. The young man from Munich has done it well in his deep role so far. Organizes the game, frees himself from tight situations with clever turns, pleases with his ball forward. Just not Memphis Depay. The Barcelona striker, unnerved, tugs at his jersey and picks up the first box of the evening.
35 minutes: Paint again. Again he eludes the German defenses. Depay robs Gündoğan of the ball and then quickly puts it through to Dortmund, he comes free into the penalty area, gets a slight push from Rüdiger and thus misses the next chance for the hosts.
45+1 Minute: Goooooor for Germany: The eagle bearers combine beautifully on the left, where Timo Werner suddenly appears on the wing, making room for Musiala. A deep run, an attempted ball on Havertz, but it reaches Müller via Malacia. It mills with the left. Until then, the man from Munich had hardly been noticed. That’s how it is as a sneak. In the all-time top scorer list, Müller drew level with Uwe Seeler with his 43rd goal. That’s how it goes in the cabins. Not undeserved.
47 minutes: Perfect ball for David Raum, who is free in the penalty area after a wonderful counterattack via Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané. But Hoffenheim has found its way into the final zone. His conclusion, however, not only flies over keeper Mark Flekken, but also over the goal.
57 minutes: As in the first half, a short corner poses a threat to Manuel Neuer’s goal. The ball slips Matthijs de Ligt, whose shot rushes towards the goal as if controlled by a laser. In the end it was just a bit too high. Then van Gaal changes through. Former Bremen player Davy Klaasen and Tottenham ace Steven Bergewijn arrive. It’s over for painting.
68 minutes: Tooooor for the Netherlands: Manuel Neuer has been overcome. After a throw-in on the right side, the ball moves to the left side. Thomas Müller rushes behind, running over his own player in midfield. De Jong’s ball sails into the penalty area. Denzel Dumfries runs into position at the far post. He wins the header duel with Raum, puts it back to Bergewijn. No chance for newcomers. Flick switches through. Julian Brandt and Florian Neuhaus replace Musiala and Havertz.
71 minutes: VAR, VAR, VAR! Thilo Kehrer puts Depay in the penalty area. Clear penalty, but not for the VAR, which is part of the game at the request of the Dutch. Referee Craig Pawson takes the penalty kick back. Chaotic minutes.
82 minutes: Urge phase of the Dutch. Germany is constantly under pressure and can thank Manuel Neuer, who punched several times, for not completely turning the game around. Further changes fuel the unrest.
88 minutes: Müller asserts himself excellently and puts the ball on substitute Lukas Nmecha. Another good chance for the DFB-Elf. But nothing more.
What was good?
Ninth game under Flick and no win for the first time. After 60 convincing minutes, the national team gave up the game. But not completely. They withstood late pressure and salvaged a respectable draw over time. The break in the German game came about not least with the departure of Jamal Musiala. The Munich player controlled the game from the double six.
Flick’s trick with Musiala in the deep position worked in the first 45 minutes. The Munich still has a long way to go, but not only impressed with his preliminary work to 1-0, but also with his turns and first contacts reminiscent of Thiago Alcântara. He wasn’t above himself for sliding tackle either. The 19-year-old is making himself more and more indispensable as a midfield alternative. Like, of course, Kai Havertz, who has been in great form for weeks and also impressed against the Netherlands. With Schlotterbeck another defensive alternative is growing. Freiburg is the winner of the March games.
what was bad
Hoffenheim’s David Raum interpreted his role as a left-back very offensively – and embarrassed Nico Schlotterbeck in the center several times. The Freiburger then usually did well. Raum was also able to resolve some dangerous situations with its pace. For Flick, he takes on the role in the national team that Alphonso Davies held at Bayern. He is a bit removed from his speed. Raum played his part in the 1:1 when he didn’t actively defend against the ball. He played a part in the development of the penalty that was finally withdrawn with a weak header defense. The steep ascent has been stopped for the time being. “Playing here in front of 50,000 is an experience for him. He hasn’t done that too often in the last two years,” said Flick.
The break in the game of the DFB-Elf after around 60 minutes and at the latest after the substitutions of Havertz and Musiala, the chaotic ten minutes around the goal are a problem at the highest level. The total lack of defensive control in those minutes can be worrying. “We lost control a bit,” said Thomas Müller after the game.
That’s what the people involved say
Hansi Flick: “It was a top game with high intensity for the spectators. We had the opponent under control for 60 minutes and should have made it 2-0 through David Raum. Huge compliments to my team, it’s just nice how they play, how everyone goes along the way: courageous, refreshing, self-confident. We can be satisfied with the 1-1, although we would have preferred to win.”
Manuel Neuer: “In the direction of Qatar we have to use every test seriously, that’s valuable. That was decent for long stretches. All in all, the team is on the right track.”