The last impression is always a lasting one. So what will remain in our minds from the German national team’s friendly match, in which they only managed a laborious 2:1 (0:1) victory against Greece before the start of the European Championship next Friday against Scotland (9 p.m., ZDF and MagentaTV)?
No matter how great the cheers of the German fans in Mönchengladbach were at the end, the first team of national coach Julian Nagelsmann had big problems in the first half. They were sluggish, unimaginative and uninspired. That was very surprising.
But the crowd showed mercy and kept cheering the team on. This was also surprising because this kind of support had not been seen for a long time. On the one hand, this shows that the mood has changed a lot – and that the fans here are excited about this team and the European Championship. The TV ratings also confirm this. The match against Greece was watched by a peak of 8.84 million viewers on RTL.
On Monday morning, the national coach will gather his players around him again. Until then, they have free time – one last time before the final preparations for the European Championship opening match begin on Monday afternoon with a public training session in front of 4,000 fans in Herzogenaurach.
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Almost two weeks have passed with two friendly matches, many training sessions and many discussions. The mood in the team, it seems, is good. Nevertheless, there are words of caution. “It’s all too positive for me,” said Lothar Matthäus after the Greece match in his role as TV expert on RTL. The national coach and captain Ilkay Gündogan “also have to find one or two critical words.” Gündogan’s analysis in particular was far too positive for him. It shouldn’t just be praised, but “individual mistakes” also have to be addressed. “That wasn’t what the team can do,” said Matthäus about the first half in Mönchengladbach. “Of course they turned the tide, that’s the most positive thing for me.”
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The positives in the match against Greece. But what remains from the past two weeks? WELT draws a conclusion – the winners and losers of the preparation.
The winners
Pascal Gross: The Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder is only a substitute, but he is a good substitute, which is not only evident from his winning goal in the 89th minute against Greece. Gross always plays clever passes, and his set pieces are also good. Against Ukraine, when he replaced Toni Kroos, he calmly and composedly determined the rhythm of the German game. Gross puts pressure on the starting eleven.
Maximilian Beier: He was considered one of the candidates for elimination, but now he is in the final European Championship squad. He was a bright spot, especially against Ukraine, when 27 shots on goal were not enough to score. Just seconds after being substituted on in the 59th minute, the 21-year-old hit the inside post. He did not play against Greece, but his carefree attitude is doing the team good – Beier continued his good performances in the national team in the last Bundesliga season. He scored 16 goals for Hoffenheim, provided one assist and had a total of 81 shots on goal.
Ray of hope: Maximilian Beier
Quelle: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
Robin Koch: Like Beier, the defender from Eintracht Frankfurt was also considered a candidate for elimination. But Koch held his own and is now also a permanent part of the squad for the home tournament. He got his 30 minutes against Ukraine – and used them to perfectly promote himself. He did not play against Greece.
Kai Havertz: He was still lackluster against Ukraine, which is why there was another debate afterwards about whether Niclas Füllkrug would be a better alternative as a number nine. Nagelsmann, however, has decided on the Arsenal professional and also put his trust in him against Greece. Havertz justified it – and paved the way to victory with his important goal to make it 1-1 on Friday. He will contest the tournament as the number one striker.
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Prevent joint wear
The German fans: In Mönchengladbach, it was striking how patient the supporters were with the team that was initially disappointing. There were no whistles, instead there was constant cheering. The fans – among the 46,000 there were only a few who were not wearing a white or purple-pink national team jersey – are clearly very excited about the tournament.
The losers
Manuel Neuer: He is the number one goalie in Germany, but he is making himself more and more vulnerable. After reacting brilliantly twice against the Greeks in the 7th minute, he made a mistake in the 34th minute that led to the 0-1. Neuer was initially there to save a slightly deflected ball from Tzolis, but the ball slipped through his fingers and bounced off his head to the side – and into the feet of Masouras, who then scored. Against Ukraine, he chipped the ball to the opponents well in front of his own goal shortly before the end. Only the offside whistle saved Germany from conceding a goal.
The national coach unconditionally supports his goalkeeper, who has already caused debate with mistakes at the end of the season for Bayern (including in Madrid, against Hoffenheim). “I don’t care what is discussed in the media. It has been discussed before and countless times,” said Nagelsmann after the game on Friday. Internally, the mistake before the 0-1 “will not be evaluated, analyzed or tinkered with,” added the coach – and referred to three world-class saves by Neuer, “which not everyone can save.” Nagelsmann said he did not see an accumulation of mistakes, especially since mistakes were made before the goal.
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But no matter how much support Neuer has, the debate that the national coach does not want is there – and is unlikely to subside in the coming days, when the team will have to calmly prepare for the match against Scotland. Neuer, who rose to number one at the World Cup in South Africa 14 years ago, will now be examined more closely in every game to see whether he is still the reliable back-up. The debate is also fuelled by the fact that Marc-André ter Stegen is a top alternative waiting in the wings: “Basically, I have to get the ball away better, that’s clear for me, I noticed that straight away,” said Neuer after the game. But he has no doubts about the European Championship. “I think I performed well in both games. And that’s how I’m going into the group phase.”
Marc-André ter Stegen: No matter how much criticism Neuer is facing, the FC Barcelona goalkeeper has no chance of displacing him. As was the case at the 2016 European Championship, the 2018 World Cup and the 2022 World Cup, ter Stegen is only number two. He recently said that the national coach’s decision hit him hard. “It’s not a pleasant situation. But the coach made the decision, and I accept it, even if I don’t agree with him,” said ter Stegen.
Alexander Nuebel: The VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper had been nominated for the provisional European Championship squad. When Nagelsmann presented the squad on May 16, he said: “We have nominated four goalkeepers and will also go to the European Championship with four goalkeepers.” Last Friday morning, however, the coach did a U-turn – he dropped Nübel. Much to the annoyance of the goalkeeper, who will now go on vacation but is said to be available on call. Nübel, who is said to have been offered the opportunity to stay with the team as a training goalkeeper, is apparently to be replaced by a junior goalkeeper. However, this has not yet been finally clarified. The national coach’s U-turn came as a surprise, but it should also be a sign for the coming weeks. As often as Nagelsmann has recently spoken about the roles in the team being distributed between the first eleven and the block behind them, momentum – i.e. current form – still counts for him.
No regular place in sight: Niclas Füllkrug
Source: Getty Images/Alexander Hassenstein
Niclas Füllkrug: The BVB striker is popular with the fans, but he is only second choice in attack. Kai Havertz is set to play up front. “If Kai performs, he has the lead up front. But Fülle will get his playing time,” said the national coach before the game against Greece. Havertz “performed” on Friday, scored and underlined his position. Füllkrug only had one shot on goal after being substituted. But he has often shown in international matches how good he can be as a substitute: he scored five of his eleven goals for Germany after being substituted.
Nagelsmann’s conclusion
When Julian Nagelsmann was asked at the post-match press conference on Friday evening whether the journalists might already have the word “mood dampener” in their blocks due to the deficit and the weak performance, Nagelsmann interrupted the questioner and said with a serious expression: “Shit, hmm?”.
It was clear that the test had upset him internally, but he pointed out again that in the end it was much more important to be fully present against Scotland, the opening opponent. What would be the use of a big win against Greece if things didn’t go well in the first European Championship game.
Immediately after the final whistle, he had a discussion with his assistants Sandro Wagner and Benjamin Glück on the pitch. The trio concluded that the game was a successful test, especially for their psyche. The team had proven that they could get through difficult phases and come back.
