Opinion
EM 2024 Niclas Füllkrug in the starting line-up against Denmark? Absolutely not!
The country is demanding a change: Most fans of the national team want to see Niclas Füllkrug in the starting eleven against Denmark for the first time at the 2024 European Championship. But that would be wrong in this game of all games.
© Christian Charisius / DPA
For the German national team, the 2024 European Championship is going according to plan so far. If only there weren’t the miserable discussion about strikers: Kai Havertz remains pale, Niclas Füllkrug is pushing his way into the starting eleven. But against Denmark, that would be the worst possible change.
Germany needs the gap in the nation! (Almost) all 84 million national coaches agree on this. Niclas Füllkrug MUST be in the starting line-up in the round of 16 against Denmark! The current line-up, Kai Havertz, was only halfway convincing in the first game against Scotland. “Fülle”, on the other hand, came on as a substitute three times and scored two goals. So it’s actually a clear thing: Julian Nagelsmann needs to rebuild the attack. Or does he?
No! Quite the opposite! Even though Havertz has been rather inconspicuous so far, he has a lot of what is needed to advance to the quarter-finals against our northern neighbors. Nagelsmann must not listen to the football regulars on this issue! Just don’t put Füllkrug in the starting eleven!
Denmark has shown clear weaknesses at the 2024 European Championship – Havertz can exploit them better than Füllkrug
Denmark has advanced to the round of 16 with three rather unspectacular draws. The team has shown three glaring weaknesses: finishing (even in good positions), the division of space between midfield and defence and the central defence itself. Whenever the opponent played quickly forward, the back line seemed overwhelmed.
The three central defenders Christensen, Vestergaard and Andersen are three absolute smashers, with their size and physicality they can clear almost anything that sails high into their own penalty area. But: They also seem stiff in the hips, are not the fastest and always have problems closing the interfaces to the backcourt.
That’s exactly where Havertz’s strength lies. He is agile, fast and light-footed. Against Switzerland and Hungary he repeatedly ran into a wall because the teams were positioned very deep. Denmark doesn’t do that. And that’s why they need exactly this source of unrest to pull apart the not always compact defense. Havertz knows what to do with the ball and dribbles himself. Exactly the right remedy against the Danish defense.
Niclas Füllkrug against three defensive stalwarts? Not a good match-up
Sending Niclas Füllkrug into a fight against three central defenders just because of his goals would be a waste of time. His great strength in receiving, shielding and distributing balls would not come into play at all, because Vestergaard and Christensen in particular are good at holding their own.
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Havertz, however, would not allow himself to be drawn into these duels. He is a striker who plays. Perhaps not the goal-getter that the country wants. But one who is valuable for Nagelsmann’s system. He creates gaps that Musiala, Wirtz or Gündogan can fill.
And if the national team does have a hard time against “Danish Dynamite”, there is still this joker who only needs one move to break through an exhausted defense. True to the motto: If we can’t find a gap, we’ll just substitute someone.
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