All around the German national soccer team there is heavy weight, too long too many mediocre performances hit the mind. Much of it could be wiped away with a game. The DFB team storms back to the European championship after the bankruptcy against France.
Already in the early afternoon, hours before the second group game of the DFB-Elf, three helicopters circle over the EM arena in Munich, the obligatory “Deutschlaaaaaand …. Deutschlaaaaaand … Deutschlaaaaaand …. Deutschlaaaaand …” roars out every corner. The sun hits mercilessly. Since the terribly unsuccessful protest attempt by an environmental protection organization at the opening game, in which a catastrophe was only due to great luck, everyone has known: snipers are part of the regular formation at the games. There is a touch of end time around this first final for the German national soccer team at this European championship.
This tournament is not only covered by the veil of the pandemic, which has not yet been overcome, but – and this is probably the worse brake on euphoria – also the skepticism of the German football public about the German national team, which has grown over the years.
The first bad news for the DFB team and all those who stick with it, however, came well before the kick-off of their own team: The Hungarians, the greatest possible outsider Hungary, which was largely excluded from all considerations, provided the von Löw and Co. so strongly talked world champion a big game. With speed and courage, they created the chances that Toni Kroos and his colleagues had only talked into after the opening game. And they even scored a goal. In the end, they scored a point. And even before the task of Portugal, you had to ask yourself: How the hell are the Germans supposed to beat these Hungarians?
And then came exactly the game that they needed, the German national football team and their coach. Not just because of the points. A 4: 2 against Portugal, 50 minutes quite intoxicating. Joachim Löw did not make any changes, tactically and personally he sent exactly the formation into the race that was already running at the beginning. That probably caused horror among some experts and many fans, but it did not come as a surprise if you have been accompanying Löw for a long time. And his team, whom he had placed his trust in, agreed with him. The realization of a great evening from a German perspective: If the players are good, quick to think, effective and courageous, the system is just a framework, not a corset. And when the opponent also plays along, things sometimes develop almost automatically.
The German team in the individual review:
Manuel Neuer:
At 4: 2 the captain seemed to have switched off a little too early, at 0: 1 he was powerless: Manuel Neuer caught more goals than he held balls. That speaks not against the captain, but for the defensive performance of the German team, which allowed the Portuguese around their superstar and goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo astonishingly little. In view of the incredible vertical passes that Neuer plays from his own sixteen, he would also be someone who could still interfere in the discussion about the occupation of the midfield center.
Matthias Ginter:
The Gladbacher is the absolute play-safe solution: Reliable, with a clear game free of frills. Löw appreciates that about him. Not only works reliably in conjunction with his peers, but also in duels with top European people. Today he made life difficult for the good Diogo Jota. Not to think from the team.
Antonio Rüdiger:
Unlike next man Ginter, Antonio Rüdiger scattered one or the other carelessness today. Hacking tricks on his own sixteen are not what the national coach would like to see from his back three. The emotional leader of this back team threw himself into every duel and pushed the people next to him again and again.
Mats Hummels:
In the 18th minute, Mats Hummels played a sensational outside ball pass to Robin Gosens, plus there were various classic Hummels things to see: duels that were won before they even occurred. And that is the quality of the Dortmund player for which he was brought back to the national team. The fact that at some point Cristiano Ronaldo hardly felt like going wrong even with the simplest things had a lot to do with the German defense network. And that’s what the world champion is in charge of.
Joshua Kimmich:
No, Joshua Kimmich did not try very aggressively to gloss over his deportation from the center to the right wing. The Bayern professional misses permanent access to the game there. And yet the 26-year-old had a decisive influence on the game: With a clever move he used his outstanding opponent Robin Gosens, who prepared the equalizer. Kimmich then personally collected the assists for 2: 1 and 4: 1. Kimmich did not give the national coach many arguments to change anything.
Robin Gosens:
The Italian legionnaire scored a sensational goal in the 5th minute after trying to start three times in a promising position but was overlooked by his colleagues. Unfortunately, the mentality player was denied the goal because of Serge Gnabry’s offside position. Annoying, but a side note in retrospect. For 30 minutes, the 26-year-old was the most forgotten national player in the long international history of the DFB since Fritz Becker, the first goal scorer in that history. Gosens, who remained almost his entire working day without opponents, was permanently forgotten by his colleagues and when they finally remembered him, the mail went off all the time. Gosens made an extremely strong game on his left, especially offensive. Because he was also one of the most forgotten players in Portuguese international history. Until he was replaced after an hour or so, the left-footer delighted his colleagues and the German audience. Fortunately, he also scored his goal. Now you will never forget him. Not in Germany, not in Portugal.
Toni Kroos:
Toni Kroos was doing Toni Kroos things again: doing things that were clear. And this time much more vertically than against the French. Present, attentive. The last and the penultimate pass are simply played by others, but the way there often continues via Kroos. The clock of the German game has not been an undisputed fixed point in the DFB team for months, rather since the botched World Cup 2018. But under Joachim Löw, the 31-year-old will stay until the end of his era. Too often too little speaks against it.
Ilkay Gündogan:
Ilkay Gündogan is a brilliant footballer, at Manchester City, this wonderful ensemble of exceptional talent, controlled by the (up to the decisive moments) ingenious Pep Guardiola, he is the brain, the creative spirit for the big moments. Goal-threatening strategist. In the DFB team, Gündogan has to play further back, as part of a double six with Toni Kroos. And because parts of it are deprived of its effectiveness. Too far from the sixteenth, too busy carrying the ball. He never does that badly, but he can’t shine. This is usually not his fault and part of the national coach’s idea. It remains a shame, too often the equally brilliant Kroos and his neighbor neutralize each other a bit.
Kai Havertz:
Chelsea’s Champions League hero rammed the Portuguese warrior Pepe in the first minute. Could definitely be taken as a sign that Havertz, the most controversial among the German attackers, had planned a lot. In the counterattack that led to the goal, he had to give up the last man. And did it remarkably disoriented. But defending isn’t the 22-year-old’s core competency either. And because he scored two goals rounded up, it quickly didn’t matter. Strangely enough, the attacker looked around his gates like one of the most unfortunate people in the German frenzy. The man is under pressure, these 90 minutes, in which he again did not start convincingly, should have contributed enormously to the stress reduction. It was toxic and effective again, but there is still a little more possible. The man simply has too much class for that. You can, you have to assume that the 15th international match was also a free game for him. Bad news for Hungary.
Thomas Müller:
His 104th international match was once again a typical Thomas Müller game: As a free element, he made the German attack unpredictable and Joachim Löw had brought him back. Of course, at home, at Bayern there are more dangerous situations for himself because the opposing defense is usually on goal machine Robert Lewandowski. But how exhausting does it have to be for a line of defense when three players, Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz and Müller, who cannot be assigned to any foreseeable final position, come charging? Just. Curious: Müller, who was Germany’s top scorer twice at world championships, is still waiting for his first goal at a European championship.
Serge Gnabry:
The 23rd international match was a good one for Serge Gnabry. The 25-year-old had to attack centrally again, which he is not used to from the club. But because Germany ran out of classic center strikers, because they are no longer wanted without reservation, Gnabry makes the best of it – and that was a lot against Portugal. A lot of commitment, a lot of ball contacts, no goal. But that didn’t matter. Because central attackers of the new generation are no longer only measured by goals.
Marcel Halstenberg:
Unlucky that he became part of the confusion that arose after switching vigorously. Not always safe, but also not wobbly decisive for the game. That was mainly because the game had already been decided.
Emre Can:
The Dortmund player came when the game was actually decided – and then contributed to the fact that it almost became very exciting again: Can gave the Portuguese a corner in the 78th minute, which resulted in an ex-Bayern professional Renato Sanches nailed the ball against the post.
Niklas Süle:
The Bayern professional, who was once chosen to become the new defense chief of the DFB, has long been back in the second tier. When he tore the cruciate ligament many months before the original European Championship date in summer 2020, the news caused some horror. In the meantime, the personnel is hardly worth more than a shrug, because the giant has had a complicated season. And when Süle can build on his top form again, which had made him a beacon of hope in German central defense, football Germany can be happy. Now he was allowed to sniff EM air for at least a few minutes.
Leon Goretzka:
After the opening game, some had hoped that Leon Goretzka could become the problem solver for the German team. But the national coach declined that the one-man roll command was still missing some things after his injury break to be a reinforcement over a long distance. Löw hadn’t bluffed, but at least Goretzka is back.
Leroy Sané:
Ilkay Gündogan had wished for more playing time for his former colleague at Manchester City, but Joachim Löw put his trust in Kai Havertz again. And from a German point of view, one can be happy today that Löw is national coach and not Gündogan. Sané came late and remained without a scene.
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