Trouble with the underdogs again?
The German EM group is full of party crashers
By Florian Papenfuhs
March 27, 2024, 8:11 p.m
For the first time since 1988, back then without the new federal states, a European Championship will take place in Germany. Switzerland, Hungary and Scotland are waiting in the DFB group. Recent history shows that things couldn’t have been much worse.
There are currently two truths in German football. The two international matches against France and the Netherlands thrilled the country. Hardly any expert can remember the last time the DFB played such good football. The jerseys are selling, the goal anthem is finally right. However, all of this only provides limited information about whether the third preliminary round exit in six years will follow in your own country. Because, and this is the second truth, France and the Netherlands have rarely been the problem in recent years.
November 30, 2019 gives German football fans an idea of the worst. At the World Cup a year earlier, the DFB team was eliminated in the preliminary round for the first time in its history. As world champion. In 2020, the European Championships are scheduled to take place in Germany, among other places (no one has any idea of a pandemic yet). The hoped-for reparation is already being dealt a severe blow by the draw shortly before the last month of the year. In addition to Hungary, Portugal and France are in the German group.
On par with the top teams
But despite all the prophecies of doom, the preliminary round is not going badly. Jogi Löw’s team narrowly loses 1-0 against France, Portugal is beaten 4-2 because Cristiano Ronaldo’s colleague Robin Gosens cannot get under control. But the Germans conceded 2 goals against Hungary, so they couldn’t get more than one point. In the following round of 16 against the English it was finally over. The round of 16 exit is bitter, but the tournament wasn’t nearly as terrible as expected. In phases, the criticized DFB team is on a par with the top teams.
The group for the much-criticized Desert World Cup in Qatar a year later reads more pleasantly: Costa Rica, Japan and Spain. The DFB team played their best game against the Spanish ball possession artists. Niclas Füllkrug’s 1-1 equalizer is probably the only moment of the tournament that can make a difference in Germany’s emotional seismograph. But there was a defeat against Japan, and in the win against Costa Rica the DFB scored too few goals to advance.
You have to be afraid and anxious
It’s been like this for years now. With the exception of a brutal 6-0 defeat in Spain in 2020, German football never goes down despite its crisis in games against top teams, despite all the DFB’s progressive dwarfism. Given the group for the home European Championships, everyone involved should be afraid and anxious. For the first time since the 2018 World Cup, the DFB will start in a group without a top nation. The opening game against Scotland will be followed by Hungary and Switzerland.
The Scottish national team travels to Germany with a dominant qualification record. They suffered a defeat against Spain, but the team remained unbeaten in the other seven games. At home, the Scots even achieved a 2-0 victory over the Spaniards. With 17 points, the 151-year-old association leaves Norway, Georgia (who also qualified for the European Championships) and Cyprus behind. At the same time, Scotland is testing against the elite in friendly matches. The results are sobering: 1:3 against England, 1:4 against France, 0:4 against the Netherlands. There was also a recent 0-1 defeat against Northern Ireland. The team has not won a game since September 8th, 2023.
On the field, the Scots mostly play with a five-man or three-man chain. The best-known face in the squad is probably captain Andrew Robertson. The left-back has blossomed into one of the world’s best in his position at Liverpool FC under Jürgen Klopp. The other top players also come from the Premier League. Scott McTominay has been plowing the midfield in the red part of Manchester for years (and is becoming more and more of a goal threat). Billy Gilmour from Brighton & Hove Albion, the English counterpart to SC Freiburg, often plays alongside him. Left-back Kieran Tierney (currently on loan from Arsenal to Real Sociedad San Sebastian) often has to switch to central defense in the national team. The team of coach Steve Clarke, who has been in office since 2019, has recently had problems, especially against the elite of world football. If morale hasn’t suffered too much from the current series of defeats and they regain their qualifying form in time, they could get enough points to extend their stay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at least until the round of 16.
Record price and euphoria
With Dominik Szoboslai, Andrew Robertson will meet a teammate during the preliminary round who is also captain of his country and also has a convincing qualification for the tournament. The Hungarians even won their group ahead of Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania and Bulgaria. After completing his RB football diploma, Szoboslai went to Liverpool last summer. The 23-year-old midfielder is usually in the Reds’ starting line-up and currently has twelve points scorer in 33 games across all competitions.
The recently returned goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi and defender Willi Orban continue to earn their money at RB Leipzig, who also form the core of the defense in the national team. SC Freiburg also has two Hungarian national players: defender Attila Szalai and winger Roland Sallai. There are also two players from the capital from Germany: Marton Dardai from Hertha BSC and Andras Schäfer from Union Berlin. Far from the Bundesliga legionnaires, the most exciting personality in the squad is left-back talent Milos Kerkez. The 20-year-old is an integral part of the national team’s starting lineup. Before the season he moved from AZ Alkmaar to AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League, where he has already made 21 appearances.
The Hungarian team last met Germany two years ago in the Nations League. In Group 3, coach Marco Rossi’s team won two games against England (4-0 and 1-0) and remained unbeaten against Germany (1-1 and 1-0). There have only been two defeats against Italy (1:2 and 0:2); the team has been unbeaten since the second leg on September 26, 2022. The 14 games in a row without defeat represent a record course. Only the legendary team around icon striker Ferenc Puskas was even more dominant, not losing for 18 games after the 1954 World Cup final. The series is causing euphoria in the country. A number of football fans are planning visits to Cologne and Stuttgart to support their team, and several flights are already fully booked.
Defensive concerns among neighbors
The fans from Switzerland have an even shorter journey than the Hungarians, but the anticipation is likely to be a little lower. The team, which is mostly known from the Bundesliga, is particularly worried about the defense. Of all the teams that qualified directly for the Euros, Switzerland conceded the most goals (11). In the 2023 calendar year, the team only kept a clean sheet in three games, against Andorra, Israel and Belarus.
The defense in particular shows individual class. The depth at the goalkeeper position is impressive. Yann Sommer (who had to be substituted injured in the most recent international match) is currently proving his class at Inter Milan after many years in the Bundesliga, Gregor Kobel is becoming the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga at BVB, joined by Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Jonas Omlin and ex-Leipziger Yvonn Mvogo, who now plays for FC Lorient. Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji is in central defense, and in front of him coach Murat Yakin can rely on Granit Xhaka, who is currently leading Leverkusen through an incredible season.
After all: the clean slate holds for the first two international matches of the European Championship year. After a 0-0 draw against Denmark, captain Xhaka said: “We showed a different face and were a unit again.” This is followed by a 1-0 win in Ireland. The winning goal was scored by veteran Xherdan Shaqiri, who now plays for Chicago Fire in the MLS. Far from the former Bavaria, the Swiss offensive offers above all potential. The attackers Noah Okafor (AC Milan), Dan Ndoye (Sampdoria Genoa) and Zeki Amdouni (FC Burnley) are all 23 years old. The latter is used in all 10 qualifying games and scores six goals.
Qualities as a solo entertainer
Switzerland has the players but is still looking for form. Scotland had the form but faltered recently. And Hungary could cause serious problems for the DFB team (and not only there). What all three opponents have in common is that as a team they can compensate for deficits in their individual class. Like South Korea, Japan or Mexico.
The two most recent brilliant games against the Netherlands and France show Germany’s potential for the knockout phase. Germany can dance on the big stage (again). However, for a successful European Championship, the DFB team must overcome its biggest deficit in recent years: Can the team also pose a threat to teams that are not particularly interested in taking part in the game and tend to act passively? Germany still has problems when the tempo is out of play. This will be particularly the case against Scotland and Hungary. However, the existing staff around the technically strong Musiala, Wirtz, Kroos and Co. gives hope that Germany can solve this task at the Euro. The expected returnee Leroy Sané can also be important in this regard.
The German team can demonstrate this newly acquired competence before the European Championships. On June 3rd, Germany will face Ukraine, who will also compete in the European Championships (8.45 p.m./ARD and ntv.de live ticker). The final test follows on June 7th against Greece (kick-off 8:45 p.m., LIVE on RTL on free TV and in the live stream on RTL+). The tests against the two “smaller” opponents offer a great opportunity. If the team convinces in both games, nothing will stand in the way of the euphoria before the home European Championship.