Switzerland – Germany: This team has limits

The German crowd was silent, but it was still there. Then David Raum crossed in good old left wing style and Niclas Füllkrug jumped. The ball flew slightly up from his forehead, over the height of the crossbar, but sank down into the net in time. The equalizer came in the 92nd minute. Now a quiet crowd became a loud one.

Germany, like their train, arrived late, but Germany arrived. A goal in injury time won the group, just as it did at the 2006 World Cup when Oliver Neuville scored against Poland from a cross by David Odonkor. That comparison was drawn that night, regardless of the fact that it was a win then, this time a draw.

In the third preliminary round match of this European Championship, the German team, which had been struggling for a long time, managed to save a 1:1 draw against Switzerland at the last minute, securing first place in Group A. The coach and team were satisfied, even happy. But the performance revealed limitations and shortcomings that some had hoped would no longer be so significant, that they would have become smaller. The Switzerland match reminded Germany fans of something that had slowly been forgotten after the recent victories: a tournament like this can be over quickly.

The goal that made it 0-1 was symptomatic. Jamal Musiala lost the ball in midfield. Robert Andrich reacted sluggishly. Joshua Kimmich first moved too far in, then didn’t get back to his place quickly enough. Antonio Rüdiger reacted a little late. Then the goal could no longer be prevented, Remo Feuler chipped the ball to Dan Ndoye – a volley into the goal.

The defense center can be pulled apart

Fundamental problems in defence became apparent. Kimmich was barely able to stop opponents and his antennas for danger often gave the wrong signals. Rüdiger, although in the better position, allowed Ndoye to cross behind his back immediately after the 0-1, which almost resulted in the 0-2. Jonathan Tah received his second yellow card for an over-motivated foul in the opponent’s half. He is suspended for the round of 16.

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Further

Julian Nagelsmann will probably use Nico Schlotterbeck in his place, who gave his sceptics another clue in one scene after being substituted when he fell to the ground in midfield. In this scene, the supposed goal to make it 0-2 was scored, but a calibrated line ruled it offside. The center of defense generally tends to spread out, which Switzerland didn’t even make much of. The next opponent might have noticed, however.

Just as Switzerland also knew a lot of what was coming. Musiala gave the ball away a lot, extremely often for his standards. Florian Wirtz’s dribbling had little aim. And there was little on the wings, as Kimmich and Maximilian Mittelstädt have few offensive resources.

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Toni Kroos was evidently the best scout. Granit Xhaka, the best player on the field, forced him into a duel, which the Swiss won. Under pressure, Kroos’ build-up play became less reliable. He only felt comfortable in harmless zones, his passes were transparent, and not much can be expected from him in the attacking third anyway. He also made a few technical errors on the Frankfurt race track.

Lots of possession, little wing play. Lots of attacking attempts, few scoring chances. You had no idea how Germany wanted to score a goal. Given the high level of possession (66:34), there was little danger. Kai Havertz’s header attempts were unworthy of an Arsenal striker.

Hopes of reaching the final are dampened

The long list of deficiencies does not do the team justice. They are capable of a lot. They also kept the ball in their ranks against Switzerland and thus gained control of the game. The passing game was good. Up front, the technical faction demanded a lot from the Swiss defense around the strong Manuel Akanji.

And the substitutions were spot on. Füllkrug may have fallen short of a few standards in technical matters, but he was back. Perhaps he will soon appear in the starting eleven.

In addition, some of the referee’s decisions were unfavourable. Penalties were already awarded for the actions against Havertz and Maximilian Beier. A goal by Andrich was disallowed. Switzerland scored the first goal with its first shot. In general, seven points from three games, as many as at the last European Championship in 2016, sounds good. A weaker, more complicated game is part of a successful tournament.

Nevertheless, after the two German victories against Scotland and Hungary, the match against Switzerland has dampened the hopes of reaching the final. Julian Nagelsmann’s team should not rely on a big home advantage either, because the many away fans provide better support. In Frankfurt, the Swiss, who drowned out their own cowbells, were louder than the “Schlandler”.

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But the opponents are not getting any easier. And the German weaknesses are now known. Perhaps the national coach will be able to fix one or two of them in the training week. Optimists, however, had expected that more would have happened by now.

The German crowd was silent, but it was still there. Then David Raum crossed in good old left wing style and Niclas Füllkrug jumped. The ball flew slightly up from his forehead, over the height of the crossbar, but sank down into the net in time. The equalizer came in the 92nd minute. Now a quiet crowd became a loud one.

Germany, like their train, arrived late, but Germany arrived. A goal in injury time won the group, just as it did at the 2006 World Cup when Oliver Neuville scored against Poland from a cross by David Odonkor. That comparison was drawn that night, regardless of the fact that it was a win then, this time a draw.