The offensive game of the German national team is stuck. A quartet of highly talented players have been waiting for a goal against a top opponent for a long time.
It simply says that you “only” have to be more consistent in the end, that you “only” have to use the opportunities more efficiently. A defensive game close to perfection is very difficult to rehearse. But at least there are processes that can be rehearsed as far as possible.
Designing an offensive on the tactics board and then on the training ground, which then comes in front of the opponent’s goal according to recurring patterns and uses about every second big chance is the dream of coaches, but it’s just a dream.
problems on the offensive
In the German national team, there is currently a problem on the offensive.
The last four games ended 1-1 and it was not the case after a game that Hansi Flick was allowed to complain about usury of chances.
The record of the new national coach still reads brilliantly: In twelve games there were eight wins and four draws with 37:6 goals. It looks like a great offensive, but the names of some opponents in World Cup qualifying quickly put that into perspective:
Liechtenstein (2-0 and 9-0), Armenia (6-0 and 4-1).
No goals for Havertz, Werner, Sané and Gnabry
Only the last four games have been played against teams that are also represented in the top tier of the Nations League, and they ended 1-1. The scorers in these games were twice Jonas Hofmann, Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller.
Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané didn’t score. The highly talented quartet on which Flick’s offensive hopes for the World Cup in Qatar rest, thus continuing a trend that had already started in the previous calendar year. In games against teams from the upper category, Werner, Gnabry and Sané have not scored since the beginning of 2021. Only Havertz scored, in the games of the delayed EURO 2020 against Portugal (4: 2) and Hungary (2: 2).
Gnabry last scored against a top team in 2020
Since the embarrassing end at the 2018 World Cup, the German team has played 45 games, scoring 111 goals. Of these, 17 and most of them go to Serge Gnabry. His last goal in a game against a top team was in October 2020, in a 3-3 draw against Switzerland in the Nations League. A good month later, Werner and Sané scored in a win against Ukraine.
“Dynamism, speed and convictionFlick demanded before the last international match of the season on Tuesday evening (8.45 p.m., listen live and in the ticker at sportschau.de) in Mönchengladbach against Italy.
Hardly recognizable idea of an offensive game
If the national coach sticks to his words after the game against England a week earlier in Munich, he will play again with a 4-2-3-1 basic formation. So far, seven players have been allowed to try their hand at the four offensive positions in the three games in June. Hofmann and Jamal Musiala were convincing, while Werner, Havertz, Sané, Gnabry and Thomas Müller were disappointing.
Playing with a centre-forward, although none of the players listed is a centre-forward, has been a problem in the elite selection of the German Football Association (DFB) for years. Trusting in the strength of the individual players and his style, which is characterized by high pressing and counter-pressing, Flick makes no attempt to change anything in the selection of personnel or the system.
The idea of his offensive game was only rudimentary in the most recent games. Before the game against Italy, Flick said: “The team needs to know what their strengths are. We have great players in our ranks.” All you have to do is measure it with goals.